Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Imagine How The Internet Shutting Down Forever Would Impact Their Lives

Some of us remember a world before the internet took over. We survived, we played outside, and we developed deep meaningful relationships. But imagine if the internet went away, how would your life change? Obviously no more streaming porn, but would you be better off? I think so.

plasticsoda asked, If the internet shut down permanently, how would it affect you?


Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.

No more distractions at work, but also likely no more work.

Con: lose the thing that keeps me from losing my mind at the job

Pro: lose the job too

This is your warning, you're gonna have to buy physical copies of games. The horror.

Do we get a warning? I just got a new pc and my steam library hasn't been installed yet.

Good luck understanding most of them without Google.

I would go back to reading all of the ingredients of my shampoo while making poops.

No more instant information - back to books. Sigh.

Become less knowledgeable about random stuff.

Forgot the name of that guy in that movie? Too bad. Want a new recipe for potato salad? You're stuck with yours and your neighbors. Curious as to what percentage of the galaxy is Dark Matter? Gonna have to drive to the library and try to find a recent book or paper on the subject.

No more instant maps, and no more jobs making instant maps.

I make Google maps so I'd be out of work.

Pencils, maps, and probably a compass. Like an animal.

My glovebox would be filled with maps again.

So much time, so little to do.

I'd probably have a lot of time on my hands.

Back to real school with real people.

I work in web development, so I'd have to be re-educated somehow.

Admit it: Google is the smart one, we just regurgitate.

My perceived IQ drops 80 points. People who thought of me as even vaguely intelligent would see me for the Google reliant sham I truly am.

Is it porn's fault? No more dating apps with no internet.

My income would increase astronomically. I'm a dancer, and if people couldn't watch porn, there would be so many more people at the club.

What's a book?

I'd have to start buying physical books again.

If showering is an issue, maybe the internet isn't for you anyway.

I'd probably finally graduate, read all those books I haven't finished, shower and accomplish many things.

You mean like... meaningful interaction with other people?

I feel like my life would be better overall, but boring as hell and much more complicated.

No more social media. That would probably save us.

Lots of folks talking about porn and whatnot, but I think I'd be just at a loss for basic information.

I know the big picture of my life, and the lives of those I love, but how to get into contact with them, what they're actually up to, those sorts of things my brain has offloaded to those peoples various social media platforms.

I think it would polarize me, and everyone I know, into focusing on just those people who surround us and really ignoring anyone who is not already directly connected to us.

And maybe that's not a bad thing.

Are they really friends if you only know them through the internet?

I'd lose contact with all my friends I've made over the years :/

Publishers would probably be very happy. Back to newspapers and magazines.

I work in print media, so aside from getting images, fonts and communication, my life would get better.

"Build another one." I like the way they think.

As a technologist, it would double my workload as my primary focus would be to build another one.

Same goes for most Millennials. We'd sure miss it though.

It wouldn't. I'm 61. Made it well into adulthood before computers, mobile phones etc.???????

People should go outside more. No internet would ensure that.

Maybe go outside more, MAYBE.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Seth Moulton; Donald Trump
MS Now; Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images

Dem Rep. Offers Brutally Accurate Reason For Why He Can't Understand 'The Mind Of Donald Trump'

Massachusetts Democratic Representative Seth Moulton made a fitting observation about President Donald Trump's mind after Trump gave a 20-minute address to the nation about his war in Iran on Wednesday evening.

Trump claimed “core strategic objectives are nearing completion” in the Iran war and vowed to strike Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks. He said that he would finish the job "very fast," without setting any timeline for ending the war. He pledged to "bring them [Iranians] back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Solicitor General Sparks Alarm After Telling Supreme Court He's 'Not Sure' If Native Americans Are Birthright Citizens

Solicitor General Sparks Alarm After Telling Supreme Court He's 'Not Sure' If Native Americans Are Birthright Citizens

The relationship between Indigenous American nations and the colonizers and later settlers who arrived and established the United States is complicated.

Indigenous peoples were integral parts of the survival and success of early colonizers. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy's Great Law of Peace offered a blueprint for the United States Constitution and the structure of the federal government including the three independent branches offering checks and balances, ideally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Iraqi soccer fans hold a banner at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as a man in an orange jacket confronts them and tears it down.
@hussein_pepe96/Instagram

Racist Guy Caught On Video Tearing Through Iraqi Soccer Fans' Banner At Dallas Airport: 'Don't Come To America'

With the United States set to host the 2026 World Cup, a video out of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is drawing attention for a very different reason: showing a man ripping apart an Iraqi soccer fan’s banner and telling them, “Don’t come to America.”

The video, posted on Instagram, shows a group of Iraqi sports fans standing in an airport holding a banner with Arabic and Spanish writing. The fans were there to support Iraq during their World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, which resulted in a 2-1 upset victory earlier that day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @themouselets' TikTok video
@themouselets/TikTok

TikToker Edits Dad's Disney Vacation Into Horror Movie After It Keeps Getting Interrupted By 'Work Emergency'

Sometimes you can only realize how bad a situation has gotten when you see it in a photo or video.

TikToker @themouselets works in civil engineering and is a part-time Disney content creator, making frequent trips to the park, but it's still a rare occurrence for her to be able to go with her entire family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @tts_tiktok22's TikTok video
@tts_tiktok22/TikTok

Videos Of Squirrels Trying To 'Vape' Are Going Viral—And We Don't Know Whether To Laugh Or Cry

Some viral videos come along that leave us unsure whether we should laugh or cry. In the case of squirrels trying to vape, crying is unfortunately the more likely outcome.

E-cigarettes have dramatically increased in popularity in recent years and are often even portrayed as a cool accessory on social media. Unfortunately, disposable, one-time-use e-cigarettes have been made affordable and easily accessible, and instead of properly disposing of them, people often leave them on the ground like cigarette butts.

Keep ReadingShow less