Pulling the plug on the Internet

By Kassidy Weber

We’re living in a world where all the information and entertainment  we need is right at our fingertips, but it wasn’t always that way. According to Rachel Nuwer, a journalist of BBC Future, “In 1995, fewer than 1% of the world’s population was online.” The internet has made a huge impact on today’s society versus the “olden days” before we even knew what the ‘Internet’ was. Now, its difficult to imagine what it would be like if one day the internet just…disappeared.

The internet is shutdown. Your phones have no more service. Your TVs are not able to access the internet. No Youtube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, no online games such as Overwatch, Counter-Strike, Fortnight or PubG. All gone. Riots break out over the news as internet-obsessed people struggle to grasp the concept of an internet-free world.

Nowadays, people are so attached to their devices that it is difficult for us to imagine a world without them. We are living in the age where children grow up with the internet as an essential part of their daily lives. Also mentioned by Nuwer,“3.5 billion people have an internet connection.” Looking at it from a real-world perspective, it makes the idea of an internet shutdown all the more terrifying.

The internet provides communication, academics and entertainment. According to Pew Research, “A fifth of Americans say they use the internet almost constantly.” People would have to readapt to talking with others face-to-face instead of through a screen. The ‘all night gamers’ would have to resort to games off the computer or Playstation, starting a new hobby like drawing, reading,or playing a sport.

Those who make their livings on the internet: Google associates, online marketers, artists, Youtubers, Youtube associates, online journalists and more, would lose their jobs. Those who use the internet for research would be at a disadvantage without immediate access to information. They would be forced to search for information inside a library book while improving their weekend reading skills.

It may be safer for drivers to focus on the road while the internet verbally directs them, but without GPS, directionless drivers would be lost in seconds. According to Amy Gahran, from CNN, “About 55% of U.S smartphone owners have their phone’s GPS to help get local directions or recommendations.”

The world could use a break from the internet. We’re decreasing in people communicating with each other face-to-face. People are talking and getting all they need through their devices, and  this even lead to languages dying out according to “The Washington Post”. The internet has transformed how we work, socialize and how we even buy our goods. It powers so much that even temporary loss could have a traumatic effect. The world would eventually adapt, but people may not be ready for this drastic change anytime soon. Take the time to take a break from your phone and to do something new, and let’s hope that this day never comes