Living, Loving and Learning Online: Raising Awareness of the New Normal and its Security Considerations

The use of information systems has evolved from office-based activities to frequent daily use for many individuals. The information systems are now in the form of smart phones with the capacity to carry a variety of mobile applications. The mobile applications were used for social media, dating, shopping, banking, and many other social activities. With the overabundance of technology solutions to everyday activities comes information security risk and challenges for the users. The COVID-19 health pandemic accelerated the frequency and scale of daily technology use. This study followed an exploratory qualitative research design in the form of a literature review. The aim was to get an understanding of the extent to which the pandemic affected digitisation and the use of information systems in diverse social contexts and to identify the security issues to consider when using online platforms. Thereafter presenting these security considerations to raise awareness of personal safety and information security when living, learning, and loving online to minimise being a victim of online crimes.