What If the Internet Crashed?

Background

Over 60% of Americans during 1999 were afraid of the Y2K Bug. But what was it? When the year 1999 was coming to an end, people started to think about the new century, 2000. The Y2K Bug (Year 2000 Bug) was a potential failure in computer operations. People thought that computers would not be able to process the new year, and instead it would think the year was 1900. Now, it doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but there were many theories about what might happen. Among the most popular theories were the thoughts that power grids wouldn’t operate correctly, critical finance systems failing, and even some government services to fail. 

The internet has been a huge advancement for humankind, from its beginning use for government researchers and academics to share data, and eventually running our phones. Interestingly, the internet started as a military program, something that would be able to survive a nuclear attack, unlike the phone systems at the time, which were easily able to be destroyed. Meanwhile, the internet could be accessed from many locations, so it could never truly be destroyed. Back then, they didn’t worry about the stability of the site as much as surviving the latest attack.

But what if the internet crashed today? We don’t realize it, but we use the internet more often than we think. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to run our phones, some brands of televisions, and even the SmartBoards would be down. There would be no texting or calling either. Studies have shown that adults tend to have spent 10-24 years on the internet throughout their life. 

Societal Effect

You sit in class, completing an online assignment as normal. Suddenly the “no internet” screen pops up. At first you think nothing of it, but as you look around the room every single computer shows the exact same thing. Confusion spreads around the room as the next class comes over and says the same thing happened to them. As you realize the full extent of the problem, you start to take in what this means. The internet has crashed. Although you know this is bad, comprehending such a catastrophe is nearly impossible. 

Now, the internet crashing doesn’t mean technology itself doesn’t work. There are still many devices that work perfectly fine without internet. For example, some TVs can still work, radios, GPS devices, and anything saved to the cloud. However, many of these devices only work because there is another device sending them signals using the internet. Which leads us to one big problem. How would anything in our society work?

Well, the first problem we would encounter is not being able to communicate. Without access to the internet we wouldn’t be able to get any news from websites and since only some TVs will work, most of the population would be left in the dark about what was happening. Even if someone’s TV still did work, media companies would also rely on the internet to produce the broadcasts. We would all be left in the dark not knowing what could possibly be happening. This is where the chaos would ensue. 

Panic would rise as no one would know what was happening. To the general public it would almost seem like the apocalypse. No news, no way of communication, and no explanation. Not to mention the anger people would feel when they realize they can’t get any of their online money. Once people realize all of this, whatever peace was still in the air would be completely gone. 

With no way to spread information the government would almost be powerless. The public would go insane with fear. Other countries would experience similar problems. Though, the less technologically advanced countries would actually have an advantage. Since we rely so much on the internet for news and almost everything, those who don’t use it, would have a much easier time continuing their life as normal. Some countries would barely notice. 

Although keeping diplomatic peace between countries may also be a huge problem. Since other countries can’t communicate with each other they would question if it was world wide or an attack. Countries could attack each other, but any safety measures to ensure that, such as satellites to see if planes are coming, would be gone. Not to mention the wars that are currently going on. These wars could quickly get worse if there is no way to prevent an attack or signal surrender. 

The internet has been incorporated into so much of our daily lives it is now vital to our survival. The internet runs everything we need in order to keep an ordered society. Trying to change that now would be impossible. But it creates an equal amount of fear at the thought of losing it. Now knowing the risks of this show just how much our world depends on something we created only 42 years ago. These quick advancements and placement into our lives provide just as much help as they do risks. The reality of it is humanity won’t be destroyed by some alien like most people think. Humanity will be destroyed by ourselves and what we create.

Environmental Effect

All around the world, people and things are doing their job. All working together to keep our planet running. But suddenly it all stops. The windmills stop spinning, satellites stop orbiting Earth, online maps and GPSs go out. Today our world relies heavily on the internet and the tasks it completes for us. No matter how much help we receive from the internet, it may have different effects on the environment.

Every day the internet releases millions of tonnes (one tonne is equal to 1,000 kilograms) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is caused by the high energy demand of data centers, devices, and networks world-wide. With the growth of AI, water resources are depleting for the use of cooling systems.  Another resource used up by the internet are minerals and metals. Since devices are so complex, resources like minerals and fossils are extracted from the Earth. A direct result of this is deforestation, but deforestation is also caused another way. The process of building power grids and data centers requires land, and as a result more land is cleared to make room.

However, different systems that were built to help the environment would no longer be able to work. One example of this is water pumps. Without the internet water pumps will not be able to function leaving the water contaminated and unsafe. Problems will spread with the water. Humans will likely get new diseases, animals will suffer internal damage like organ failure, and plants will face disease, stunted growth, root damage, and death.

The internet has a bigger impact on us than we thought. The internet is no longer just a search engine for questions, it is a fire that fuels our species. It is where creativity is born and can thrive. It is often taken for granted. It has become such a huge part of our lives, that without it, there would be serious problems. So next time you use your phone or television, remember, it’s all just part of a bigger picture.