Should the internet be turned off for a week?

bnt

The Internet is just a medium, it is not responsible for how it’s used. You may as well talk about closing the roads for a week because they are used for unnecessary trips and the occasional crime.

Sunny Disposition

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into twitter and facebook etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation. Should they do it?

People could also try being competent functioning adults and just not bother going onto social media, or even online if they don't want to.

cnocbui

Could we just make it turn off RTE instead, followed by not turning it on again? I'd rather have the €160.

cnocbui

cnocbui wrote: »

Could we just make it turn off RTE instead, followed by not turning it on again? I'd rather have the €160.

I'd rather have a public service broadcaster to be honest.

Lewis_Benson

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Of course they can.

No, they cannot.

Sunny Disposition

Lewis_Benson wrote: »

No, they cannot.

Of course they can.

wench

Lads, its not panto season

fryup

but what will we **** to

Sunny Disposition

Oh no it’s not.

shtpEdthePlum

If they turned off the Internet I wouldn't be able to work and I might actually not log in and get work done which would make for a nice change from working all hours of every day in order to get all the work done.

Lewis_Benson

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Of course they can.

OK so.

Owldshtok

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into twitter and facebook etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation. Should they do it?

Yes for a 24 hours experiment,emergency services get a special password.
The likes of amazon can feck off and take a break.

Tokyo

Lewis_Benson wrote: »

The government?
They can't "turn off the Internet"

I can testify to the fact right now that they absolutely can.

Rubberchikken

Just turn yours off. Leave mine alone:)

Oink

So OP... You went to bed not knowing how the internet or governments work.
Any improvement this morning?

shesty

This is the first pandemic where we have had the ability to lock ourselves up at home but (for many) still earn a wage and be able to feed ourselves and pay our bills and all that good stuff.

If the internet was turned off, the reality of having to let people get out and get on with life in order to work and survive might suddenly come into sharper focus for our leaders......

Optimalprimerib

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into twitter and facebook etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation. Should they do it?

That idea is so bad they might actually try it. For me it is what has helped keep my mental health stable. I can video call my fiance every night as she is in a different country, we can watch netflix together, I can work from home.

We also can't go 5km from our house so what the hell are we supposed to do?

YFlyer

No because internet is not Twitter shat.

Dempo1

Turning off Internet for a week would cause a catastrophic financial crash given its pretty much carrys/supports most financial transactions, Stock markets and day to day banking.

A better option is turning off every single Social Media source and portal and for a month.

Mister Vain

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I do think people need to think long and hard about their internet usage, and what they want to get out of it. There's obviously very addictive patterns forming, with the dopamine hits making people stare gormlessly into their phone for hours.

You can even see it on sites like this - extremely irritable, bad-tempered, and belligerent posters fighting over matters they have no influence over, giving out about RTÉ, societal changes, the price of alcohol etc. It's an outrage hamster wheel for dimwits.

I'd agree with this. Social media gets a bad rap but this site can be much worse at times. Posters getting riled up and arguing back and forth, often for days on end, with the mental gymnastics continuing till the early hours of the morning in some cases. That can't be healthy.

Wanderer78

Sunny Disposition wrote:

This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into twitter and facebook etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation. Should they do it?

It would lead to a catastrophic economic and social collapse, so I'd say a no to that one, give yourself a break from it, if it's getting too much for you, let's not go big on this one

fryup

Social media gets a bad rap but this site can be much worse at times. Posters getting riled up and arguing back and forth, often for days on end, with the mental gymnastics continuing till the early hours of the morning in some cases. That can't be healthy.

totally agree, someone may post a sniding comment towards you and you get wound up by it....and then you come to your senses, "why am i getting upset over a anonymous poster online?"

it's nuts really when you think about it

Muppet Man

Imagine the embarassment of going to the newsagent again to get your porn.

mariaalice

About 2 years ago we didn't have a laptop for about 10 days and the internet on my then phone wasn't great, didn't notice much difference I'm a bit too old for the internet to be affecting my mental health.

What I did notice was all the extra time I had.

fryup

Muppet Man wrote: »

Imagine the embarrassment of going to the newsagent again to get your porn.

like this?

Mister Vain

Muppet Man wrote: »

Imagine the embarassment of going to the newsagent again to get your porn.

Ahh those were the days. Nervously scanning the top shelves and buying a newspaper to hide the magazine as you awkwardly exited the shop.

El Tarangu

I propose that the Admins ban the OP from Boards for a week - you know, just to help them get started on their digital detox journey.

The J Stands for Jay

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

It'd only be for a week, builders and farmers lose much longer to weather every single year and not a thing about it.

Yeah, but they are generating **** all employment in the country, and it's an expected part of their business model.

phill106

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into twitter and facebook etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation. Should they do it?

Should the production of food be turned off for a week?
This would give everyone a break and could provide us with a huge mental health boost and make the obese lose some weight. Also it would give people a chance to realise they were gone too into meat and vegetables etc. Even if the Government just did it from say Good Friday to late on Easter Sunday night wouldn't it give us a chance for contemplation and fasting. Should they do it?

Should the government turn off the water for a week?
There is far too much personal hygiene and hydration these days, we should go back to the good old days where the entire family would share one bathtub, at the end it was so dirty, you would risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

jimgoose

No, no more than the mains power or water should be turned off for a week. I'd respectfully suggest however, that Twitter and Facebook be permanently banned and Jack Dorsey be strapped to one of Elon Musk's rockets and fired into the Sun.