Dr. Matiur Rahman & Shishir Reza :
Result of the discovery of mechanical power is considered as industrial revolution. The three great industrial revolutions in the history of human civilization changed the course of the whole world. The first industrial revolution took place in 1784 with the invention of the steam engine. Electricity was invented in 1870, which accelerated the Second Industrial Revolution and the Third Industrial Revolution in 1969 with the invention of the Internet. The invention of the Internet multiplied the pace of the Industrial Revolution. However, digital revolution of today has surpassed the previous three industrial revolutions which are being considered as the fourth industrial revolution.
Numerous organizations like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon, Alibaba. Depending on the technology, agro-processing industries have been set up to build state-of-the-art spacecraft for space travel. There is no denying that these organizations are constantly bringing a variety of digital innovations and services to our doorsteps to make our lives easier. We are getting all kinds of hardware and software services at the moment. The whole world is now in our hands. Our daily life is useless without their services. From the upper class to the lower class, we are all covered by digital services. From buying ten-taka talk time on a mobile phone to watching a newly created Hollywood movie on Netflix, ordering food online to buying an expensive brand new car are all contributing to the digital revolution. There is nothing better to know than to do in this digital age.
From the information published in various reports, we can already know how the assets and profits of multinational technology companies and institutions have increased at an unusual rate during this Corona period. Google, Amazon, Microsoft wealth and profits of technology companies like FOT, Facebook, etc. have increased tremendously which we often find out through newspaper reading and television news. On the other hand, major economists around the world are constantly researching that from the beginning of the Corona pandemic to December 2019 to July 2021, a large number of people have become poor. Many have lost all their resources. Every day billions of people are passing the day with hunger in their stomachs. They have to spend their time in fear, anxiety, uncertainty and insecurity. On the other hand, billions of dollars have been spent on space travel. We are going through a really strange time. However, before the advent of Corona, wealth was concentrated in the hands of 1 percent of the world’s population. The extent to which Corona’s aggression has widened that gap now needs to be re-examined.
It has been proven that high-tech companies and multinational corporations are the financial beneficiaries of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by using Corona Shock. In this corona crisis, those who did not have a single scratch on their face, but their business flourished financially. On the other hand, a large number of people have become destitute. In a country like ours, where most people already live below the poverty line, this is a great crisis for them. Those who have no future savings have to worry more about their condition. It is understood that in such a context, the eternal struggle of the working people is becoming more difficult.
There is still some confidence in government jobs. But there is no doubt that those who work in the informal sector are facing a severe existential crisis. This stagnant state of the economy during the Corona period is impossibly transformative for the society and the state. Those who implement the causes of social change are called the catalysts for change. Through these catalysts, social change is felt intensely in different countries at different times. The corona virus has made the lives of many people around the world miserable. But one day this situation will end. Then new battles will begin. A human revolution will begin. This is how social change will happen. The new social system will establish humanity, equality, equity and brotherhood. The victory of human revolution is inevitable.
However, it is to be hoped that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has included the control of the Covid-19 pandemic in their sustainable development agenda as a matter of urgency. Corona virus vaccines have already been discovered through the tireless efforts of scientists. Its mass application has started in different countries of the world. However, so far it has not been possible to ensure the distribution of this vaccine to every state in the world. We are also hearing about the politics of vaccine production and distribution. However, it has now become a popular expectation that every citizen of every country in the world can get this vaccine. Therefore, there should be equal distribution of vaccines.
At the same time, the food and medical care of the poor people of each country must be ensured first and foremost. With the exception of this, it seems that the possibility of social change that has been mentioned cannot be avoided.
(Dr. Matiur Rahman is Research Consultant, Human Development Research Centre and Shishir Reza is Environmental Analyst and Associate Member, Bangladesh Economic Association)
