Re: If the internet went down today, what ..

[GKool]

Wow, Interesting Question... Well, its funny actually, i dont think many ppl like myself could begin to even contemplate life without the internet , it has become such an intimate comodity. but i guess,'Life Will Imitate Art' ,hollywood movies depict some interesting scenarios which might probably seem realistic as time progresses.In  answering the question, if the internet went down today, then we would have to adapt, deal with the chaos & rebuild.

[shelialk]

wow, if the internet went down today I would be lost.   Where would I sell  jewelry I make?  Who would I talk to in the evenings when my hubby is on the road.  Where would I find all the useless, trivial info I am always looking up. For me the loss of the internet would be devestating

[sexy_calo]

If the Internet went down, the resulting reaction would be PANIC! To say the world does not heavily rely on the internet is false. We advertise billions of dollars worth, we access vital information and many governments rely on the internet to keep their databases up to date and many other reasons.

[timothywcrane]

I would try to morse code PayPal® to cancel my account, and smoke signal the bank that I need to make a withdrawl.

I feel that the panic, not the reality, would cause an economic crash in the West, and liquid finances, for a man as poor as I am, would be needed immediately, or I might not be able to buy bread.

[cshinaberry]

It's weird that when the net is available, I spend a lot of time using it and I really enjoy it.  When it's not, though, I don't miss it.  I'm not the kind of person to take my laptop camping or to track down the nearest net cafe when traveling.  Of course, from a practical standpoint, loss of the Internet would be a big problem since my job requires me to use it.  Otherwise, it's really not a big deal to me.  There's plenty else I enjoy doing.  As a matter of fact, it's kind of nice to have a "net vacation" every once and a while.  Reminds you that there's a lot of real world out there...

[dreamsarepoetry]

I think there would be mass chaos all over the world if that happened. Many people would lose their jobs and income, businesses and government agencies would be in chaos, and it would generally not be a good thing at all.

Personally, I think I would find some way to adapt to it, but I would hope it would come back up. In some ways, everyone would be in the same boat - without the internet in an internet-based world.

[RedWingFan94]

I would not be a happy camper if I lost the internet.  I live several states away from where I grew up and where my family lives so I use e-mail and instant messaging to keep in touch with several friends and family members.

I would also really miss Google.  I know that sounds silly but I use it so often I don't know what I would do without it. 

[MissScribe]

I'd be mad 

I spend a lot of hours on line and use the Internet to make money by writing.  For instance, I write consumer reviews on a couple of UK websites and although they hardly pay enough for me to retire  they do pay enough for me to 'save up' over a period of time and I use this money, which is paid via PayPal, to buy stuff from ebay.  Sometimes I ask to be paid in Amazon vouchers and as I love reading this is great for me!

I also have children who live abroad and it's great that I can keep in touch with them via msn and the video link.  If the Internet went down today I'd miss chatting to my kids and seeing them via video link more than anything!

[Lisa]

Interesting question that I don't want to think about. I rely on the internet way to much to even consider it going down. I work on it, I play on it, I make friends on it and I vent on it. There is just so much of my life that is on the net, my work, my friends, my relaxation time, my venting time, my communication with the world. I think that losing my sanity and panic would be the first thoughts if anything happened and the net went down.

[masterskiller]

I would try to fix it.lol.
There are a lot of people out there who LOVE the internet and are on it 24/7.
A lot businesses rely on the internet for money.
But  I would just spend more time outside if the internet went down.

[jsin]

I cannot fathom an event that would take down the entire Internet.  If my home/office Internet went down, I would sit in a coffee shop with my laptop or tether to my blackberry.  If there is no Internet in my town, then I have to assume something so catastrophic has happened that I will be looking for a bomb shelter or headed to high ground.

[lighterfluid]

Temporary outage: Clean my house. Write some articles.
Long term outage: Get a job outside the house.
Permanent outage: Find a shelter, get rabbit ears for the TV.

[evabaker28]

If the internet went down today, I would be completely out of money! Since I had to quit my job over a year ago to become a caregiver, the only way I can make money is online. Also, I'm finishing my degree through an online university. So, that would be a big problem too!

[Fuchie]

Wow! That would just be simply awful,this would just put a damper on my day. The Internet and I we are so close. I spend as much time as possible on the net communicating with friends near and far, sending words of love and encouragement to each other.

What can I say the Internet is really one of my favourite pass time.

[Shir]

i would curl up into a ball, cry and get my bf to buy me oreos and peanut butter

[trader1499]

I have a somewhat funny story.  My comcast internet went down a while back and it stayed down the whole day.   The next day my wife called and told them it was not working and they scheduled someone to come out.  So two days later he comes out to check on it.   First thing he said was, "it would help if it was plugged into the wall"!   I felt like a fool because I never thought to check that part after checking everything else.  My cat unplugged it cause she likes to get behind there. 

Whats worse is the same thing just happened with our tv!  Fortunately I figured it out and had time to call and cancel the appointment. 

Hopefully I'll check the outlet from now on!  Haha.

[Travis]

At the very least I would be ruined. My whole income is based on the Internet. I run a very successful online business and it generates about 75% of my total income. I am actually knocking on wood right now just in case.


I also believe the Internet going down would start a war. Lets not get on that subject though as it is very touchy.

Travis

[katie]

I would feel lost at first, lol. But, goodness, we all lived without the internet for years, surely it wouldn't be that hard to go back to not having it. I would just have to start mailing my work to editors instead of emailing.

[lucy1b1]

I have suffered the wrath of not having the internet before and let me tell you, it was NOT a pleasant experience. My parents have a holiday home in Spain and I went away with them last year for three weeks. The house is near Granada, which is in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have the internet set up. Needless to say withdrawal symptoms kicked in around day 2!

I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have my laptop connected to the internet at all times. Which I understand is exceedingly desperate for an 18 year old girl but believe it or not I still have a social life! I still go out on a night with my friends. I also, however, come home at ridiculous times of the morning feeling tipsy and the last thing I do before going to bed (and after taking my make-up off of course) is to check my email/Facebook/various forums.

My friends are unaware of this addiction but I fear rehabilitation may be in order!

[Jonathan]

If the internet went down today, well, technically it couldn't, it is a redundant network, designed by the American military to withstand a nuclear holocaust, so if the internet did go down, then i guess that would have happened, and we wouldn't be here, neither, for that matter would the internet. the reason being that the Earth would be gone.

[buddys]

NO........INTERNET.........(clutches chest and becomes short of breath).........SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

[djschwab]

If my Internet went down and I couldn't connect at some other location I would basically have the rest of the day off. The Internet has become such a big part of my work ( writing and research) I would shut down without it.

[hpterin]

I would have to say that I am addicted to the internet.  If it went down I would nearly panic, but I'd have to use my phone much more than I do now and I'd have to go back to buying stamps and actually writing letters again!  I can and do go a few days at a time without it though and it's good to take a break now and then.

[belglen]

I am one of those people who does not think they spend much time on the Internet but to be honest I use it everyday and to do most things from shopping to banking to communicating with friends and even to earn money.

[webo]

Interesting question.   I have always been a outdoors man or just person who enjoys the outdoors all together.  I do not stop going outside as it is just because I am on the computer but I am sure that I would see the sun more if I did not stay up all night.

Its kinda like saying that if you dad only had 6 month to live what would you do together.  Most would say "everything I could think of" or "everything that he wants".  The reality of the matter is that your dad may die in 6 months and you don't know it.  Why are you not doing this now?  You can say you would do something or you can live you life and do those things.  I think many people online believe that being online is "life" you are sadly mistaken being on line is "a part of life".

I think if the internet was no more that it would be less of a change than a lot of us realize, I mean come on, it hasn't really been here that long.  Wait, I was lying, I would probably loose my mind for about a year and then I would recover. 

[happydollmaker]

Well, Sometimes bellsouth goes down and we cant log in. When our system went down we just chalked it up to one of thsoe things.
 I have an old fashioned typewriter and many hand written manuscripts> We also have loads of board games and funny things called newspapers available. Up until 9 years ago it wasnt that important, but over time it became a major communication item. Like job shoping is so much faster this way.

So in a way we would be lost. But we would get over it..wait who am I kidding I would have a panic attack!

julie

[megD]

I am afraid that I would be pretty lost without the internet.  I would feel completely out of touch with everyone and everything.  However, when my old computer got a virus and I couldn't get on it for a while, I dealt with it ok.  Of course, I did have to go to my parents everyday and check my email!

[dustinf]

That would suck, I mean I couldn't play World Of Warcraft.  I can feel the withdraws coming as I think about this.  If it did happen I would probably go fishing alot.

[sfabobby03]

I honestly don't know what I would do if the internet went down today. My whole life is effected by the internet. At work we use the internet for all kinds of things. I guess we could go back to the old ways of doing things. My Ebay business would be closed instantly and I would be stuck with all kinds of inventory. Please don't let the internet go down! 

[taylorjay22]

I can't even imagine what would happen without the internet.  It has brought so much success and failure to our world that without it I think the majority of the world would be lost. Just think, even the military runs most if not all of its systems through government based internet so it can connect with other parts of the world.  Imagine life without the military, it would be good I guess because it would stop tons of violence, but just imagine the chaos.

[Polly]

My internet does go down quite a lot - I live in Bulgaria and for some reason every time it rains, electrical appliances stop working properly!

I absolutely detest it when it happens though. I feel like someone has cut my arms off! I don't have a home phone and I rely on the internet for VOIP and email to stay sane. I spend quite a lot of time at home with my toddler, and without some contact with the world outside of Pingu and Lego I would surely go stircrazy!

When the internet goes down for a short time, it can be a small relief. I might open up a book or even have a catnap! But if the internet was off for a whole day? Unimaginable!

[TARozzelle]

I consider it necessary to escape from 'electric life' every now and then, so I consider a temporary outage of the internet a relief as opposed to a tragedy. It affords me time to do some work about the house without the craving of constant information. I can open a book, or work in the garden without having to worry about answering the next incoming email. Perhaps this is because I consider the outage to be 'out of my hands' and, therefore, my conventional duties are rendered unimportant.

Were a permanent down to occur, I suppose I would fall back on the older communicative technologies that we take for granted (most specifically, the telephone) in order to organize myself and learn to adapt without the 'world' at my fingertips, so to speak. I would most likely find myself at a university in order to maintain some access to academic information.

[jjmm]

I would be shocked at first, but then I would accept it and start a new life without internet... Altough it would be a very hard time.

[Julie]

I remember visiting Israel in 1996 - everybody had mobile phones. It was quite a novelty for me and people I spoke to told me that they could not imagine life without their mobile phone.  They were very prevalent in Israel at the time because the cost of calls was free within the country.

At the time I thought that it would never catch on. Now I can't imagine not having the convenience of a mobile phone.

The same goes for the internet - I find it hard to imagine life without it. Never mind life without the internet - I can't imagine life without broadband access.

It is somewhat sad I suppose - but we have to accept our world. We are people of this era.

So, if the internet went down today I would probably watch the news to find out what was going on, why the internet had gone down and when we could expect to get it back.

[collingwood]

Without the Internet it would reduce the options of what to do in my leisure time...but on the plus side it would also reduce the opportunity to spend my money on pointless stuff.   

[Tammy]

OMG! I don't even want to think about it. I would probably go into withdrawals. I am totally an internet junkie! I can live for a while without it and be alright, but after a bit, I would definitely be one very irritated person that's for sure. I use the internet for a lot of research and without it I would be at a loss and very inconvenienced.

[Sian]

I would struggle without the internet. I use it for banking, shopping, paying bills, sorting my car insurance and, more recently, searching for a job!  It has become a tool of convenience for me and I rely very heavily on it. Maybe I shouldn't, as you never know what could happen tomorrow!

[Yorokobi]

If the internet went down today I would probably freak out because I have a paper due on Tuesday that requires me to do online research.  But my school has pretty crappy internet service as it is, so it wouldn't really come as a shock if it did happen...

However, if the internet went down forever? I'd feel lost at first, but then I think I'd be happy about it. I've found that I really enjoy when I'm on vacation in an area that has no internet access--I'm much less stressed, and I can spend more time doing offline things that I enjoy. So while the lack of internet would be sad, it wouldn't cause me to self-destruct or anything. 

[1874]

If the Internet went down today, what would I do... After reading posts from other writers, it´s pretty clear to me that a lot of us would be either in a stage of panic or in big trouble. It got me thinking. it´s really not that long ago when internet wasn´t available for everyone. How did we manage to get along then? It´s actually quite scaring how dependent we actually are... I guess it would a shock at the beginning to all of us, but I´m sure we would find some additional ways of compensating internet.

[clickprincess]

I'm sure that I would adjust quite nicely considering I went for over 30 years without the internet.  However, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't sadden me greatly during the adjustment period.  Now that I work exclusively from home over the internet, it would also mean that I would have to go back out and get an outside job again - yuck! 

It's the younger generation that I worry about if something catastrophic should happen.  Those in their teens and early twenties, especially.  I have three children in that age range (from 15 to 23).  My son wouldn't be an issue but my daughters would be lost without internet access and cell phones.  You know if something wiped out the internet, the cell phones would be gone, too.

I've fielded questions from all three of them through the past few years so I know they would be in trouble.  I've told them that the libraries were well suited to research long before Google came on the scene but they are clueless as to how to actually do physical research.  That I blame on the schools as they should be showing the kids how to do real research instead of relying on search engines.

[Grace]

Each time my personal internet connection goes down, I do panic. Yes I have to admit, I am addicted to the internet. Even before I started doing professional writing jobs online, I spent a large percentage of my time online. Sometimes, I wonder if my children's most prominent memories of me will be of me on my laptop. As a mother of four children, I cherish the opportunity to talk with other adults. I have established many friends online and now my primary source of income is from the internet.

Whenever I have to take my laptop in for service, I beg for a replacement so I will still be able to get online everyday. I do have other desktop computers at home, but I love my laptop. I love the convenience of being able to take my computer with me everywhere. I usually find a free wi-fi spot in town, to do my online writing jobs, while my kids are in dance, drama or sports.

If the whole internet went down for a long period of time or indefinitely, the whole economy would be affected. It is amazing how many different systems are tied into the world wide web; our banking systems, power, gas, water, etc. There are actually too many operations to name realistically. Our economy would be in worse condition than it is now.

[esper_d]

If the internet was down today, I know I'd be at my laptop, refreshing the IE page every few minutes to see if it has returned!  I guess it would give me an opportunity to get out of the house and live life!

[ThirdEye]

A lot of businesses would be scrambling to get things back up and running.  ISP call centers would be flooded with calls.  I work for an ISP in a call center and the thought of the internet going down gives me chills.  It's bad enough when a small portion goes down lol. 

As for personally, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.  A majority of my life seems to be here on the internet.  It seems that in these times, we are all so greatly connected to the internet that the loss of it would be staggering.  One of my old professors said in class once "the easier we make things, the more complicated things get."  Words to live by in my opinion.  The internet makes things easier and if the internet would go down today, things would get a lot more complicated. At least until it's fixed 

[Bob]

Oh, I would feel really bad. The moment I get up from my bed, I eagerly look forward to getting logged on to the internet. Sometimes, I feel totally let down when my internet is down due to technical snag. When my operating system is affected owing to virus attack, I suspend all other work and take measures to see that my system is back to normal. In short, I just love the internet. For me, internet is the source of outside contact, keeping in touch with friends and relatives, a way to relax and also to make money.
Bob
 

[Jay]

I doubt much of human society could live without the internet.

People don't just use it for entertainment, they use it to make money, connect with new people, learn new things, and it's also used in medical procedures.

Modern medicine is a miracle, thanks to computers and that sort of thing.

[meiguoren]

If the Internet went down today, I think I would be at a standstill because my job involves keeping my company connected to the outside world.  Let's face it, in many places of the world, companies are dependent on the Internet for their business survival.  That's why there are so many redundant servers located around the world in undisclosed locations. 

[ferodynamics]

You reminded me of this cartoon:



I just got a new bank account, at Chase, and they really pushed the electronic-everything on me, they said it's to protect me from mail fraud.  Anyway, I'm not complaining.  Less paper, more trees, right? 

[bashful]

If my connection went down I would be mortified!! I hadn't realised how much of my life revolved around the internet until now, and it's quite horrifying to think I could loose my connection. Any sane person would probably take the day off, but I would probably take my computer apart or something to try and fix it.

[purplesky]

I for one would really be lost without it. I get so much information from the internet, also  I can buy things that I need at a really good price like a down jacket on ebay valued at two hundred dollars for ten dollars never worn.

[mywritingbiz]

Now this one is a hard one. If my internet were down today,
I definitely will look something else to do like walking my dogs
to the park or hang out with my family.
It usually will not takes forever for the internet to back up again.

[vkxxiii]

As a fake scenario, if the internet went down, I would personally freak, and then get over it after missing it for a long long time. This has personally happened to me before, once being very active online, and then no longer being able to access the internet.

In a real scenario, I would also freak out, but so would everyone else. If the internet just disappeared one day, a lot of hardships would follow.

[pbk]

Internet going down? That would create a havoc. Today everyone is using internet in their daily lives. Surfing, eMail, VOIP, Video Conferencing etc is used by not only corporations but also common man around the world. Its is pretty cheap way of data transfer and if it goes down, everyone from large corporations to common man would be affected pretty badly.

[Pd]

If the internet were to go out then I would be out of a job and without any source of income. I quit my job to spend my time working online.

[mytwocents]

If the internet went down today I would definitely get a lot more cleaning accomplished in my day that is for sure. Outside of cleaning I am sure I would be nearly completely lost and not sure what I would do to replace the release, which is what the internet has become for me.

[radiantph]

If the internet went down today, I won't grieve just for one day and will look at the brighter side that there are other things that could cheer me up. I have been ignoring the television each day due to the excessive use of my personal computer (PC) as if it has always been my favorite hobby to surf the internet. Both machines are meant for entertainment purposes, but the difference is I can do whatever I want with my PC by typing the keyboard and moving the mouse while the television can only change channels as you type the numbers on its remote control manually. If the internet went down today, then it's good that it gives me time to rest because I have been addicted to it so it should put a stop for at least 24 hours. 

[ABCDboys]

Sadly I'd be very lost without my internet connection, even though I have dial-up ( ). I am online everyday for at least an hour. Between checking email, forums that I belong to, and just surfing, the time adds up.

[Marius]

Well, I guess we all could live for a day or two without the net ( apart from brokers perhaps, but I don't like them anyway ;p ). However, I can't imagine standing in bank queues again, being unable to check prices at Ebay or having to deal with all the business on paper. That'd be too much.

Anyway, being given those day or two I'd go skiing;) I am craving for it for a month now and the winter still doesn't want to come

[Nicc]

   I suppose the answer to that question, would depend on the individual answering.  More specifically, to what extent the internet and the cyber world encompasses their respective life. 

   Take myself for instance, I've been in and around the internet world since 1996. I still have a Yahoo account from 1998 that I use on a daily basis.  I've witnessed the growth of the internet from a young child, to what can only be considered a freak professional athlete at this point and time.  Not to mention, i still play my Xbox 360 online on a daily basis.

   Now, having said all that, I do believe that i can live without the online world at my every beck and call.  I spend a lot of time with my children, I read plenty of books, and I love to converse with my wife. I might also add, that i still play a lot of physical outdoor activities.

To make a final point, I'd like to add one thing...

   While the internet is a great tool and a place for immense fun and relaxation, I would like to remind people that life also exists outside the confines of wires and mainframes.  The things that make memories and the interaction we get from day to day activities with each other.  Nothing can replace that.

Not even the mighty internet...