Would you vote to switch off the WWW?

[HenaLorne]

Just a lighthearted thread based on a dream I had..

..but if there was a worldwide referendum where everyone was polled if they wanted the internet and all IP technology/WiFi permanently switched off/destroyed forever which way would you vote?

Perhaps in my naivety I have this idea that it would drive people back to interacting more and lead to less social isolation. Nothing would have to be pre-booked online. Libraries would be more important. No more young children watching endless YouTube.

Of course it would slow down useful collaboration in many areas and limit communication in other ways.

It's a mad though but ..
would you vote ON or OFF?

On. I'd be our of a job if off. No more WFH, I'm physically not fit enough to commute 5 days to office.

I'd switch off all nasty sites though.

We had supermarket deliveries in the 1960s.

Off for sure.

If it was switched off only Gen X and the boomers would survive 🤣

I'm joking of course, but it would be funny watching the younger generations trying to navigate the world without it.

Sounds good to me (I'm one of that demographic).

I'd turn it off. Just to see what happens really.

Agree with everyone who’s saying keep it on, but turn social media off!

If it’s a total on or off, then on.

If we could have selective switch-off I could come up with a list soon enough.

Number 1 on the list would be Facebook. Shutting that down would help improve the standard of written English in the world straightaway.

@purplecheesecat no thanks. I am perfectly happy with the social media I use.
If you don't like it. Don't use it.

On.

There is far, far more to the internet than shopping and social media. It has brought massive benefits to anyone who carries out any serious research. A huge amount of material which could only be accessed in libraries and archives, with the time and cost of travel - or couldn't be accessed at all, if for whatever reason you couldn't travel - can now be accesssed at home, for free, or a moderate subscription or fee to download a document.

These are just some of the sites I access frequently, for professonal or personal research:
Home | findmypast.co.uk
The National Archives
Historical directories | Archives and Special Collections | University of Leicester
Map images - National Library of Scotland (nls.uk)
Front | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk)
JSTOR Home
Academia.edu - Find Research Papers, Topics, Researchers
The British Library: The National Library of the UK - The British Library (bl.uk) (But they are recovering from a massive cyberattack, so not all resources currently available)

And many, many more on an occasional basis.

The www is not the problem, it's the way people use it.

I’d rather just revert to having to go on a computer for the internet. It’s having the internet at your fingertips 24/7 that’s ruined it. Back to brick phones and laptops.

Off
id get so much more done

And as for isolation- mil embraced it as she lived alone for
18 odd years, before meeting her partner (of 10 years ) on the net.
She was able to receive daily updates from far flung relatives on a daily bases , join groups and receive photos of loved ones

Off

I agree with this.

Off. I think it's done FAR more harm than good.

I'd vote on but with restrictions.

ON. Stay away from social media and forums 🙂 but use it for all your everyday stuff like your banking and groceries shopping.

On balance, I'd vote for off.
The damage being done to our young people is reason enough. And all the fake stuff is having huge effects worldwide. And the thought of what AI could do is, for me, bloody scary.

We managed perfectly well before all this.

Internet pre smartphone would be fine.

One fixed pc per household to access email and websites. We do t need more than that!

On and I’m old enough to remember life before home computers and mobile phones .

No, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and it's also so helpful for people with disabilities.

Off 📴

On for me. Although I’d definitely get more done if it was turned off!

I probably get more done with the internet being on.
For example I can order my food shop while being in the taxi that takes my daughter to school. If I actually had to go to the supermarket that would be an hour of my time I'm using up.
I can use that hour for something else.
Being in the taxi is "dead time" so I could either stare out the window (sometimes interesting) or get loads of admin and food shopping done.