Although neither have expressed concerns about their networks being maxed out, and internet service providers claim they’re able to cope with the increase in demand, those who rely on the internet for work may worry. Perhaps surprisingly, there’s been no report of a sharp increase in traffic at peak times, although internet service providers did say that the evening peak (usually six to nine in the evening) is now starting much earlier in the day. For now, it looks like this move could help keep things running smoothly.

The EU’s markets and services commissioner Thierry Breton, said:

“Streaming platforms, telecom operators and users… have a joint responsibility to take steps to ensure the smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the virus propagation.”

In response, a spokesperson for YouTube said:

“We are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default.”

Netflix also said the company was complying with the request for a month:

“We estimate that this will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25%, while also ensuring a good quality service for our members.”

But could this news mean increased traffic sees games streaming services like Google Stadia and PS Now reduce streaming quality too? With more of us following social-distancing guidelines or self-isolating, the strain on these services is only likely to increase in the following months. Already gamers are reporting long queue times and outages for online games like World of Warcraft and Fortnite, with Xbox Live’s service down last week (although it’s unclear whether this was due to increased demand or a technical fault).

Now could be a great time to stock up on games downloads or physical games from your Amazon wishlist… what will you be buying?

It was a rough night, and I needed to unwind so I logged into Netflix and clicked on “Striking Vipers,” and that was the beginning of my Black Mirror craze. The episode opens our eyes to technology, homosexuality, homophobia and stereotypes.

It also looked into the ability of social media to make it easier for people to lead double lives.

Two of the male characters played the video game together and virtually, despite one of the them choosing a female player, would engage in coital activities.

The married one found it quite difficult to come to terms with his sexuality in real life, making him resent his friend for ‘awakening’ those feelings in him.

Social Media Approval

Yet another Black Mirror episode entitled “Nose Dive” continually showed that social media forces people to lead fake lives.

Throughout the show, we can see how fake the protagonist is, to the point of attempting to master a fake laughter that would be considered “classy” to the people with higher ratings.

The episode shows us the extent to which people portray fake online personas to mask their sad, empty, and destructive lives. It was an eye opener for me since I’ve also minimized sharing too much on social media.

The technology that binds us on the interwebs can easily be used as a tool for even further destruction.

Such cases have led to people, especially young girls, committing suicide simply because they didn’t receive enough interaction on their social media.

Is it really worth it to lose your authenticity over validation from online strangers?

Judging People

With the online fakeness and false curation, you realize that:

“Social media will have you envying someone you should actually pity.”

That quote is from a tweet that went viral on Twitter and I came across it, at a time when I needed it the most.

In “Nose Dive,” for example, the protagonist loses everything and she even goes down to almost a 1-star rating, but she does not refrain from judging other people.

Authenticity is, in fact, the only key to ensuring that people do not strive to lead fake lives behind their computer or phone screens.

I live by Anthony Bourdain’s quote which states that:

“Once your reputation is ruined, you can live life freely.”