The need to use your phone as an escape is the solution for most people. This made me think, “what would happen if the internet went down for a week?” “what would people do?” Most people use their phones for things mainly like directions, communication, and stimulation so i think it would be tricky. It would be a lot harder to get things done, especially for businesses and schools. First schools would have to go back to the old fashioned way with pencil and paper. And some businesses would be losing money, not being able to go on meetings online, or make sales.
The internet plays a very significant role in our daily lives. The majority of people use the internet for navigation, social media, recreation and communication. Life would be so difficult without the internet. Without the internet, GPS would not work, so navigating to unfamiliar places would be quite challenging without the aid of digital navigation apps, where we would have to use printed directions or physical maps. Communicating with people would also be quite different. We would have to rely on traditional phone calls and SMS as messaging apps, social media and video calls would not be available. The internet really made communication faster.
Schools will be affected. Students do a lot of work on the computer. Assignments are often put online for students to work on, students do online research for projects, submit work on the internet, and parents can check students’ grades online. Teachers and students would have to go back to pencil and paper, and textbooks. There would be a major shift to a more hands-on learning pace in the event of an internet blackout. There would be much more preparation for teachers and students before they are able to do anything.
Things could get a lot worse for businesses. A huge number of companies rely on online sales, emails and video conferencing. This means that with no internet, remote workers would be unable to work, online shops would lose customers and digital payments may not work. Banks and the wider financial system could also be affected. A week without the internet could cause businesses losses in the millions and cause chaos in the economy.
Mr. Mei, who is our ELA teacher, wrote about the following statement and explained the reason behind it. I agree that the first sign of no internet would be that we are so use to technology and the internet for fun things and to be bored, lazy, or tired. Many people when they have nothing to do choose to watch something on say, Netflix, or go on Facebook or YouTube. Many people choose to play games online. So they will have to find new things to do if they did not have internet on the computer, or TV.
Andy Chen, another student, also shared his thoughts in an in-person interview. Andy said, “I think that there are people that are addicted to phones and Wi-Fi, but I don’t think I am. I could live without my phone and Wi-Fi. But people who are used to having their phone with them at all times wouldn’t be able to live without it — they would be looking for it constantly.” According to Andy, he could easily live without Wi-Fi because he doesn’t feel dependent on his phone, but he believes that many others would not be able to survive without being able to access it at any time.
It will be hard the first few days. He said the first few days would be difficult. “I think for a couple of days people would have a tough time, but they would probably just go right back to being addicted to their phones and stuff because you have to have them to look up things and do things.” His statement implies that people may be able to adjust to a small amount of time without the internet, but their addiction would resume when the internet is turned back on.
This week Andy told me that we need to be prepared for things like an internet blackout. I agree with him and think that you should be prepared for an internet failure. “I think you should have a plan in place in case the internet goes down. Jobs would be very different, as well as TV and the news.” I agree, our world is very different and most systems are based around the internet always being available.
What Happens to Emergency Services?
Things like this would make a big impact in the world because emergency services use technology to get calls for crime, or emergencies and they also use it to treat their patients. People would be in big trouble because they would need to rely on emergency services but it would be very hard to get to some people without the internet.
While it is not all bad, a week without the internet would have its pluses and minuses. More time would be spent interacting with family members, fewer messages would be sent and therefore more time would be spent interacting with friends, in the flesh, and more time would be spent engaging in old hobbies. The pressure to send messages all day long would also be eliminated, therefore reducing stress.
A week without the internet shows just how dependent our society has become to technology. Without connectivity, the first few days would bring chaos and frustration. Class wouldn’t happen at school, restaurants would lose business and people would simply be sad. But after that, we’d all learn to deal with it. Humans are resilient and after an initial period of upset, we manage to get on with things.
A week without the internet would prove that it is still essential to have in today’s age of technology. It proves how reliant people have become to using technology on a daily basis and although having the internet makes our lives easier and a whole lot faster it is still something that people should try not to rely so heavily on. Having a week without internet access would definitely prove to be difficult yet may also have some benefits in the long run such as becoming less dependent on items like iPads, making more time to spend in the real world and preparing ourselves more for an inevitable event where we no longer have internet access.
