"Daily life is far more disrupted by the pandemic than after 9/11 or the beginning of World War II, and anxiety is at levels only seen after Pearl Harbor and the Great Depression," said Jeffrey Cole, Director of the Center for the Digital Future in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The Center conducted a study titled "The Coronavirus Disruption Project: How We are Living and Coping During the Pandemic," which found rapid life changes and concerns as to how Americans confront the pandemic.
Jeffrey recently held a webinar with EO Melbourne on The Coronavirus Disruption Project and shared the findings of this study, which provided insights that helped better understand the thoughts of people who go through similar life experiences, anxieties and coping mechanisms.
Jeffrey has been at the forefront of media and communication technology issues both in the United States and internationally for the past three decades. An expert in the field of technology and emerging media, he serves as an adviser to governments and leading companies around the world as they craft digital strategies. In 2016, Jeffrey was one of the founders of the Global Disruption Fund (GDF), a technology investment fund based in Australia. He is one of the members of the Investment Committee identifying innovative companies and those about to be disrupted, making investments based on his work.
Veering from the Center's traditional work in annually examining digital change since the year 2000 in 35 countries, The Coronavirus Disruption Project took an extended look at life during the pandemic. As people are living through the greatest social science experiment of all time without warning or preparation, millions have had to suddenly move their work, learning, buying and everything else online. To see how everything has changed and will continue to change, Jeffrey gave a detailed look at how people have lived and coped during the crisis.
It was an insightful webinar for the attendees as Jeffrey elaborated on the data they gathered last April and June. People revealed what they missed most when isolated due to the pandemic. He also tackled people’s hobbies, habits, and sources of information with the new lifestyle that COVID-19 has brought to people's lives. With the shift of activities to the online and virtual space, the study revealed how people are navigating through the changes and how they perceive the transformations in their lives. Following his presentation was a healthy discussion as Jeffrey answered questions from the webinar participants related to the topic.
EO Melbourne continues to hold online learning events like this that allow its members and community to acquire additional knowledge and deeper understanding not only of the business environment and the entrepreneurial journey but also of the adjustments and modifications entrepreneurs can employ to adapt to the present environment.
Check out EO Melbourne’s past events in this page and its 2020-2021 Q1 events through the video at the homepage. Are you interested to be part of EO Melbourne? Read here on how to join.