Internet dependency

[dtaai-maai]

Blimey... My internet connection has just burst back to life after 18 hours down. No big deal you might think, but I really hadn't realised how dependent I've become on being on line. Quite scary really...

[buksida]

It has evolved into something a little bigger than a tool for finding porn!

[Big Boy]

Yes, I always make sure I have my mobile hotspot ready on my phone. In fact most hotels, etc have such poor connections, unless really exceptional, I just switch to my mobile hotspot when travelling. It is very difficult to live without Internet these days.

[KhunLA]

Aside from that info at you fingertips and a screen away, I was thinking how dependent I was on GPS & directions the other day, going to Krung Thep, once off Rt 35. Don't really need a map, as been there so many times, but for convenience, and going to new spots, it's quite the necessity, since no long owning any 'metro' maps.

I amaze myself, thinking how 20 yrs ago, it was all done with a couple crappy maps. I probably forgot most of the routes to avoid traffic, and so much has changed, I probably would remember most of the routes anyway.

Along with how the BTS, and now MRT has made it so convenient, unless rush hour, then almost as bad as being in traffic now.

Don't think most under the age of 30 would know how to function without the internet.

[pharvey]

It truly is frightening how dependent you can be on the Internet, GPS, GSM et al.

Prior to Covid and some ongoing health/fitness issues, I worked in some out of the way locations where any and/or all the above could be lost. Reliance then switched to Radio or Sat communications (oh, and printed porn obviously ).

The modern day personal and nation-wide reliance on the Internet etc. for Social Media, information, communication, directions (Sat Nav) etc. is a real cause for concern. Not only are we losing very basic skill sets (map reading, letter writing, spelling, mental arithmetic and so on), there is the very real danger of Cyber Crime and Terrorism - from bank accounts being compromised/identity theft to the extremes of nations being financially (or otherwise) crippled.

How would Gen Z cope should they be cut off.....?

Might have just taken this thread a tad too far sorry....

[VincentD]

Unfortunately many retail places now also expect you to have a connected phone, and fit that to happen you need an ISP. Even at the height of CoVid you were expected to have an app to do anything of go anywhere.
The digital age is also the age where no permanence exists any more; I still have some somewhat faded pictures of a trip to Perth WA back in 1982, but I cannot download my digital pictures of my son's graduation because the equipment no longer exists to do so..

[Lost]

Moving in a slightly, darker direction...

Our dependency on this stuff is what will most likely cause the next catastrophic event in human history. Though the sun won't blitz our planet for half a billion years, its flares and the like will wreak havoc on our way of life—shutting off both our internet and power for unthinkable amounts of time. Unless we can figure out a way to shield from a furious, giant ball of fire. Some here may be familiar with the Carrington Event.

'The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking from 1 to 2 September 1859 during solar cycle 10.

A geomagnetic storm of this magnitude occurring today would cause widespread electrical disruptions, blackouts, and damage due to extended outages of the electrical power grid.[3][4][5]'

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event

We have very significant solar activity coming in 2025, some scientists predicting 'deadly.' We are at the mercy of the sun. Google is your friend.

Here's a fun article about it.

Gigantic Solar Storm Might Destroy Earth's Internet In 2025; Here's How

https://in.mashable.com/science/49297/g ... -heres-how

[404cameljockey]

Unfortunately many retail places now also expect you to have a connected phone, and fit that to happen you need an ISP. Even at the height of CoVid you were expected to have an app to do anything of go anywhere.
The digital age is also the age where no permanence exists any more; I still have some somewhat faded pictures of a trip to Perth WA back in 1982, but I cannot download my digital pictures of my son's graduation because the equipment no longer exists to do so..

if they're very important to you as keepsakes 'where there's a will, there's a way'. I'd be glad to help you search the internet to track down the kit. It's amazing how much old stuff is still around somewhere.

[STEVE G]

How would Gen Z cope should they be cut off.....?

I tell my younger colleagues that way back, if you wanted to see a puppy run into a glass door, instead of doing a search on YouTube, you had to go out and get a puppy, a glass door and a sausage!

[Dannie Boy]

I think whatever age you are, “dependency” on the internet is there - I’m not ashamed to admit that when we get a power cut and the internet goes down, I find life quite boring!!
I rely on the internet to keep in touch with friends and family with messaging and calls, I watch TV almost exclusively via the internet here in Thailand, certain banking transactions, online shopping - I think most of us would be lost without it, certainly in the short/medium term.

[buksida]

You're even more dependent on it if you need it for work/income.

It is increasingly being used as a tool to control the masses though, China is the biggest example. If the worst-case scenario happens here in Thailand, the internet will be the first thing they shut off!

[pharvey]

You're even more dependent on it if you need it for work/income.

It is increasingly being used as a tool to control the masses though, China is the biggest example. If the worst-case scenario happens here in Thailand, the internet will be the first thing they shut off!

From what I understand/believe, China and other governments block sites through IP Addresses, but these can be circumnavigated through the use of VPNs (?). In order to actually shut-off the Internet, would they literally have to cut cables (as Russia have been accused of "looking at")?

[buksida]

A government could easily order local ISPs (TOT/3BB/True etc.) to suspend services to create a media blackout. That of course is the worst-case scenario but the sort of things dictators resort to when there is a massive uprising against them.

Even your VPN needs the infrastructure and ISP to work on top of, so the only way around it in theory would be to connect via a satellite operated by an independent nation/company. I would have thought Google or Amazon would already be offering such services by now or maybe the SpaceX Starlink service would be available to all.