What if we are stuck with an internet shut down for a day?

For many people, even the thought of going without the internet just for a few hours is extremely absurd. Internet isn’t merely a means of communication and information today, but a lot more than that. So imagine what would happen if one day without any warning, the internet shut down for a day. The impact of this occurrence might be much more appalling than what you’d expect.

Credit: Anna Tarazevich

This digital era has given us a lot, and if anything, our whole generation relies on the internet for the tiniest things. If the Internet were to cease functioning today, our whole world would literally stop. The effect of this catastrophe on the economic and social fabric would be disastrous.

Many businesses that depend on the internet to function would come to a crashing halt. Big companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and many others would have an instantaneous effect on them, striking them with the loss of trillions of dollars.

Countless critical systems would be deprived of communication with the outside world. And given that the infrastructure of telecommunication service is also an element of the internet infrastructure, basic services like messaging or cell phone service would be inaccessible. According to statistics, as of January 2021, 59.5 percent of the global population is an active Internet user.

Our new generation has been brought with technologies serving them with omnipresent communication, making people from around the world present at a phone call and message away. They have access to information and news at their fingertips. Shopping, entertainment, mostly everything is available at the click of a mouse. They’d be at loss without their social networking sites and everyday picture sharing (though that’d be fun to watch, imagine influencers running around with no internet, dying to tell their followers “how much they are SUFFERINGGG”! Do I sound like a hater? Promise I’m not).

Whilst the shortfall of facilities such as online banking, and shopping would be infuriating, the potential impact would have a much further extent. Estimated, 4.6 billion people that rely on digital networks for day-to-day functions would be crippled.

The event would ostensibly create a tear in the operation of transport systems. With people trapped in an uncanny paralysis, with no access to digital networks to information, cities across the globe would experience riots, robberies, murders, vandalism, and immeasurably more incidents. No fast way of communication, panic, and pandemonium would make people believe in rumors about wars, invasions, and whatnot.

Bottom line        

Terrible traffic, no fast way to communicate, and no e-banking system, would get everyone to cry for help. All of a sudden, smart gadgets would not look so smart anymore. However, it won’t be the end of the world. There are a lot of things people can enjoy without the internet. The internet shut down for a day would be equal to a snow day for employees and students. They’d be able to connect more to their family and the physical world. More time for relaxing, reading a book, or grabbing a coffee, small things that we have kept aside in this fast-moving world, could come into play.

⇒     Did we miss something? What is your thought about what would happen if the internet shut down for a day? Let us know in the comment section below. Check out our Menu for interesting articles on Travel, Spooky Stuff, and more.