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Did you know there are currently some 9 million mobile applications available for download right now? In a relatively short period of time, our lives have undergone a truly digital transformation and now most aspects of our lives are managed by a small device we hold in our hands.
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2020 and beyond: Mobile apps are changing societal norms
Mobiles and mobile apps redefined societal norms and facilitated a major change in our lifestyles. Particularly in the current climate, access to smartphones and applications has been able to provide a wealth of services to consumers.
In the era of COVID
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, a number of governments sought to utilize apps and smartphone technology to help fight the virus. A number of governments created contact tracing applications that would use location data to detect if people had come into contact with those diagnosed with COVID. When a person receives a positive diagnosis, they would enter this into their app, while staying anonymous. A notification would then be sent to everyone that came within a certain radius of them during the prior two weeks. Anyone receiving a notification would be asked to isolate and get tested. The apps were rolled out with varying degrees of success although a report on https://nature.com/articles noted that when used properly, they would be very effective. Some were concerned about privacy, and many were not keen on downloading such an application. That said, the method and concept behind it was groundbreaking.
Apps also grew in popularity due to more people having more time and being stuck at home. There were increases in downloads for fitness apps, social media apps, games, news, and general entertainment. People used shopping apps to get things delivered during the lockdown, and video apps to stay in touch with family and friends.
Keeping finances in check
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As the mobile revolution continued, the demand to be able to manage finances on the go increased. Consumers no longer want to wait on the phone to speak to an agent if they want to request a new card or make a transfer. Nor do they want to send emails and wait for someone to get back to them. The rise in mobile banking and online-only bank accounts has had a drastic impact on the high-street banking sector. Droves of individuals have been driven to application-based banking solutions, savings accounts, trading apps, and more. The growth in trading apps has been particularly of note.
During 2020, there was a big surge in new customers downloading these apps to speculate and invest in various financial markets. Curious customers could use sites such as https://learnbonds.com/uk/trading-apps to see the ones that were highest rated, as well as find the one that suited them the most, and with this they were able to manage their own trades and investments directly from their mobile. With no need for a third-person broker or having to chat on the phone, this puts their financial destiny well and truly in the palm of their hands.
Staying in touch
No article about apps in the current era would be complete without talking about the way we use them to stay in touch. Apps like Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Signal, Telegram, and Viber surged in downloads during the last year, according to https://www.businessinsider.com. High-end business deals, court testimonies, birthdays and baby showers can now all take place via apps.