In the movie “Ready Player One”, and without making any spoiler, at the end of the movie, it is decided to disconnect the Internet (an important key served in the movie...no spoilers) for one day a week so that people can rest from the Internet. Observing this detail I launch a question: Disconnecting all internet for 24 hours, feasible idea, simple dream or utopia impossible to realize?

5 months ago · 👍 sava, bavarianbarbarian, m0xee

Actions

8 Replies

I don't think it's necessary to turn it off globally — people were using some lines of communication even before the Internet, but right now it's the most convenient, efficient and widely available network. But on personal level I think it's possible — that is what a lot of us into small web do in one way or the other: take extensive breaks or just attempt to use it less and avoid it without necessity. · 4 months ago

I did not recall it - they closed on tuesdays/thursdays. For practical reasons we can't turn off all connections. But there some examples where this is done:

turn off wifi during planned hours for work/writing without distractions

block specific sites at times or all the times (facebook et al)

in an emergency your telecom operator will drop your connection before some critical customer (e.g. emergency calls are the last to fail, data is the first)

Things you can do:

websites close at certain times of day, just show a "closed" message or delay showing new comments/posts

turn off your internet (just like child controls)

boycott sites :D · 5 months ago

In my country we had a state wide loss of power, and the only thing that kept working was the radio. People couldn't get money out of the ATMs... no Internet for 24 hours means a lot of the things that happen behind the courtains would stop. · 5 months ago

the problem isn't that it's not possible (we spent nearly all of human history without it and society didn't disolve like wet toilet paper) but that it has insinuated itself into society so deeply that it could never be removed without serious work being put towards accomodating that disconnection. I would personally LOVE to see the internet removed from most domains (why tf does a power station need to be connected to the public internet???) permanently but it will never happen because of momentum and becase some very powerful interests would never allow it to happen for a variety of reasons. · 5 months ago

impossible nowadays. modern society would collapse. just imagine what would happen in big cities.. no more power, heating, gas, ATM, etc... me for myself would not care for i am a hillbillie living down by the river with enough goods and firewood xD · 5 months ago

We've dealt with it being down before. And people my age remember when there wasn't any internet to speak of. So qwe could function without it just fine. But this also probably depends on where you are too. I know in some places it's getting increasingly difficult to go about daily life without the internet, and in most cases a smartphone. But I think peoplle would adapt. · 5 months ago

It is impossible to turn off the internet. Consider the consequences for the medical and banking stuff. There are a lot more important "services" that rely on being connected. What would happen if the internet would stop working for 24 hours or more.

As an individual you can choose to disconnect for 24 hours or more. It's a simple decision · 5 months ago

Every system runs over internet, it is completely impossible, even if you conjure a magical switch that does this impossible thing, because there's no "the" internet that can just be toggled off.

On the other hand, the internet is quickly becoming so crap that it's not going to be worth using for very much longer for individual users. · 5 months ago