The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our work-lives in ways few of us could have anticipated. These exceptional circumstances have forced each one of us and each one of our institutions to adapt, sometimes in creative ways. I would like to compile a list of those changes and adaptations at all levels of the mathematical ecosystem (all the way from the lives of math undergrads to the working of national funding bodies).
For each entry, please discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the new setup, compared to the previous way of doing things. Be as specific as possible.
Where relevant, please discuss issues of accessibility of events/resources to people who would otherwise have less access to them, and issues of climate change (less traveling means fewer emissions).
Best Answer
Online seminars
Research (and other) seminars have gone virtual. The obvious advantage is, that anyone can attend from basically all over the world. The page https://researchseminars.org/ compiles a huge list of talks and you may visit some mathematical talk basically all around the clock. A further advantage is that no travelling is involved, so speakers are much more flexible. Moreover, the virtual format makes it very simple to record the talk and make it available afterwards.
Among the disadvantages is the missing personal contact and possibilities for one-on-one discussion. Also, virtual seminars do not serve as meeting points for groups and departments as much as classical seminars do.
The additional ability to have public and private chats during the talk is at least different to classical talks, but I am not sure if chats provide an advantage or disadvantage.
My personal conclusion is, that virtual seminars are here to stay, but that classical seminars will come back as well and both are going to exist in parallel.