Imagine Your Life Without The Internet
Impromptu Prompt #2 has 4 short essays of 100-200 words on the subject. You too can take part in the next one. Details inside.
Life without the internet would mean a huge step backwards for Anshul, a revenue growth expert who writes
for the productivity junkies.who writes travel stories from around the world, reminds everyone that it’s easy to get caught up in the idyllic notion of a life without the internet.I can't even fathom going back to the days of waiting for technical manuals and books to be printed and distributed. For many of us, it's become so woven into the fabric of our daily existence that the thought is almost unthinkable. The internet has revolutionized how we live, work, and play in profound ways. The access to information has been invaluable for both my professional and personal life. I've learned so much through online courses, video tutorials, blogs and more. I love engaging with writers and thinkers from all over the world who are just a click away, and that connectivity is something I would sorely miss without the internet. Keeping in touch with friends and family near and far would be so much harder. Simple things I take for granted like video calling, sending photos instantaneously, and staying up-to-date on family happenings via group chats would be impossible. While I'm sure I could find a way to adapt if forced to live without it, the thought is highly unappealing to me. For better or worse, the internet is simply indispensable to me and most people today.
who writes some of best non-fiction stories on Substack, seems to agree that a life without the internet isn't even practical anymore.I can see it now, no Zoom meetings, scam emails, or pressure to feel seen on social media. If I’m being honest, it sounds like exactly where I want to be. Reminiscent of my childhood, when I didn’t have a phone in my pocket and had no idea what anyone outside my immediate bubble was doing at any given moment. It sounds so stress-free and peaceful. However, when I consider the freedom the internet affords me to research a destination, buy a ticket to travel there, and continue to get paid while doing so… I think I will keep the internet life.
I’m accustomed to the benefits of living in big cities like Philadelphia and New York City. But I now live in Upstate New York. All the way up, practically Canada, really. It hasn’t been easy, particularly because I enjoy cooking and cook well. This means that I’m relying on the internet as my supermarket for items unavailable in an area so provincial it might as well be Siberia (minus the snow, so far, this year). I’m no longer sure of where I would find printer paper if I couldn’t order it online, since all the brick-and-mortar chain stores are closing one-by-one. And bookstores?! There are too many miles between me and a good bookstore right now, and I always need to read something. The library system, impressive as it is in the state of New York, does not have what I need. I remember life without the internet, and while I miss it sometimes, I haven’t forgotten the stacks of notebooks, short stories, projects, and notes, collecting dust on a shelf as new ones have replaced them. And, I’m grateful that you’re reading this right now, all thanks to the internet.
A Gen-Z adult born in the age of flip phones and intertwined in this digital world, for whom life without the smartphone might seem impossible, has a surprising take on this:
I think it will be peaceful like the earlier times when communication among family members was much stronger, devoid of any misunderstandings. People would be much happier without having to worry about the number of likes, blue ticks and these touch screens playing a major role even in the feeding routine of babies. Life with the internet has its pros, but for me, the cons always stand out.
Wouldn't it be nice to return to older, simpler times? Why do I secretly long for a digital blackout?
Let’s play that scenario out, for fun’s sake. Without the internet, there will be wide-spread panic before we can come to terms with it. If the global pandemic taught us anything, it is how to survive lockdowns. So I believe humanity will surely be able to adjust to what will seem like a digital lockdown. The challenge will be to relearn many basic skills, like counting cash, or using calculators, and navigating with paper maps. The Generation Alpha kids, those born from 2010 to 2024, will be the most depressed and will surely need rehab to work through their social media withdrawal symptoms.
On the bright side, there will be more demand for physical human workers. Take that, AI.
Thank you for reading our short impromptu essays. I leave you with this scene from the 2023 Netflix movie “Leave The World Behind” for a visual effect.
Stay tuned if you would like to participate in the next impromptu prompt writing. The submissions may be fiction or non-fiction, but has to be short essays of 100-200 words in length to qualify. It’s free for all.
The prompts, released every weekend, are designed to be a welcome distraction for you to take a break, to help you get out of a rut, or simply for the fun of creative writing. If the prompt triggers a thought or a feeling, just start writing.
Story Narration by
Cover Photo by Discover Savsat on Unsplash
What would life be without Lister’s antiseptic? Without papyrus credited to the Egyptians? Fansworth’s TV? As with any revolutionary invention, the Internet—undeniably an asset to humankind—is not the issue. The issue is humans, especially the mind controlling humans, and the ensuing moral and social conscience that dictates what and how much they choose to do with it that’s the issue. I can’t imagine not looking up google when I write my articles on my day job, or consult the Wikipedia as I coach my son for his quiz tournaments. But I grew up WITHOUT the Internet for 22 years and I was just fine, just went to libraries more, and did not know what I did not know. But, I’d not want that anymore, and prefer to live with the Internet and with some guiding principles. For example, I never google for health, ever. Everything leads you to think you’ll die, soon;)
I feel like it's impossible to imagine the world without internet now. It's almost my only form of communication in recent years since I've started working from home and introverting harder than ever before!
PS: I remember that scene from Leave the World Behind. That was a bizarre movie.