Could you imagine life without the internet?

[Warpaint]

I was going to say 'Are you addicted to the internet' however I think that even now has changed. The internet has now become an extension of our life and not just a hobby. It's basically an omnipresent being. Even the old stereotypes of the internet Nerds in the 90's are nothing like now. It's taken over way more.

I know in the Far East they have digital detox retreats and I think they're becoming more widespread. Even then though, as soon as you come back you need to use it again to function in society.

I grew up in the 90's and 00's so it was when it was all taking off. However over the last 10 years it's definitely accelerated beyond what I thought. I do wonder how we'd all cope without it now.

There's pros and cons though as it has also made life a lot easier and the world more accessible.

 

[Booington]

Not now but id go back to no internet, no email, no mobiles in an instant if everyone did!

 

[Rockin' Robin]

I could quite happily live without the internet, we functioned perfectly well before it's arrival. People seem to feel more isolated, because they don't communicate face to face anymore. Everything needs to be done on line, which for me is a massive pain in the backside. It sounds like I am a cumudgeon, but I feel the internet has caused a lot of unhappiness in society - especially for young people.

 

[Summerdaysx]

I would love to go back to when the Internet was just on your PC or Laptop. Not with us 24/7 on our phones.

 

[Fizzwhizz2020]

I’ve lived without the internet. Grew up in the 80’s-90’s. Never had it at school really and deffo no smart phones until I was in my late 20’s. Life is easier with it but Could definitely live without it if I had to.

 

[fookinhellm8_]

I think I can live without the internet, I’ve been distancing myself from all social media platforms because of toxic they’ve grown in the past couple of years. I’m 24 years old, so most of my life, I saw the Internet evolve faster and social media becoming the powerhouse that it is now. If this is accurate, I’m one of the eldest to Gen Z (as I saw, Gen Z starts from 1995? And up until 2010 or something like that) and I remember my first experience was on the computer, I would play games, watch YouTube and write my own stories, all with my parents supervision. I also had the time on MSN but this was in its last years of popularity I believe, same with Skype. It was then blackberry phones (around 2009-2012) and then I saw the popularity turning towards iPhone. Is it weird for to say that I’m genuinely shocked and fairly concerned at how social media has grown these past 5-6 years? I think my concern strains from online safety and mental health. I’ve watched and witnessed many stories of cyberbullying and how it majorly impacts mental health, it’s just that with how huge SM is now, it seems the young generations, including myself, have become numb to how much time we spend on platforms and how it impacts us mentally. I was having a conversation with my mother the other day about it and she said that when she was my age, she had her own issues but she never had the impending pressure of social media and cyberbullying on top of what she was already going through, she knew about stranger danger and safety first but never needed an extra “blanket of safety” from cyberbullying. Also, I worry about how fake news and deep faking celebrities or people with a lot of power will impact us in future tense. Not saying the Internet and social media is a foul place all of the time but it’s definitely not as pleasant as it should be most of the time and that’s why, as a young adult, I’m steering away from it slowly, to protect my mental well-being. Social media has also made us feel really lonely and the whole point of it is to make us feel “whole, connected”. It doesn’t do it’s job.

 

[Apple In My Pie]

I don't think I could live without the internet, it has given me some much needed connection with people that I struggle with IRL. I do wish the internet was less of a '24/7' thing, though - e.g. I'm sat here, Tattling on my laptop, phone at my side, Apple Watch on my arm. It's like you're always connected and it's really tough to pull away from that - I find it hard, anyway. I miss the times when I was a kid and the only computer we had was on the landing and I only got to use it for a hour each day, lol!

 

[watchingyoutube99]

Yes and no depending on circumstances. I WFH and have done so before the pandemic so I need the internet to pay my bills.

I'm not fussed with social media anymore. I graduated high school right as Facebook was opening up for everyone which I now see as a huge blessing. I had an account through my mid 20s and then deleted it. I admit to sometimes being curious of what became of certain people from my school years but it's not enough of a pull to join Facebook again. Never used Instagram. I was an active Twitter user for a long time but now am rarely on it.

I used to be a heavy youtube watcher. Now I'm relegating it to workout videos and more practical videos like a DIY or how to video if I need guidance for a house project. I want to get away from the mindless watching and contributing to the awful algorithm.

I do use WIFI based communication apps like iMessage, Facetime, and Whatsapp to stay connected to family and friends who are spread out across the country and abroad. In this instance I could not imagine my life without the internet because I can't imagine my life without them.

I guess I'm trying to par down my internet usage and keep it for more practical purposes if at all possible. But then again things like streaming services and e-readers use the internet as well. It really is all around us.

 

[openbook1]

I think I can live without the internet, I’ve been distancing myself from all social media platforms because of toxic they’ve grown in the past couple of years. I’m 24 years old, so most of my life, I saw the Internet evolve faster and social media becoming the powerhouse that it is now. If this is accurate, I’m one of the eldest to Gen Z (as I saw, Gen Z starts from 1995? And up until 2010 or something like that) and I remember my first experience was on the computer, I would play games, watch YouTube and write my own stories, all with my parents supervision. I also had the time on MSN but this was in its last years of popularity I believe, same with Skype. It was then blackberry phones (around 2009-2012) and then I saw the popularity turning towards iPhone. Is it weird for to say that I’m genuinely shocked and fairly concerned at how social media has grown these past 5-6 years? I think my concern strains from online safety and mental health. I’ve watched and witnessed many stories of cyberbullying and how it majorly impacts mental health, it’s just that with how huge SM is now, it seems the young generations, including myself, have become numb to how much time we spend on platforms and how it impacts us mentally. I was having a conversation with my mother the other day about it and she said that when she was my age, she had her own issues but she never had the impending pressure of social media and cyberbullying on top of what she was already going through, she knew about stranger danger and safety first but never needed an extra “blanket of safety” from cyberbullying. Also, I worry about how fake news and deep faking celebrities or people with a lot of power will impact us in future tense. Not saying the Internet and social media is a foul place all of the time but it’s definitely not as pleasant as it should be most of the time and that’s why, as a young adult, I’m steering away from it slowly, to protect my mental well-being. Social media has also made us feel really lonely and the whole point of it is to make us feel “whole, connected”. It doesn’t do it’s job.

I am 29 and recall as a child playing on the computer - zoombinis, living books cd roms, The Sims. Then when I started in high school, Bebo and Myspace were popular. Then they faded away and Facebook was popular, then Twitter and then Instagram really appeared - I was late teens and early 20s. I am glad I was not a young teen when SM become very prevalent. I hate all the filters that are available now. I feel like it is one thing if someone wants to have botox but I hate the filters which do not even show someone's pores, etc.
I also think deep-fakes and AI technology are terrifying. There are Instagram accounts set up with "people" created through AI. They look real and young people will be influenced by this.
I am now almost 30 and have stepped away from social media a lot. I think the internet has some good uses... I think many people don't realise until they are older how toxic SM can be.

 

[Kim Mild]

I can remember life without the internet, ( I'm late 30s) . Of course it existed , it just wasn't a big part in my life . We occasionally used it at school, late 90s , my ex had internet at home early 00s, but it was rare I used it . I don't think I really used it much til about 2006 -2007.
More recently it has become a place to almost all paperwork and admin , especially since lockdown, although this has gradually crept up over the last few years as things have become paperless .

Almost all my internet things are done on my phone ( except a lot of paperwork or things that are big to download). I think I got my first smartphone about 2012, I had a windows phone , but we all have Samsung now. Before that they only had basic internet, although I had an old Motorola brick in 2002 that had internet (I remember using it at work during the world cup).

I think living without the internet is nigh on impossible for most people unless they are elderly. My dad never had internet and didn't seem to realise how much of a thing it was .He just couldn't get I didn't get car insurance documents because they were online, and I would just download them if I needed them.

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I was a child in the 70s and teenager in the 80s, when there was no internet. I had a quick go on it just once in the 90s. It was 1995 or 1996, when my mum had just got it. The sites all looked basic and unengaging then. I didn't go on it again till 2001.

 

[lime]

Could I function without it if it was physically taken from us all? Yes. But existing in modern society and deciding as an individual to get rid of it would be impossible. Just look at WFH. When we transitioned in work (and I'm sure it was the same for most people) we were just given laptops and it was assumed I had a broadband connection at home. I've personally thought loads of times about getting rid of my smartphone but even that I need for work as we use an authentication app for security to get on certain programs etc. As was already mentioned, it's an extension of life now and has been for at least the past decade ever since the rise of smartphones, when suddenly the internet was at everyone's fingertips and then we all needed good wi-fi connections at home. My mum started using facebook, etc. in 2011 because of her phone, baring in mind before that we'd had a computer room with internet for at least 20 years and she would always say "you spend too much time looking at your PC", ah how the tables turned...