Is Life With No Internet Survivable?

[Sentry18]

https://misanthrope.today/2019/12/13/is-life-with-no-internet-survivable/

Is Life With No Internet Survivable?


For this professional writer under daily deadlines, it’s been a frustrating day of interrupted internet service, happening as often as once a minute and forcing a hard reboot of my Windows PC. The WiFi connection has been unstable since a Microsoft update last summer. It’s a well-known bug that I haven’t been able to resolve.

The ultimate solution to my lost productivity is to wire a physical cable to my workstation which is going to happen this evening. This article is being written on my computer without an internet connection.


After the draft is finished, I’ll have to shut down my apps and restart the system to restore the wireless online connection to run a remote proofreader and then log into my email account to send the polished goods off to my editor for publication.

I find being so reliant on other people’s software and hardware to be troubling. At the same time, I enjoy the rich benefits of surfing the web. What’s a geek to do?

This geek has an ace up her sleeve: an older-model laptop that doesn’t run the Win10 operating system. My secondary system was able to upgrade to Win 8.0 but not any further. It balked at v8.1 and refused to install Win10.

Microsoft’s inability to support its own software has paid off innumerable times when my main workstation goes offline on its own accord. Win 8.0 is able to establish a WiFi link when my PC can’t – and that’s a blessing.

To research this article, I investigated what other people did when they were internet-deprived at home. These accounts fell into two camps: those who planned for and prepared to go offline voluntarily and the others who, like me, were victims of equipment failure.

The Volunteers, as I’ll call them, looked forward to cutting a monthly expense by eliminating their internet bill.

They all described a transitional period of adjusting to Life Without Online Access At Will. These were their key take-aways:

1. The Volunteers realized how much time they frittered away at home checking email, visiting entertainment websites, messaging friends, and doing what people do online.
2. To fill the newly-created Void of Time, the Volunteers cleverly laid in stocks of physical books, including bulky encyclopedias and dictionaries – and then they read them. Some of them subscribed to the local newspaper and other resource publications, maintaining that the information was often better and more correct than online sources.
3. Many Volunteers said they got a phone book to look up contact numbers.
4. Unable to shop online, Volunteers reported satisfaction going forth into brick-and-mortar shops to browse the merchandise. They explained that even though stores now stock very little compared to their online catalog offerings, the friendly and capable clerks will order an item for you.
5. Paying bills the old fashioned way by mailing a paper printout and hand-signed bank or credit union check became a new habit for some people who gave up their web-based accounts. Others showed up in person to tender their invoice payments while still others opted for direct withdrawal.
6. Banking was done in person at a local branch, by telephone or by mail. One Volunteer recommended calling the customer service number on the back of your debit card to check your balance.
7. Almost every Volunteer said they were forced to plan to use the internet at a library, coffee shop or the office and this helped them manage their time more effectively, giving them more alternative time off. One commented that it was useful to learn where there were WiFi hot spots near you that businesses offer free of charge.
8. Several Volunteers described calling on people in person rather than chatting online as inconvenient but worth the increased emotional satisfaction of a real and meaningful connection with others.
9. Many people said that being forced out of their homes to use the internet introduced them to new people and places that they would have otherwise missed out on.

One Volunteer summed up the enjoyment and peace of being at home without internet access. The environment had become a sanctuary:

“I have more time to read.

I have more time to write.

I have more time to think.

I have more time for friends.

I have more time to exercise.

I have more time to walk.

I am less distracted.

I am less stressed.

My thoughts are clearer and less fragmented.

I no longer crave the Internet like I once did.

My mind is more focused on important things.”

Then, there were the people in the second camp, including me – the I-Never-Signed-Up-For-This group. We INSUFTers had a completely different experience without internet access as compared to the Volunteers.

One victim of INSUFT used terms such as:

Crash! Stymied! Confusion! Fear!

This writer can soooo relate to that. Except I have a backup plan that involves getting wired – after I reboot and submit this article, that is.

 

[camo2460]

It's Amazing to me that anyone would even Entertain the Idea of whether or not a Person could Survive without the Internet. I Submit that anyone who Thinks they cannot Survive, has much larger Problems than the Internet.

 

[kd4ulw]

Reminds me of this meme.

 

[dademoss]

OMG , life is not possible without Siri, Google and Alexa!!! We will starve without Doordash and Grubhub. Netflix and Hulu don't work! We are DOOMED.

 

[Meerkat]

Now and then I try to take time off of internet. Not easy but doable.

 

[Sentry18]

Just yesterday I left my smartphone on my desk at work. I decided to just leave it and told the dept if they needed me to call my home phone. I never missed it for a second and might start leaving it at work a couple nights a week. But everyone I came across talked about it like I decided to turn off an artificial heart or something.

 

[Patchouli]

This sounds fun. I wonder how my withdrawals would pan out.

 

[VThillman]

Without the Internet I would become bored, and leave the house. It's cold out there.

 

[zoomzoom]

I pulled out my cell phone last night. The last time I used it was 3 weeks ago. Obviously, I could live without it.

Where I live, cutting off the internet (let's say cable in general) would make life a bit more difficult. I live in a very rural area. Rural enough where we don't get cell service and just a couple of over-the-air TV stations. It's about a 10-mile drive to get to anything and closer to 20 miles to get to any real department stores.

As far as I know, there's no newspaper delivery in our area.

Word of mouth would be sporadic at best. Houses aren't close. Heck, I've lived here for over 25 years and if you live more than 2 houses away from me in any direction, in general, we've never met.

 

[backlash]

Prior to the internet, there was my Mom. She knew all the gossip and news. If you wanted to know what was happening just call her. You got a busy signal a lot but eventually, it would be your turn. Call waiting was a blessing. She was glued to her phone.
When she died we put her cordless phone in the casket with her. I took out the battery because I was afraid she would call me.
When I leave my phone at home I will not go back to get it. That drives my wife nuts. I tell her if something important comes up and someone can't reach me they will call her.
Can you imagine an outage in a big city? Everyone would be standing still and staring at their phones, lost with no idea what to do.

 

[phideaux]

I would miss you guys and gals.

But

I would replace y'all by doing more outside stuff.

Probably visit family and friends a lot more.

Sounds ok.

Jim

 

[SheepDog]

I would go back to using the university library for my research. It can be fun and the librarians are younger than I am now.

 

[Morgan101]

Let's see. Bipedal hominids are about 4 million years old. Homo sapiens somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 years old. First civilization 12,000 years old. The Internet started arguably between 1960 and 1980'ish?

Even my generation lived perfectly satisfactory lives without it. Yeah, I think we will be just fine.

 

[VThillman]

Word of mouth would be sporadic at best. Houses aren't close. Heck, I've lived here for over 25 years and if you live more than 2 houses away from me in any direction, in general, we've never met.

Reminds me of a story from 'pioneer' days, about a man moving his family into the Maine woods. He cut down trees to build his cabin and a small barn, and then enough more trees so corn would get sun when growing between the stumps. After he had been there about a year, he saw smoke rising from what he figured had to be a chimney, a couple miles and at least one ridgeline away. Dammit, people.

 

[Meerkat]

This sounds fun. I wonder how my withdrawals would pan out.

LOL, but not too bad long as you don't go too long without us.

 

[VenomJockey]

Life without the Internet would now be inconvenient, but doable. I didn't start using the Internet until I was about 42 or 43, and got along just fine without it. Granted, the "Net" speeds up research, but it can be done without it....just requires access to a decent library.

 

[Sentry18]

Without internet I would have no television as we only using streaming services, my video surveillance system would have less capabilities, my services as a forum moderator would come to an end, I would not be able to preheat my over while I am on my way home, I would know less about the lives of my nieces & nephews, and I would not have known that I am NOT the biggest gun owner on this forum. But I am pretty sure I could survive all that if I had too.

 

[Swing]

I remember starting of the public internet. 1993, I was introduced to it. And with no filters there were strange things you'd not expect to see on a harmless search.
First good use was at the company I worked for in order processing. I was doing some volunteer work with a shipping dept person. Between us we showed how the tracking number could be put in a work authorization and we could tell the customer when they called, instead of having to call shipping to find out.
We told our managers, and it became a company policy.
First days of the world wide web, and when I would explain it and when the www.addresses would start showing up on business cards and bill boards.
I was working at a hardware/software company then. Very interesting times for the internet.

I would miss Kindle books and being able to carry so many with me at one time. Also, would miss forums.

 

[Meerkat]

I would miss you guys and gals.

But

I would replace y'all by doing more outside stuff.

Probably visit family and friends a lot more.

Sounds ok.

Jim

Friends talk to one of them [ couple been friends for almost 60 years since kids ] almost everyday.
Family son travels lives in Texas, 2 daughters both going thru 'the change' and raising or help raising their grandkids.. Visits are short and sweet. . All grands except one are grown and in the rat race..
So if I go offline I'll miss all of you. Of course there is ALWAYS lots to do here at home.

 

[Meerkat]

I remember starting of the public internet. 1993, I was introduced to it. And with no filters there were strange things you'd not expect to see on a harmless search.
First good use was at the company I worked for in order processing. I was doing some volunteer work with a shipping dept person. Between us we showed how the tracking number could be put in a work authorization and we could tell the customer when they called, instead of having to call shipping to find out.
We told our managers, and it became a company policy.
First days of the world wide web, and when I would explain it and when the www.addresses would start showing up on business cards and bill boards.
I was working at a hardware/software company then. Very interesting times for the internet.

I would miss Kindle books and being able to carry so many with me at one time. Also, would miss forums.

I was a library visitor for many years before internet. I'd have so many books I used mine and hubbys cards. Now its just a click away. But then I am learning less facts and more opinions[ which ofcourse I have lots of opinions myself:lil guy:as my message count proves.

 

[backlash]

What we all seem to be forgetting is how the internet affects our lives in ways we take for granted.
No internet means no electronic banking, limited medical services, power grid goes down, stores don't get restocked and thousands of other things we never think about. TV, web surfing and cell phones are things we would miss immediately but when payday rolled around and you don't get paid things will get real in a hurry.

 

[Meerkat]

We got too smart for our britches imo.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Public internet was introduced in August of 1991. I have no prior knowledge of anything before that, lol. I think Al Gore tricked me..............

 

[Meerkat]

Life without the Internet would now be inconvenient, but doable. I didn't start using the Internet until I was about 42 or 43, and got along just fine without it. Granted, the "Net" speeds up research, but it can be done without it....just requires access to a decent library.

I was 53 first time I got on to email son in Persian Gulf. I'd never typed so a challenge pecking but I made out ok.

 

[Amish Heart]

I just did without the internet for a week plus last week. No biggie. I was busy. When I wasn't busy, I would read. We have a large library at the farm. My phone is an old Chocolate Flip Phone, so it doesn't do anything much anyway. But my cousins would have a fit. They go to the phone shack and call me on my cell. We have a phone shack, but no phone connection to it. Just started email about 3 years ago. I would live.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I believe I would survive once I got through the withdrawals. There is a ton of stuff I do that requires it, it would severely hinder the process.

 

[SheepDog]

I guess I was using something that was less public because I was on the internet in the late 70s and early80s. I got a "non profit" account with the U of W and found out how small the world really was. I paid $0.50 per CPU second going through the VAX. I learned a lot about things I was not supposed to have access to before they closed my account. It was fun.

 

[Cnsper]

Dial up text only to the alaska state university library. I don't think that I was supposed to have that number.

 

[kd4ulw]

Many countries would probably restart their shortwave radio broadcasts again that they switched to streaming service.

 

[Supervisor42]

Everyone is missing the point of this thread.
Talk to some young people.
They have ZERO practical knowledge.
If you ask them a question about anything, they have to Google it.
"How to open a can of soup and warm it up?" ...I'll just Google it.
How to connect jumper-cables? No way.
They find out how hopeless they actually are when they drop off into the 'no-cell' zone at the farm we hold Zombie Hunt.
"What kind of tree is this? is this poison-ivy? is that animal edible?"
Each time, out comes the useless phone.
For them, life without the internet is un-survivable.
Their brain is stored 'in the cloud'.