Poll of the Day > I just had a horrifying thought

(+) Yeah! (+)

The internet is not guaranteed to last forever. It could very well get dismantled within 20 years, and we could live in a Post-Web world, in a society accustomed to looking at a virtual dimension.

What is going to happen to society if that ever happens?

Well, for starters, you'll disappear. I honestly can't think of a negative right now.

If and when it happens, who knows? I couldn't imagine the internet as a thing when I was a kid.
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That is unlikely, mostly because it's a MASSIVE part of the economy.
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Blade_Trinity posted...

Well, for starters, you'll disappear. I honestly can't think of a negative right now.

Fuckin got 'im
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Gaawa_chan posted...

That is unlikely, mostly because it's a MASSIVE part of the economy.

It is unlikely, but unlikely doesn't mean impossible.
Just imagine a post-web society.

TheWorstPoster posted...

It is unlikely, but unlikely doesn't mean impossible.
Just imagine a post-web society.

*Shrug* Initially there would be a global economic disaster. Considering how catastrophic the scope would be, governments would be forced to step in and either replace the internet with a similar system or brute force the work force into something resembling the pre-internet era, which is not going to happen.

Ico, you're not THIS stupid. There is no way the public would allow for a total loss of the internet unless a different system that was even better was set up to replace it before it was shut down. You may have very well stumbled upon the one thing that would unify pretty much every single non-oligarch on the planet. This would damage countries all over the world so significantly that we wouldn't just see civilian protests; we would see full-on military revolts, AND they would have the backing of even many Oligarchs whose wealth is dependent on the internet.
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"not likely" is an understatement. the internet is a global decentralized system. saying the internet can be destroyed is like saying roads can be destroyed. like ok, maybe someone can blow up a bridge or an airport, but no one is going to destroy "the global transportation network", even though it's not strictly impossible.

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myghostisdead posted...

If and when it happens, who knows? I couldn't imagine the internet as a thing when I was a kid.

Unless you're in your 60s or older, the Internet already existed when you were a kid.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

myghostisdead posted...

If and when it happens, who knows? I couldn't imagine the internet as a thing when I was a kid.

Unless you're in your 60s or older, the Internet already existed when you were a kid.

Nah, I'm not even 50 yet and by the time I was 19, BBS's were still all there really was, we didn't even start having MUDs (the precursor to an actual internet) until a few years later.

BBS's were local versions of an internet, and still pretty freaking cool though. We also had 300 baud modems back in my day, where you would wait a minute for a line of text to go through ....and we happily waited for it.

Honestly though it wouldn't take too long for people to get used to not having the internet, it sure didn't take us long to get used to having it...and going back would just use pre-existing tech, much of which is already actually still around.
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wolfy42 posted...

Nah, I'm not even 50 yet and by the time I was 19, BBS's were still all there really was.

Yes, and you used the Internet to connect to them.

I'm 42, and the Internet existed before I was born.



wolfy42 posted...

BBS's were local versions of an internet

No, BBSes were servers you dialed into... via the Internet.

You're confusing the Internet (the infrastructure that allows for access to other computers, servers, and networks) with the World Wide Web (the visual component of the Internet that modern browsers access). The Internet is more than just the Web, even if people use the two terms interchangeably.

The Web was only invented in the early 90s (and was popularized by AOL in the mid-90s), but the Internet has existed since the late 60s.
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Sahuagin posted...

"not likely" is an understatement. the internet is a global decentralized system. saying the internet can be destroyed is like saying roads can be destroyed. like ok, maybe someone can blow up a bridge or an airport, but no one is going to destroy "the global transportation network", even though it's not strictly impossible.

Pretty much. The internet isn't a single object. ISPs would be replaced.

Society would be wiped out first.
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One of the side effects would be porn coming in pill form.

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Nall posted...

TC why is that horrifying?

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I hope the internet gets kills. Banish the internet for good.
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@Sonicplys posted...

I hope the internet gets kills. Banish the internet for good.

You'll be wanting the Internet. Because you want people to see your trolling efforts.
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It's almost like people didn't have a life before the internet became mainstream. I know I didn't use the internet since around 2000. This means I've lived without it in my life and would do so again.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

You're confusing the Internet (the infrastructure that allows for access to other computers, servers, and networks) with the World Wide Web (the visual component of the Internet that modern browsers access). The Internet is more than just the Web, even if people use the two terms interchangeably.

Yeah, wolfy tends to do that when talking about the internet.
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wwinterj25 posted...

I know I didn't use the internet since around 2000.

I didn't get it in my home until like... 2001 iirc. Teachers called me a liar, I told them to call my dad.
Like we didn't even have a computer in my house at the time either, dad thought of both as a waste of money.

That being said I'd basically lose contact with my friends. Probably play more video games, but have no one to really talk to about them with since no one in my house seems really interested in the games I play.

What would be more of an issue is access to purchases for things that are far more expensive/less available around here. Probably have to get like a Sam's Club membership or something, because there's some stuff the household gets in bulk off the net like detergent. Wouldn't be able to get some things at all.