This is how coronavirus might change our lives.

Constant connectivity defines 21st-century life, and the infrastructure undergirding it all is both digital (the internet and our social media platforms) and physical (the gig economy, ecommerce, global workplaces). Despite a tumultuous first two decades of the century, much of our connected way of life has evaded the stress of a singular global event. The possibility of a global pandemic currently posed by the new coronavirus threatens to change that altogether. Should the virus reach extreme levels of infection globally, it would very likely be the first true test of the 21st-century way of life, laying bare the hidden fragility of a system that haslong felt seamless. The most obvious example is our global and connected economy, which has already weathered a deep recession. There could be shortages in crucial imports. This past week the United States saw its worst weekly decline for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis. Major indexes around the world fell between 4 per cent and 12 per cent - America's Food and Drug Administration is monitoring 63 manufacturers in China supplying medical devices 'that may be prone to potential shortage if there is a supply disruption.' Worries about the future of the global economy have had interest rates headed toward to record lows while oil prices have dropped. This past week the United States saw its worst weekly decline for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis. Major indexes around the world fell between 4 per cent and 12 per cent. Testing systems A global pandemic also threatens to test other systems in ways that are harder to quantify. Chief among them: our complex information ecosystem.

In the event of widespread illness, we'll need to rely on accurate, vetted information to keep us safe. While the internet has made distribution easier than ever before, the democratisation of information has created platforms and advertising economies built to reward misinformation. Over the past few years, it has become clear that our social media ecosystem is easily hijacked to incentivise behaviour from the worst actors, further amplifying existing tensions and disagreements. The result? A volatile political climate, where news is weaponized for political gain - a state further exacerbated by black-box algorithms protected as corporate secrets that dictate the information we see. A global pandemic and its attendant fear and uncertainty will only add more strain into an already flawed and complex system...