Netflix crashed after many fans thought a secret final episode of ‘Stranger Things’ was dropping

Netflix Servers Buckle Under "Conformity Gate" Frenzy As Millions Hunt For Non-Existent Stranger Things Episode 9 Following Divisive Series Finale Netflix experienced a significant global outage yesterday, January 7, 2026, after thousands of Stranger Things fans swarmed the platform at once, convinced a secret ninth episode was dropping. The surge in traffic—driven by a viral conspiracy theory known as "Conformity Gate"—caused the streamer to lag, freeze, and eventually crash for many users, displaying the dreaded "Something went wrong" error message. The theory claimed that the official series finale, "The Rightside Up" (which aired Dec 31, 2025), was actually a false reality created by Vecna, and that the "true" ending would be revealed exactly one week later on January 7. Despite the mass digital sit-in, no new episode appeared. Netflix subtly debunked the rumors by updating its social media bios to read: "ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING." Industry analysts noted that the crash was larger than the one seen during the actual Season 5 premiere, proving that the collective disappointment over the finale's "tidy" closure had inadvertently created one of the biggest viral hoaxes in streaming history. #NetflixDown #StrangerThings #ConformityGate #StrangerThings5 #Episode9 #Vecna #StrangerThingsFinale #Netflix #DufferBrothers #Hawkins #TVNews