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No Internet: What Will Happen If The Internet Collapses For 48 Hours
For many of us, life without the internet, even for a few hours, is unthinkable. But if the whole internet stops working for two whole 24 hours, the consequences may not be what one would expect. Let's see what happens if the internet collapses and there is a global shutdown for 48 hours and whether or not we will be helpless in the face of such a possibility.
Science fiction or reality;
In 1995, 99% of the world's population lived daily without internet, with less than 1% connected. The internet was only for the few, and it was used mainly by professionals in the West.
Today, more than 3.5 billion people are connected, almost half of the world's population. The number is growing at a rate of about 10 people per second, and online activity on a daily basis is now a global phenomenon.
There are many who believe that as technology boils down, our Internet addiction will increase, as the IoT and the smart home are no longer science fiction scenarios.
What happens if the internet crashes in 48 hours?
Many believe that there is a deep gap between our ability to use the internet and understanding how it really works.
The main problem is that we take this miracle of the modern world as a given, without being able to fully understand the extent of its influence in all aspects of our professional and personal lives.
We are so used to being connected on a daily basis that even if we stay online for a few hours, it can have frightening psychological consequences for many.
We will lose the ability to receive information and will no longer be able to communicate. We may not even be able to work as we used to. In essence, we are immersed in a 48-hour total darkness, not knowing what is happening to all that interests us.
In short, we can consider the discontinuation of the Internet in modern times equivalent to the disconnection of electricity in the past. However, there is no alternative, such as wax and alternative lighting methods.
Unlike electricity, if we are left without internet, we can do absolutely nothing. Everything collapses if our professional activity and generally the main habits of our life are based on the internet.
However, the glass may be half full and things may not be as dramatic for all Internet users.
the good news
Many believe that losing connection for 48 hours can make people more social in certain situations.
For example, to force us to pursue personal contacts that we have been postponing for so long, instead of sending emails.
Also, many of us will finally be able to completely stay away from Facebook and social media, even for 48 hours.
In addition, the impact on the economy, despite conflicting views, may not be so serious. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted official studies examining what would happen if people were left without internet for 1-2 days.
These studies showed that the economic impact would not be catastrophic, even without the Internet for four days. In fact, in some cases, shutting down the Internet has boosted productivity.
Without the Internet, employees continued to work, even if they completed the same activities two or three days late.
Although the US study took place 12 years ago, it showed that the global economy could face a 48-hour internet outage as a vaccinated holiday weekend.
The bad news
But newer research has shown that nowadays many industries, such as hotels, airlines, banks, and stock exchanges, will suffer more than in the past.
This could work as a domino effect in the rest of the world today. Thus, a 48-hour interruption of the internet may have caused catastrophic losses in many countries of the world.
Countries like China would experience the biggest financial losses. For every hour without internet, the economy of the Asian country would lose 179 million dollars. This is more than three times the corresponding US loss.
In addition, psychological effects such as feelings of isolation and anxiety may have dramatic consequences. It would hurt most users because direct communication through it has become a way of life.
The inability to do what we do most easily every day would cause us serious anxiety and particular anxiety. For many, it is no longer possible to imagine their day without the internet.
So, for 48 hours we may have experienced similar feelings, and perhaps more unpleasant than we feel when we realize that we have forgotten the smartphone at home or when we discover that it was "shaken" by the only PC we have.
In 2017, a BBC publication focused on Stanford University, where academic Jeff Hancock studied the psychological and social processes involved in online communication. One of the concepts was to leave his students without internet for 48 hours.
The result was that the students emphatically stated that the work was impossible. They argued that without internet for two days, they could not concentrate and complete any of their tasks.
In addition, they stated that their family and friends considered that something bad had happened due to the lack of communication via e-mail and social networks.
So when the internet connection was restored, many students felt that they had regained better control of their lessons. In addition, much better psychological mood.
Fake news
Many of us may remember that in October 2018, rumors of the famous "Global Internet Shutdown" raged.
It was then that ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the non-profit organization that manages the international Domain Name System , announced that it had to update the encryption for DNS addresses.
Many sites have rushed to warn, in the form of fake news that has frightened millions of users, that people may be left without internet for 48 hours.
Eventually, only 1% of all Internet users worldwide were affected, as it was simply a maintenance.
Who can cause online blackouts?
Undoubtedly, the internet is not inviolable. In theory, it could be stopped for a day or more.
The governments
You probably didn't know that in many countries governments have an online Kill Switch. This gives them the power to turn off the internet if they see fit.
The United States has programs that allow the government to cut off the Internet altogether if there is an urgent national need. The purpose is to protect their country from cyber attacks.
In the United Kingdom, the government has the power to suspend Internet services in the event of serious cybercrime.
Also, China's most controversial network is controlled and censored by the government. This means that regular local holidays are not uncommon in the country.
Egypt was left without internet during the Arab Spring in 2011 to make it difficult for protesters to coordinate their activities. Turkey and Iran have also cut off internet access during protests.
Of course, implementing such state-of-the-art emergency programs is not an easy task. The larger and more developed the country, the more difficult it becomes to turn off the Internet en masse.
Terrorism
However, it is not just governments that could cause the Internet to shut down. Loss of connection can also come from malicious means. Online attacks are by definition a potential threat.
One of the most serious threats to the internet is the destruction of submarine cables. 99% of all internet data is transmitted through them, and that is why the internet is alive in all the breadths and lengths of the world.
Military experts believe that if the submarine cables are undermined, then the internet will suffer catastrophic consequences. People may be left without internet for several days.
Solar storms
What governments and terrorism cannot easily accomplish, a major solar storm could do in a matter of minutes.
Such a not at all unlikely event could lead to a global shutdown of the Internet. It will make use of satellites, power grids, and computer systems.
In 1859, our planet experienced such a solar storm. It was so large that if it took place nowadays, it would have completely destroyed modern electrical and electronic infrastructure.
Can you stand without internet for 48 hours?
Undoubtedly, our world will not collapse if the internet is down for 48 hours. However, two days without the internet may be a scary experience for many, and such an online blackout might make us change our mindset.
