As individuals and small businesses struggle with the pandemic, digital tools have become crucial elements to enable them to weather this difficult period. Google Thailand stepped in to offer help.
Jackie Wang, the first female country director of Google Thailand, is determined to provide digital features to support people struggling with the pandemic's impact, helping Thais move forward in the digital economy.
According to Ms Wang, Google Trends is a useful tool that can assist brands and corporations in understanding people's interests during the pandemic and help them plan and execute strategies.
Google's search engine has helped Thais access reliable information about Covid-19 from the Thai Public Health Ministry and the World Health Organization.
"Even without the pandemic, Thailand remains an important market where Google can bring relevant and suitable technology solutions to Thais," she said.
Cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) have become digital foundations for corporations.
"Last year Google assigned a country head for cloud services to accelerate growth and support digital transformation," said Ms Wang.
DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING
Google and its strategic partners have worked together on the Saphan Digital programme, which is meant to support digital skills training for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals.
The scheme's second phase takes place this year, projected to provide training for 100,000 SMEs and individuals.
Local SMEs contribute 34% of Thailand's GDP and account for 85% of the country's employment. Yet this segment is suffering during the pandemic.
According to Ms Wang, the country's economy is expected to recover this year, backed by the vaccine rollout.
YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, has become an important platform for self-learning during the pandemic.
"We see students learn languages here, while individuals learn how to bake cookies and change tyres," she said.
YouTube in Thailand stands at the forefront of the Asean region with a diverse and rich ecosystem in terms of creators, YouTubers and audience, said Ms Wang.
YouTube viewing time in Thailand rose 20% in the first six months of 2020, compared with the same period a year earlier, while YouTube Thailand has more than 450 channels with more than 1 million subscribers, referred to as Gold Button channels. It has 10 channels with at least 10 million subscribers each, referred to as Diamond Button channels.
Google initiated YouTube Shorts as a short-form video tool for creators and artists.
"We are experimenting with it in India and plan to roll it out in other places," she said. "We see a lot of opportunities for growth through search and YouTube, even in the face of an economic slowdown."
Thailand's internet economy is on a promising projection. It is expected to reach US$53 billion (1.65 trillion baht) by 2025, up from $18 billion in 2020, according to a joint report by Google, Temasek and Bain & CO.
She said technology helps people gain access to necessary products and services, engage in safe social interaction, enjoy entertainment content, support online education and facilitate SMEs doing business. Scores of offline businesses are moving to online to catch the e-commerce boom, developing online ads.
PRIVACY IN FOCUS
The global trend is shifting towards personal data protection and privacy.
The upcoming update on Apple's iOS 14 operating system notifies users and allows them to decide if they will allow tracking of their digital footprint on Apple devices.
Google announced last year it will no longer support third-party cookies by 2022 for Chrome. Some browsers today such as Safari and Mozilla Firefox already do not support third-party cookies.
"User privacy is Google's key priority," said Ms Wang. "This is why we have enabled users to be able to control privacy for a while."
Google also wants to ensure its ecosystem continues to run smoothly.
The company is emphasising helping SMEs upskill themselves and work towards economic recovery, she said. Google plans to roll out best product strategies to provide solutions that meet Thais' demands.
Responding to the Thai government's move to tax foreign digital platforms, Ms Wang said there are no clear details on how tax would be collected, but the company respects the decision and will comply with local regulations.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
She feels lucky to be a part of Google, which supports diversity and inclusiveness.
With different cultures and backgrounds, staff are able to listen to a variety of perspectives through discussions.
Ms Wang said her role is to empower the team, helping it overcome barriers and constructively push to tackle problems.
Google focuses on creating opportunity even in uncertain situations, she said.
"We push forward with positivity to overcome obstacles," said Ms Wang.
"Even with the pandemic and uncertainty, there is always opportunity. The key is to find ways to manage the uncertainty. A tip is to control something that is still controllable, separate problems into groups, set priorities, focus on teams and use positive thinking to deal with challenges."
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT
She said women have strong potential to make crucial changes in society.
"But while we've made progress in helping women and girls advance across the world, that progress is fragile, unfinished and uniquely threatened by the pandemic," said Ms Wang.
Women are also shouldering a disproportionate amount of unpaid domestic work, and an estimated 20 million girls around the world at risk of not returning to school.
Job cuts, loss of income and a lack of access to education will prevent women and girls' economic advancement, particularly those from underserved communities, for generations to come.
These alarming realities require swift and decisive action, she said.
For this reason, the company launched a campaign called Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls that has committed $25 million to fund organisations, including some in Thailand, which are working to advance women's economic empowerment and create pathways to prosperity, said Ms Wang.