Where else to begin but with COVID-19? It’s almost surprising that we’re not issuing this post over video call[1].

As we grow accustomed to this strange era, our main worry is that our vitamin D might only come through glass panes for the foreseeable future. Or that YouTube’s reducing its standard video quality to cope with the extreme usage. Or that maybe our exercise apps will send another judgmental notification. Or we’ll emerge from this situation with depleted leg muscles, like a returning astronaut.

But even though I don’t see real humans anymore and feel like I’m hallucinating the disembodied heads of our colleagues on our screens, I know there’s a lot of people having a tougher time. And fortunately, social media has never felt as social as it does right now[2]. That’s what our Read of the Week is about – TechCrunch explains how we’re all staying connected.

Of course, I’m not the only person having video calls to get by professionally. Pitchfork reports on the way that bands have adopted livestream services as a way to connect with their fans (and ideally, to retain an income too). We move from our musical idols to influencers, as Buzzfeed News ponders the role of this very online industry in a global crisis. Now we’re all using remote work apps, OneZero looked into the security of the main contenders for our professional and personal time[3].

With few of us allowed outside, let’s end with a couple of fun pieces. Polygon covered the best ways to stage a remote movie night with your friends. And the New York Times points out how good a time this is to get into video games. We can think of nothing better than waiting this one out in Hyrule.

READ OF THE WEEK: Under quarantine, media is actually social
[TechCrunch]

How livestreaming is bridging the gap between bands and fans during the coronavirus outbreak
[Pitchfork]

What place do influencers have in a pandemic?
[Buzzfeed News]

Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts: Are your remote work apps spying on you?
[OneZero]

Four best ways to stage a remote movie night with your friends
[Polygon]

It’s a perfect time to play video games. And you shouldn’t feel bad about it.
[New York Times]

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[1] *sigh* what’s even the difference anymore
[2] This is not a serious suggestion pls do not make me do it
[3] Is it just us or does every other person in the world own Animal Crossing