The Pandemic Feeds Tech Companies’ Power – The New York Times

April 8, 2020

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Our online habits are changing, likely for good. This could make tech companies even more muscular.

Credit…Timo Lenzen

By Shira Ovide

April 8, 2020, 12:43 p.m. ET

We need technology to keep us supplied, connected and informed in this pandemic. And these changes may stick with us. Are we giving too much power to tech companies now — and possibly forever?

I chatted about this on Twitter with Kara Swisher, a veteran technology journalist and a New York Times contributing Opinion writer. She was smart, and not boring. Here are portions of our conversation. It’s been lightly edited.

Shira: How do you feel about us relying more than ever on services from tech companies?

Kara: I’m nervous about it. It doesn’t abrogate the problems they had before.

Amazon is doing great things, yet look at what’s going on at their warehouses. Zoom is doing great things. But I have school-age kids, so I’m not too happy about what’s happening there with privacy and security.

Facebook has been better than in the past; it’s not permitting false information about the coronavirus to spread. I’m glad they are doing this, but I’m not going to give them a standing ovation for it.

Should we focus on this global health crisis, and drop government investigations into the dominance of big technology companies?

You don’t have to throw everything overboard in a crisis. If threatened with regulation, tech companies will say, “We have to be big to fight this.” But they didn’t really fight this. Doctors fought this. Analog doctors.

What should tech companies like Amazon do to protect their workers?

Tech companies have lived off the back of other people’s cheap labor for a long time — whether it’s an Uber driver, a delivery person or Amazon warehouse workers. It’s just coming into sharp relief.

These workers deserve much stronger pay and more benefits. That’s costly to the people who want to stay enormously wealthy, and to consumers who like a low price.

But tech companies aren’t the only ones with vulnerable, often low-wage workers.

Absolutely. Income inequality is a problem for our age, especially with tech facilitating it. The question is, is our country committed to helping the least of us?

Will this pandemic change how we live? Will we stop doing group activities or shopping in stores?

I don’t think that people will no longer go to work or go outside. You will go to restaurants — certain restaurants. It’s just going to accelerate trends that have already been happening.

It was hard enough already for mom-and-pop stores. I was going to go to the movies for “Top Gun” or “Mulan,” but I wasn’t going to theaters often.

What is keeping you happy right now?

I just had a baby with my girlfriend, and staring at a baby who has no idea that any of this is happening is really quite something. Watch a baby eat bananas for the first time. You will feel just fine.

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After I wrote about my challenges with living through screens, Rick Closson from Santa Barbara, Calif., wrote in:

A half-dozen of us in the Covid-vulnerable demographic usually meet on Tuesdays to “solve” the problems of our town one historic brick at a time.

The California-wide lockdown has interrupted that, and Joe’s Cafe has closed. After testing the limits of email as social discourse, we held a virtual lunch this week using GoToMeeting. It was great to see faces with voices again, and we’ll use it as long as required.

But it’s no permanent substitute for sitting shoulder to shoulder in a restaurant booth, being able to comment on the daily special or chat with the wait staff refilling iced teas. And we miss the food smells and background bustle. We’ve made offline payments to the restaurant owners for distribution to staff for missed tips and will continue as long as this quarantine lasts.

Stand by your pan. A U.S. government agency, wanting to prevent additional trips to the emergency room during the pandemic, is using Quinn the Quarantine Fox to dispense prevention tips on social media about household dangers like cooking fires.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life.” My colleague David Segal wrote about how our homebound times are tailor-made for people who stream video games for a living.
A Times special report explores the ways artificial intelligence technology is making its presence felt in our pop culture, the resilience of our jobs and much more.

Hugs to this

Merriam-Webster has a running Twitter thread of beautiful but mostly useless words. “Murmuration” is my favorite so far. (Thanks to Reply All for recommending this.)

We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of this newsletter and what else you’d like us to explore. You can reach us at ontech@nytimes.com.

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- Should I wear a mask?
  
  The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
- What should I do if I feel sick?
  
  If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
- How does coronavirus spread?
  
  It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall as they are coughed or sneezed out. It may also be transmitted when we touch a contaminated surface and then touch our face.
- What makes this outbreak so different?
  
  Unlike the flu, there is no known treatment or vaccine, and little is known about this particular virus so far. It seems to be more lethal than the flu, but the numbers are still uncertain. And it hits the elderly and those with underlying conditions — not just those with respiratory diseases — particularly hard.
- What if somebody in my family gets sick?
  
  If the family member doesn’t need hospitalization and can be cared for at home, you should help him or her with basic needs and monitor the symptoms, while also keeping as much distance as possible, according to guidelines issued by the C.D.C. If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently.
- Should I stock up on groceries?
  
  Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home.
- Should I pull my money from the markets?
  
  That’s not a good idea. Even if you’re retired, having a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds so that your money keeps up with inflation, or even grows, makes sense. But retirees may want to think about having enough cash set aside for a year’s worth of living expenses and big payments needed over the next five years.
- What should I do with my 401(k)?
  
  Watching your balance go up and down can be scary. You may be wondering if you should decrease your contributions — don’t! If your employer matches any part of your contributions, make sure you’re at least saving as much as you can to get that “free money.”