3 Things that would be different without the internet
Sep 25, 2017
The thought of having no internet is a scary thought for most. Have you ever tried to turn off your phone for 24 hours? You may think that sounds like an easy task, but that must mean you’ve never tried it.
Turning off your phone for an hour or two is one thing, but what would happen if the internet happened to just turn off completely? Well, it’s not impossible; the internet can be taken away says Jeff Hancock, a professor at Stanford University. Cyber attacks are one possibility, whilst some Governments are said to have ‘kill-switches’ that can effectively turn off their country’s internet. Space is a real threat though; a large solar storm that happens to send flares in our direction could potentially take out our satellites, power grids and computer systems.
So, the real question is: what would change if we lost the almighty internet? We’ve compiled a list and picked 3, but we’d love to hear your thoughts too, tweet us at @thecreationlab.
1. Friendships and Communication
The internet has allowed us to connect with people on a global scale; there are endless social apps to help us make new friends, form new romances and keep in touch with family abroad. We are almost always connected, with a 2016 survey finding that nearly 90% of adults in the UK said they had used the internet in the previous three months, if not every day.
So, what would happen to our friendships? We would love to think that people would actually be more social. Talking to each other on tubes, pubs would be bustling with people mingling after work and team members would talk to each other rather than email. Although, in reality, people would become less social and feel isolated, with a recent study claiming that people would find the whole situation distressing.
2. If it’s not on Snapchat, did it really happen?
Social media has completely transformed our lifestyles in more ways than one. We now live with the mindset of if you haven’t posted a photo, written a tweet or gone live on Instagram, then did it really happen? It’s like we’ve got a constant obsession to document our entire lives from posting the contents of every meal to checking in at your local pub- why do we do this?
If the internet were to vanish, would it be a good thing in terms of pushing people to live in the moment? We think to some extent it would be. However, social media isn’t all bad in fact it’s had quite a positive impact on businesses, especially. Social media channels can help businesses get their voice across, help with branding and allow them to think creatively and innovatively when it comes to marketing. It allows consumers and big brands to talk to each other. So, without the internet not only will all the workers involved in the social channels lose their jobs but small businesses could struggle to get their voice out there!
3. A loss in Productivity
We’ve said that businesses would struggle to get business in, but what would happen to the workforce? Ideally, having the internet shut off would only allow minor admin jobs to get done and filed away- you know the small tasks that you keep postponing- those. However, some companies would be beside themselves, the internet going down for a week would be disruptive but indefinitely would be catastrophic for big businesses, especially.
We would love to know your thoughts on this subject, how could you cope without the internet? Would you strive without your phone, or does even the thought of losing internet scare you? Well, luckily for you the internet doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, being hit by a crazy solar flare and cyber attacks are kept at bay by around the clock team of experts.
For a more in-depth look into the possibilities, Jeff Hancock has written a great article over on the BBC website, which we have referenced in this post.
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