In the 50-plus years since the concept became a reality, the internet has changed the world we live in beyond recognition and continues to do so. It was designed for co-operation and instantaneous information dissemination, at a time when idealism was far higher and cynicism far lower than today.

In the same time frame, healthcare has also made immense strides forward. Clinicians and scientists have worked out how to transplant organs to extend life, how to cure some forms of cancer and how to diagnose some health conditions in the very earliest stages at which they pose a potential threat to the carrier.

When a global pandemic threatened the world – and tragically, killed and incapacitated far too many – the power of social media was apparent as an information force for both the benefit and detriment of humanity. Scientists were able to track the disease in ‘real time’, combining this with behavioural science insights into behavioural psychology that, in some cases, encouraged responsible actions to help limit the spread. Social media offered a way to communicate evidence-based news instantaneously. It was both a balm to assuage fears and a vessel for misinformation and conspiracy theories.

During the pandemic, education, working life and healthcare were transformed as online meetings software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams became accessible to the many, not just the fortunate few in highly academic settings. Universities and other seats of learning saw the potential of this new mode of working and used the channels to deliver lectures, discussions and even webinars during lockdowns.