The Corona effect – rocketing into a digital future
In the spring of 2020, everything was turned upside down when the corona pandemic swept across the world. Businesses, organizations, companies, individuals – everyone has had to adjust. Digitalization has received rocket fuel and development is now faster than ever.
How has the first year of the pandemic been? What can we learn from all this? And above all: what opportunities can this mean for our county in the future? In this episode of the podcast Let's talk, you will meet some people from Norrbotten with different experiences and perspectives.
Fredrika Johansson at Kulturcentrum Ebeneser in Luleå talks about how they have started to invest and develop digital solutions for cultural events, lectures, conferences and training. She believes that a strong digital offering can make a big difference for a sparsely populated region like Norrbotten.
- We can reach a broader target group. Regardless of whether you are in Kiruna or Luleå or Pajala, you can take part in a training that takes two hours. And that is the effective time, before you might have needed to travel eight, ten, twelve hours to take part in two hours, says Fredrika, who also highlights the possibility of reaching an international market.
Anders Nordin works at Region Norrbotten as Director of IT and Medical Technology.
- In that role, I am responsible for, among other things, how we digitize and what digital services we use in the region, he says in Let's talk.
The pandemic has really accelerated the digital development in healthcare. Statistics clearly show that the number of digital healthcare visits via services such as 1177.se or the region's own Digitalen has increased significantly in Norrbotten. Anders is sure that this digital development with faster help, for example via chats and video meetings, has only just begun. But a big challenge is to get all Norrbotten residents on board.
- As healthcare providers, we have everyone as our target group. Regardless of age, mother tongue, or circumstances, we should reach everyone with services like this. And it is a certain challenge to think about how it is truly equal for our entire population.
Carolina Heimdahl is the regional manager of Ung Företagsamhet Norrbotten, which provides entrepreneurship education at junior and senior high schools. Their activities are usually based on traveling around the county. This year, there have been digital meetings, digital PRO and digital television broadcasts. She sees benefits from this, both for her own organization and for the young people they meet.
- The corona pandemic has really made demands on us to be open to change, and to be so from one day to the next. I think it is even more important that children and young people get to practice the transition that this entails. And to be both open to change, but also to be able to see the possibilities in everything we have around us. To be creative thinkers, to be problem solvers, to be able to collaborate with others and work on projects.
For over 400 years, Jokkmokk's market has attracted visitors from all over the world. With no easing of restrictions in sight, a quick decision was made to make the market digital. The whole of Jokkmokk gathered its forces and rolled up its sleeves to get everything in place in two months.
Statistics show that a total of 118 unique visitors visited the market. Everything was arranged on a website where visitors shopped and attended digital events, such as lectures, Sami craft exhibitions and concerts, and were able to take part in exciting live broadcasts. Tens of thousands of products were sold to 000 different countries on the online shopping marketplace.
- I'm probably most proud of being able to offer so many companies and enthusiasts to participate. The market was able to reach out to the world, we got to showcase Jokkmokk in a really great way, says Susanne Zakrisson, who works with the market.
Stefan Andersson, head of business at Jokkmokk Municipality, was impressed by the collaboration around the digital market.
- That unity around solving things is impressive. To be able to succeed so well in this situation is really strong, he says in Let's talk.
Episode 7: The Corona effect – rocketing into a digital future
Episode 7: The Corona effect – rocketing into a digital future (Spotify)