The Internet outage is a rumor that spread widely across different social media and was circulated by people randomly, but it was denied by the NASA.The rumor is also a prediction forecasted to happen on 11 October , but what if the rumor turns to be true, just imagine ?!!
It will indeed be a disaster, first, because we become deeply related or I dare say addicted to technology and the Internet, second, the matter goes beyond our connection, it will be a huge crisis at all levels economically, socially, educationally and else . In fact, it will affect the lives and the future of millions of people.
The global Internet outage is just a rumor that was raised several times years ago and has returned, recently to the forefront due to talk about solar storms, according to the scientific magazine “LiveScience“.
The scientific magazine stated that there are not sufficient factors concerning the extent of the impact of these severe solar storms on modern technology. According to Mathew Owens, a solar physicist at the University of Reading in the U.K., told Live Science: "You would really need some huge event to do that, which is not impossible," he added that the phenomenon has already occurred on a small scale years ago, before technology reached what it is nowadays.
Can we quickly adapt to an Internet outage? Can we rely on old means of communication?!!
Imagining a world without the Internet may seem strange to us now, as the disappearance of the Internet will cause the unavailability of even basic services such as text messaging or cell phone service, because the infrastructure for these services is also part of the Internet infrastructure and phone lines will stop since they also constitute part of the Internet infrastructure.
Furthermore , the economic impact will be disastrous, and many companies that rely on the Internet for their operations around the world will collapse. E-commerce, email, instant messaging, and video calls will become impossible, productivity in factories and companies will stop dramatically, and livelihoods will freeze, especially for people who depend on the Internet to earn money to ensure a decent living, through passive income, marketing, or any business that requires the Internet.
Additionally, university and school students will certainly be negatively affected by this interruption in general. The Internet is a basic requirement when it comes to studying, for those who use it for simultaneous translation, as well as searching on the Internet for topics that they do not find in detail in textbooks, and also those who need to watch complete lectures via YouTube, and there is no end to the need for some people to use the Internet for the purpose of studying remotely or preparing researches. In other words, our life depends wholly on the internet.
So, the question raised, are we able to return to the normal life that many of us lived without the magical arrival of the internet ?
Even if it seems difficult and boring, it is not impossible. Many people long for that era, because it was a purely social life, full of beautiful human feelings, compassion, family gatherings, brotherhood, neighborhood and friendship, real games and sports... Many Things we really missed, despite the beauty of technological intelligence and the facilities it has brought to our lives.
Commonly, we cannot deny the positive aspects of technology, including the World Wide Web. Awareness, culture, the rapid spread of information the construction of friendships from all over the world , regardless of distances, distance learning, passive income and freelancing which has increased dramatically and varied in an incredible way, to the point that some have come to depend totally on the Internet to execute their businesses .
Nonetheless, with the interruption of the Internet, the life schedule of most people will differ. Hours of staying up late on mobile phones will be replaced by summer sessions with friends and various more enjoyable activities with the family. With the presence of the Internet, they are deprived of such special sessions, and some may find an opportunity in this interruption to practice some sports and favorite hobbies such as reading and writing,and watching TV with the family and other habits that were buried in oblivion with the entry of the Internet into our lives.
To conclude , everything in life has its drawbacks and advantages, and the Internet is not an exception. The Internet has made many things easier for people, but in return it also brought controversial harmful effects. The fact of internet outage may be a rumor, yet, there is a probability to happen sooner or later, regarding the effects of the global warming and the climate change from one side and the natural disasters that we began to witness in many countries over the world like earthquakes, floods, and other dangerous natural catastrophes.
Cutting off the Internet is a common occurrence. Do we have to take certain precautions for this unfortunate event?
There are those who care and there are those who don't , because the matter depends on the extent of people’s dependence on the Internet, but the matter becomes disastrous for all aspects of life that have become automated.
The Internet outage rumor had already been spread in the near past , to be exact in 2018. However, no one could assure that this purported rumor won't occur one day, in months, years or even decades.. . Time remains the only witness that would tell us about it. Let wait and see
Thanks for taking time to read.
Resources :
https://www.fastmetrics.com/blog/tech/internet-outage-what-to-do-now/
https://bnn.network/world/authorities-dispel-rumors-of-global-internet-outage-on-october-11/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/28/solar-storm-internet-apocalypse
https://www.livescience.com/solar-storm-wipe-out-internet
