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Many are making the same reference to Netflix’s apocalyptic disaster movie after nationwide cell networks went down.
By James Hibberd
Writer-at-Large
Get to your bunker and stay away from those Teslas, because we’re apparently living in the opening act of Netflix‘s Leave the World Behind.
A nationwide cellphone outage struck the United States on Thursday morning and impacted more than 70,000 customers. The issue apparently started with AT&T’s network, but has affected customers who use Verizon and T-Mobile as well (during their attempts to connect to AT&T users). The problem is serious — it has impacted emergency services such as 911. While the reason for the outage has not yet been revealed, there’s no indication it was due to an intentional or malicious act.
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Still, everyone is seemingly making the same reference: Netflix’s recent apocalyptic disaster movie, Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke, which opens with all communications going down after satellites get disabled in an apparent cyber attack. Given that things in the film only got worse from there, some online are either mock panicking or actual panicking, or a combination of both. For added conspiratorial relevance, Leave the World Behind counted Barack Obama as one of its producers (though the story was based on the novel by Rumaan Alam, not pitched by the former president as a prophetic warning or something).
Some of the reactions:
“Leave The World Behind”… it’s like he had a crystal ball. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/qDRDaGzdSG
Well played #Netflix .. if you wanted us to watch #leavetheworldbehind then all you had to do was say that… This whole taking down #att network is a bit much.. but the marketing strategy is working. #sosonly #attoutage pic.twitter.com/HOrn6Oo5qq
Leave the world behind is trending (the Obama movie). We have no cell phone coverage right now. No carrier is working. My building’s front door won’t open remotely without cell phone.
It does not take 5 minutes to see that a major solar flare could be affecting satellite networks. Meanwhile, the MAGA portion of Twitter is referring to Leave the World Behind as gospel and thinking that Russia/China are testing for an attack. #outage
Nationwide outage has me feeling like we’re in stage one, like in Leave the World Behind. Bust out the maps! pic.twitter.com/rbSnfnOKuV
T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, AT&T and Leave the World Behind all trending this morning.
I can only imagine all of the unhinged conspiracy theories that will be entertained as a result of this…all coming from the MAGA camp of course. 🤦🏾♀️🫠 pic.twitter.com/lNcQk63toM
The predictive programming of the Obama’s movie, “Leave The World Behind” is becoming a little too real right now.
I wouldn't put it past our own federal government to institute a terrorist or cyber attack, just to blame it on foreign countries like China and Russia.
The same… pic.twitter.com/fx4yZ0cHSM
And this Donald Trump parody account:
Donald Trump spotted saving America once again, seen climbing various US Cellular, Nationwide, and other companies phone towers after a mass #outage was reported to Downdetector. Donald Trump will not leave the world behind like Joe Biden and Obama. pic.twitter.com/iZ9bhx0qFb
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