Irreversible effects? How the digitalization of daily practices has changed after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown made individuals rely more on digital technologies – for their work, study, shopping, and other daily routines. Self-isolation and compulsory digitalization increased stress levels due to a lack of traditional, offline interaction. These and other negative effects could cause ‘a digital backslide’ after the end of the quarantine, when people were given back the opportunity to choose between online and offline strategies. This study aims to determine if it actually happened. Based on the panel survey of Russian internet users (N = 1317) – conducted amidst the active phase of the pandemic in 2020 and after the removal of most restrictive measures in 2021 – it demonstrates the use of digital tools decreased for the practices which traditionally combine online and face-to-face, offline interaction (communication, meeting new people, watching/attending sports and cultural events, etc.). For others, there has been even a modest increase of the digitalization level. Such dynamics are observed in the practices mainly performed on the internet: information search, using public, financial and insurance services, etc. The study shows that the users who felt an external pressure to increase their digital usage in 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, tended to decrease it after the lockdown was over. A similar trend is shown by the inhabitants of rural areas. The users with a high financial status and those which acquired new digital skills during the quarantine, on the contrary, have further increased their digital usage.