Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down What They'd Do If The Internet Shut Down Tomorrow

Person using laptop and searching on Google
Photo by Benjamin Dada on Unsplash

Reddit user Samuelwankenobi_ asked 'If the internet shut down tomorrow, what do you do?'

As quickly as the internet and social media came onto the scene, many people can still remember what it was like before the internet was so prevalent, or at least when people were first getting acclimated to it.

Thinking back, they entertained the idea of the internet going away again, and the results were eye-opening.


Redditor Samuelwankenobi_ asked:

"If the internet shut down tomorrow, what do you do?"

Looking for Work

"I would probably have to look for a job."

- alwaysworks

"Almost all business now depends on the internet, including payment networks, infrastructure, etc..."

- trancecircuit

Be Kind; Rewind

"Step 1. Make some phone calls."

"Step 2. Open a new form of Blockbuster. People are going to want their movies and shows that they can't stream anymore."

"Step 3. Profit."

- ooglieguy0211

Office Environments

"Be f**king p**sed because I have to work in an office again."

- FredChocula

Honestly, A Dream

"It would be time to actually 'quit' and get to that plant mom career I’ve been wanting."

- skdubbs

Mental Health Quality

"I'd probably see an improvement in my mental health."

- Pale_Currency_134

Back to Reading

"I'd get a library card."

- Virgin_algerian

Reconnect with Nature

"Go outside."

- CertifiedLurker5

"For a nice long bike ride."

- nutellatubby

Internet Addiction

"I am 20 and the internet is all I have known. I would be so annoyed, frustrated, and depressed all at the same time but I do think with time my mental health would improve and I would start doing the things I actually want to do."

- officialjeasuschrist2

"I am 50 and miss my internet-free life quite often. Tech and the internet have done a number on my ability to focus, productivity, and social interactions. But I also lack the willpower to simply shut it off."

- Taminella_Grinderfal

Options Aplenty

"Clean my house and do the garden. No wait, my current fixation is an offline game, I'd probably play that and watch some of my 12Tb of shows and movies instead..."

- LordOafsALot

Sounds About Right

"Run like a headless chicken for about three hours and then go clean my room."

- RavenWitch13

We Can Certainly Hope So

"Go back to enjoying life as it's supposed to be."

- Starforce1616

Practical Choice

"Well, I’d try unplugging and it plugging it back in. Will probably fix it."

- DisappointingPanda

Apocalypse Now

"There would be no card payments (how do you buy food, gas, medicine,…). Landlines run over the internet where I live so no basic telephones. Communication as we know it would be gone. Would ATMs even work anymore? Things would get really ugly, really fast."

- alwaysaprairiegirl

"Nothing would work, some major infrastructures have backups, but for the most part our entire way of life is run through the internet."

"We’d be f**ked if it was out longer than three to five days."

- Mundane_Tour_3215

Avoid the Panic

"Hunker down for the next 48 hours. Stay away from public places and try to avoid being killed over a can of soup as the panic spreads. If it comes back on immediately, start using the brief calm to stockpile as much as I can. Within a week the cost of living will skyrocket as companies try to bleed people dry to recoup their losses and pay for the new redundancy systems they are putting into place. If it doesn't come back on after 48 hours; well kiss your @ss goodbye."

- westernteryaki

Ready to Go

"I am a child of the 80s. I trained for this."

- Subliminal_Image

Though being without the internet being gone would be incredibly jarring, those who were old enough to remember a time without such a prominent internet actually welcomed the idea.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Bowen Yang
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Bowen Yang Gets Candid About Why He Decided To Leave 'SNL' After His Sudden Exit

Bowen Yang, who's well-known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his role in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, stepped off of the SNL stage for the last time, mid-season, after being a writer and performer for the past eight seasons.

During his final skit, Yang starred opposite Ariana Grande, with the couple playing a married couple. Grande was waiting for Bowen to come from after his final shift before retiring from working at an airport.

Keep Reading Show less
Kyle Rittenhouse
Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Kyle Rittenhouse Blasted Over Sociopathic Post Following ICE Shooting In Minneapolis

Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse sparked outrage after he offered to travel to Minnesota following ICE's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.” But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back against this narrative considering witnesses described seeing Good in the vehicle trying to flee officers when she was shot.

Keep Reading Show less
LEGO's 'SMART Brick'
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Lego Just Unveiled Their New Tech-Heavy 'Smart Brick'—But Not Everyone Is Excited About It

LEGO has long been known for its fostering of creativity, independent play, and imaginative designs, both in their LEGO sets and free-form bricks.

Parents have long hailed LEGO as a viable option for fostering creativity and critical thinking, even when faced with the frustrations of children not cleaning up all of the pieces and the pains of potentially stepping on them.

Keep Reading Show less
Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams
Bryan Bedder/Athlos/Getty Images

Serena Williams' Husband Just Stepped In To Defend Her From Accusations That She's Lightening Her Skin

When the Williams family burst onto the scene in the tennis world as juniors, an inordinate amount of discourse focused on Venus and Serena's appearance. The Williams sisters weren't the first Black people—men or women—to play tennis at an international level, but they quickly achieved heights that set them on the path to legendary status.

The heightened attention brought with it a lot of racist and colorist comments about their hair, their skin, and their bodies—especially Serena's more muscular and curvy body.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Roasted After Berating Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer For Making Him Look 'Heavy'

On Tuesday as MAGA Republican President Donald Trump addressed House Republicans at the Kennedy Center, he gave a special shout out to one of the press photographers present.

Trump pointed out New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning Doug Mills.

Keep Reading Show less