NATIONWIDE – A recent study of Canadian living standards has found that the modern-day equivalent of being in the lower end of the upper social classes is spending money on a monthly YouTube Premium account.
“When we interviewed households across the country regarding economic health, we found that most Canadians consider the $8 a month to get rid of ads on YouTube videos to be a luxury, equivalent to being able to afford a country club membership in the 90s,” explained Economics professor Kate Winnet of Queens University.
“We also found that everyone who has YouTube without ads likely had to do some refinancing to afford it,” noted Winnet.
As is often the case when talking about the national economy, most Canadians are depressed by these findings. Jake Thorton of Winnipeg says this new study makes his dream of one day being able to watch music videos without unskippable commercials seem even more out of reach.
“When my parents were my age, they wouldn’t have had to share a Netflix account with their roommates,” notes a weary Thorton. “And here I am picking up extra shifts in hopes of putting uninterrupted videos on the tablet for my kids to watch when they should be eating. I guess this is what I get for slacking off in med school.”
Since this study’s release, there has been an increase in demand for the government to create a UBI (Universal Basic Internet) plan, as countless Canadians claim they often have to choose between extra storage space on Google or ad-free Spotify.
This study’s findings are currently being considered by a number of entities, including the CRA, which has recently raised every Canadian with a Sportsnet+ subscription into the next highest tax bracket.
