The COVID-19 pandemic has forced technology to evolve rapidly. Telecommuting is the primary driver of rapid technological advances. A survey by Enterprise Technology Research found that full-time, permanent telecommuting will double by the end of 2021.

Big technology firms like Twitter and Square are leading the trend. Both companies told employees that they will work from home indefinitely. Small and medium-sized firms are also switching to permanent telecommuting. Companies were forced to adopt work-from-home policies last year. They discovered the benefits of remote workforces in the process, particularly increased employee satisfaction and productivity.

Government agencies adopted and expanded technologies like elastic cloud computing and artificial intelligence to streamline processes. Meanwhile CIOs across the globe are forced to learn, unlearn and relearn technologies that their respective companies attempt adopting and implementing. This year is already the most advanced year for new technologies of the 21st century. And its’s only going to continue accelerating. These five technologies are leading the way.

Messenger RNA

Pfizer and Moderna are leading the COVID-19 vaccine charge in the United States with their messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. It had never been used in human therapeutics until the pandemic hit. Messenger RNA instructs your body to carry out tasks at the genetic level. In the case of COVID-19 vaccines, it tells your body to produce the spiked proteins found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. That triggers an immune response from your body to fight the disease.

These mRNA vaccines are only approved for emergency use across the globe. They have not gone through formal approval channels that new drugs normally must complete before going to market. Some believe mRNA is dangerous and should not be used in humans. But scientists believe it’s useful goes far beyond COVID-19. Researchers are already studying mRNA technology for curing sickle-cell anemia, cancer and HIV.

Internet of Behaviors

This one is also somewhat controversial, particularly to privacy advocates. But the technology is already being used on a wide scale, particularly with COVID-19 protocol compliance. The Internet of Behaviors (IoB) refers to aggregation of so-called digital dust to influence human behaviors. It combines existing technologies, such as geolocation, facial recognition and data mining, to influence action, conduct and habits.

Data and analytics firm Gartner predicted that 40% of the world population will be tracked digitally by 2023. But the company also admits the ethical and societal implications of mass deployment.

Home improvement

Location data provider SafeGraph found that Americans were spending upwards of 18 hours per day in their homes in 2020. Lockdowns and telecommuting are obviously the reasons. Depression, alcoholism and unhealthy eating have also increased as people struggle to find ways to pass the time. Home improvements not only filled many hours, but also provided therapeutic benefits.

Home improvement spending increased 3% in 2020 to $420 billion, according to Harvard’s Joint Center For Housing. The report also found that DIY projects were highly prevalent due to families not wanting to invite contractors into their home. Several new and established companies recognized the trend and began offering products that facilitate DIY projects for novice handy persons.

Hesti Cabinet is one of those companies helping to streamline home improvements. The San Francisco-based firm makes custom cabinets that are delivered to Bay Area residents ready to install. It is a first-of-its-kind product, with all manufacturing done in the United States. Changing faucets, painting and retiling are also simple and popular DIY home improvement projects.

There are many technologies evolving and emerging in 2021. But these three are the most impactful and influential to the general population.