- 93% of Americans view a significant interruption to their internet, cellphone service as a very or moderately big problem during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- 75% say they have used email or messaging services to communicate with others, while 70% report that they have searched online for information about the coronavirus.
- 64% think the internet and phones will help but are not a replacement for face-to-face encounters.
- 16% report using the internet or email to connect with doctors or other medical professionals due to the outbreak.
These are some of the key findings from a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted online between March 19-24: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/31/americans-turn-to-technology-during-covid-19-outbreak-say-an-outage-would-be-a-problem/
Internet providers such as Comcast, Verizon, ATT, Charter, and Frontier have the growing responsibility to secure and improve their infrastructure. Allowing Hundreds of Millions to communicate, work from home, and especially not to freak out.
Finally, call me old school, but I agree with point #3. I subscribe to the adage that 80% of communication is non-vocal. Body language and tone cannot be replaced via digital communications.