Post-COVID era hints at further abrupt changes in daily life.
Hello, this is Shimonoyama.
I usually stay at home, but recently I have been staying at home even more.
For exercise,
“I have to do things like going grocery shopping at least.”
I think,
but we often end up ordering meals for delivery as well.
Many people who spend a lot of time at home,
including myself, probably feel the same way,
but on the other hand, of course not all shops are
closed.
A acquaintance in his 40s who works at a store in Tokyo’s center complained about this.
He said something like this:
“Because of the president’s policy, the store isn’t closing, so I’m risking my life commuting from Saitama to Tokyo.
I think closing the store and cooperating would be
the role we should fulfill as members of society.”
The morning rush has eased,
and from Chiba you can commute to Tokyo while seated, but
still there is stress over going to work fearing infection.
If the store were to close, the company’s survival would be at risk,
and since customers don’t completely disappear,
they can’t bring themselves to make that decision easily.
It’s a difficult situation.
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The post-Corona world
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With the declaration of a state of emergency, many stores closed,
our lives have already changed dramatically,
but after the coronavirus ends,
the world may be a very different place.
What do you think the world will be like after the coronavirus ends?
What will change and how?
In thinking about that,
one news item recently caught my attention.
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Apple and Google
announced they would develop a contact-tracing tool to notify
users who may have been in contact with someone positive for the coronavirus.
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Apple’s announcement
↓
https://www.apple.com/jp/newsroom/2020/04/apple-and-google-partner-on-covid-19-contact-tracing-technology/
What was announced was
a system that utilizes smartphone Bluetooth.
References:
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO58110900W0A410C2I00000/
(2020/4/16, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, electronic edition)
For example, if you
eat at a store with a friend
Then that information will
be exchanged between your and your friend’s smartphones.
After that,
if it turns out your friend is infected with the coronavirus, you will be notified of that information,
in other words,
this is roughly how the system works.
Although rivals, Apple and Google
have joined forces, which may feel odd to some people,
but
by combining Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android market shares,
they can cover almost all smartphone users,
which is why they teamed up,
the background to this is.
- Individuals are not identified
- When the coronavirus ends, the system will be completely halted
it seems, but
of course there are concerns.
Previously,
a book called “Sapiens” became a topic of conversation,
and the author,
Yuval Noah Harari,
wrote in the Financial Times
that in the article “the world after coronavirus,”
there is a sentence:
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Immature and even dangerous technologies
are pressed into service,
because the risks of doing nothing are bigger.
『Financial Times』
“the world after coronavirus by Yuval Noah Harari”
https://amp.ft.com/content/19d90308-6858-11ea-a3c9-1fe6fedcca75
quoted
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In short,
“Because the risk of doing nothing becomes greater,
even immature and dangerous technologies are inserted into services.”
However,
as stated here,
to stop the spread of the coronavirus,
speed is prioritized,
and immature technology may be incorporated into new services and released to the world.
Recently, the vulnerability of Zoom, which enables web conferences, has become a problem.
Also,
the claim that “the system will be completely stopped once the coronavirus ends”
is not easy to determine—whether the coronavirus has ended.
Suppose there will be days when zero coronavirus infections occur,
but concerns about a second wave may keep the tracking tool running.
Using technology to stop the spread of coronavirus
is welcome,but there is also concern about a surveillance society moving forward.
“What if all people’s actions are being monitored?”
Many people fear this even more than the infection itself.
However, Yuval Noah Harari
also says this:
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Whenever people talk about surveillance,
remember that the same surveillance technology
can usually be used not only by governments
to monitor individuals
— but also by individuals to monitor governments.
『Financial Times』
「the world after coronavirus by Yuval Noah Harari」
https://amp.ft.com/content/19d90308-6858-11ea-a3c9-1fe6fedcca75
quoted
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In plain translation
“Surveillance technology can be used not only by governments to monitor individuals,
but also by individuals to monitor governments.”
This is the gist, but
through technology
not only can authorities monitor citizens,
but a society where citizens monitor authorities can exist as well,
as discussed.
Indeed, now that anyone can easily publish information,
hidden information is more likely to come to light.
There are times when information that would not have been known
floats into the public eye.
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To live with peace of mind no matter what happens
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“What kind of world will the post-Corona era be like?”
So, I introduced an article I found interesting recently, but
in the end, no one can say for sure what world awaits.
However, there is no doubt that a different world awaits.
Given how rapidly things are changing lately, anything could happen at any time.
Last week, the May futures price of WTI crude oil
ended at minus 37.63 dollars per barrel, which was a first in history...
This is likely to continue.
And so, unprecedented events will continue to occur.
And thus, what we need to endure such times
is not necessarily a “skill” to earn money without being affected by the era,
but rather a skill to reliably generate profit in any situation—an “investment skill.”
For example, an “investment skill” fits this description.
Not to push it on you,
but in truth, in the Stock Academy we often hear
that “the fear of old age has disappeared.”
We often hear this with a smile, so
I don’t think I’m saying something out of touch.
I hope that as many people as possiblewill have their anxieties eased through stock trading,
from the perspective of a trader and as an instructor.
So please continue to watch until the end today as well.
Thank you for watching.
Keiichi Shimoyama
