Digital transformation has been one of the buzzwords of the past few decades that comes with an array of futuristic offerings, subject to uses and interpretation.
It has now become an integral chapter in the process of how we have evolved as a superior social entity, enhancing the modalities of our communication and connectivity through the manifold tools in the digital ecosystem.
Social media, for instance, has seen its colours massively transform over the period of time, as industry leaders like Facebook opted to restructure into "Meta", addressing the forthcoming trends of interconnectivity among all digital communication channels.
Instant messaging platforms like imo and others are also consistently opting for innovation, because it is perhaps the only way to sustain in the global netizens’ mood for “something new”. Sharing lives – in layman’s terms – has never been so effective and efficient, credit to the collective growth of the tech-based sectors like internet and telecommunication.
Believe it or not, this global digital transformation is the very underlying reason why we are also witnessing a major paradigm shift in terms of television or small-screen entertainment. Netflix and other popular OTTs have taken over the traditional form of media – and this trend only seems to gain more and more fuel – eventually causing the ripple effect all over the pool of the consumers.
Even social media and other digital communication platforms, i.e: imo, Facebook etc., are now gaining more and more access to the common people’s lives, as it offers better and better mileages for digital connectivity. The substantial development of the telecommunication and internet sector over the past decade has been the key driver behind attaining such mileage.
As the country eyes a “Digital Bangladesh”, BTRC reports from January 2021 attest to the prospects, stating of near 113 million internet subscribers in the country. Another report from April, 2021, shows that the number of internet users in Bangladesh increased by 7.7 million between 2020 and 2021, with the addition of 9 million new users into social media.
Overall, we are witnessing significant investments being made in regards of network expansion, tower establishment and increasing ICT awareness – all indicating to a greater inclination towards digital ecosystem for the mass.
In Bangladesh, brands like Grameenphone, Huawei, Daraz and other tech-domain leaders, along with popular communication platforms like imo have been outlining their business archetypes in view of this altering reality. And their contributions are eventually helping the users to be more productive with their times, helping the societies to progress further through resourceful competency.
The impact of digital connected preparedness is already visible around us, as now users from even the fringes and peripheries of the society are also sharing the colors of their lives through connectivity. It no longer seems alien to us when we see a farmer making a video-call through imo to check on his son studying in the capital city, or a garments worker woman sending money through mobile financial services to support her parents in the village.
Bangladesh earns a significant amount of remittance from the workers abroad. The formidable digital ecosystem is fueling the workers abroad to carry on with their hard works as they remain thousands of miles away from their dear ones, solely through cost-efficient audio-video calls using internet. These are the very impacts of connectivity – undeniable and uncompromisable.
But there are still many stones left unturned. Bangladesh, a nation with one of the most promising growth trajectories and flourishing GDP trends, can still look to improve the digital experiences for its citizens and netizens. Stability is one area where our internet services are still behind, compared to the neighboring countries. Bandwidth prices can also be optimized for ensuring further cost-efficiency, which shall eventually lead to more internet user-engagement.
It came as a very optimistic message, when the Bangladesh government set its objective of undertaking a Tk 5,883 crore project aiming digital connectivity. This kind of investments create newer hopes in the country’s tech horizon, especially for prospective brands like imo, who are operating within the horizon as trusted companions for mass digital connectivity.
It is high time we recognized the reality that the more we invest after technology, especially communication technology, the further we advance in terms of productivity, efficiency and ease of connectivity – interpreted otherwise as ease of life.
Abdul Wahed Saif is a marketing professional.
