To ask what you would do about the internet?

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Imagine you were given two choices.

First, the internet would disappear and never reappear. It would be like it never existed in the first place, all harms undone, but also anything positive also undone.

OR

Second, everything just carries on as it is now (in respect of the internet)

Which would you choose?

And before anyone asks, no, there isn’t a middle way - it’s one or the other.

internet to disappear

Keep it, the internet has given me so many many positives you’d have to drag it out of my cold dead hands 😂

Keep it. Far too useful

Keep

What a great question. Now do the same with the printing press and the wheel.

Keep. The negatives are far outweighed by the positives.

Much as I love the internet, if I had the opportunity to make it disappear, I would.

I'd have it so it blocked the ability to share CSA material. Idk how precisely. As it would be blurry around teenagers, but if they could have a way that anything pre-pubescent that could be filtered out. I guess that could mean no more innocent pics of kids in nappies or in the bath. But yeah, that's what I'd change. And it would instantly report anyone searching CSA terms to the police in the country they're based.

Keep it

Option a, even though I use it a hell of a lot

Personally I’m selfish, I’d dump it, but the repercussions are so huge. The guy who pretty much invented the internet said he opened such a Pandora’s box that he doesn’t want to make the money he should from it- his net worth is something like 50m

Internet to disappear

This will depend a lot on age I think. I remember before the internet and I'd definitely get rid of it.

Option C. Keep it but no social media.

I am from a pre-internet age too, but now we have it.. it would be impossible to get by in life without it.

Get rid. It’s so useful and has made our everyday lives easier in so many ways, but overall I think it’s detrimental to society. People are far more polarised in their views now, as well as being more socially isolated. Actually I think the problem is social media.

As much as I hate paedophile rings, young boys being corrupted by hardcore pornography and toxic masculinity, online bullying, scams, and the corroded brains of the Tik Tok generation it is really handy for online banking so I’ll keep it.

Same. I remember what life was like pre-Internet and don’t want to go back to it.

Keep it.

It's just the medium - there's a whole load of nasty (legal) stuff on there, but a lot of people clearly want that nasty stuff.

Who's to say that they may not hate the stuff that I like and want the Internet banned because of it. Plenty of TRAs would ban the FWR board on here, if they could, just for one.

The intrinsic nature of freedom of speech is such that other people will want to say things that you hate; and vice versa.

I think it's very telling when you look at which countries want to ban or severely restrict their citizens' access to the Internet - none of them are countries that I'd ever choose to live in.

I'd like to go back to Livejournal era internet. No facebook etc, no smartphones, and you still had to switch on a laptop or desktop to use websites. It wasn't instant in your face constant demands for clicks and likes etc.

Keep it. I can’t imagine the slog of having to be without it, the internet is wonderful.

I'd get rid of it. Sure it's convenient to have access to ready information, online services, etc, but I was fortunate enough to grow up in the time before the internet took off. Life was simpler and I think that is a good thing. I'd find it a huge adjustment though.

Now, if we could keep the good bits (like services and information) and get rid of social media, I think that would be the ideal.

Ha, funny you mention Livejournal. Was talking about it to someone the other day. I might be brave and log in and see what my Emo self was like in the 90s.

Yes, going to the library and hoping there is a book on how to fix something minor in your house.

I'd get rid of it. Personally, I've learned so much since having the internet, and I rely on it on a daily basis for keeping in touch with the world and what's going on, but I really do think that on balance, it's done more harm than good.