Should the internet be turned off for a week?

Fathom

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

No, I am not. But if people would rather wait until September I’d allow that.

You are welcome to turn off your own personal Internet access for a week if you wish. But then how would you continue to debate your points here? :pac: Anecdotally speaking. It may be fun to play old films developed from such fictional authors as Jules Verne, where advancing technology has adverse, catastrophic consequences for humanity. It may also be fun to slip on a toga, sandals, and carry a sign: "Beware Technology: Doom is Near!" Personally, I will take a post-modern philosophical neo-Darwin position. I will attempt to adapt and evolve as best I can. Sometimes be an early adapter. Other times sit back and watch others take the first beta steps. But I will not walk to the nearby Pacific beach and take advantage of the sand, while the world of technology passes me by.

Sunny Disposition

Fathom wrote: »

You are welcome to turn off your own personal Internet access for a week if you wish. But then how would you continue to debate your points here? :pac:

Anecdotally speaking. It may be fun to play old films developed from such fictional authors as Jules Verne, where advancing technology has adverse, catastrophic consequences for humanity. It may also be fun to slip on a toga, sandals, and carry a sign: "Beware Technology: Doom is Near!"

Personally, I will take a post-modern philosophical neo-Darwin position. I will attempt to adapt and evolve as best I can. Sometimes be an early adapter. Other times sit back and watch others take the first beta steps. But I will not walk to the nearby Pacific beach and take advantage of the sand, while the world of technology passes me by.

But it’s not being turned off for ever, just a week. It will be a fantastic opportunity to recalibrate. Plus it’d allow us to break our over reliance and make us more adaptable.

Fathom

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

But it’s not being turned off for ever, just a week. It will be a fantastic opportunity to recalibrate. Plus it’d allow us to break our over reliance and make us more adaptable.

According to whom? Any scholarly research to back this up? Or is this anecdotal and solely based upon your opinion that there would be positive health effects?

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

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's all we need is more government regulation. Once again, you can self-regulate without the government butting in for a few days, or a week without troubling the rest of us. Your government talk reminds me of the oldies but goodies song by Five Man Electrical Band: "Sign, sign Everywhere a sign Blockin' out the scenery Breakin' my mind Do this, don't do that Can't you read the sign?" And it's not just for a week; rather, there are consequences for actions that go beyond such time frames. This is bigger than a Butterfly Effect. Such actions sometimes become precedents, that others cite when they try to justify erecting longer lasting signs.

Sunny Disposition

Fathom wrote: »

According to whom? Any scholarly research to back this up? Or is this anecdotal and solely based upon your opinion that there would be positive health effects?



That's all we need is more government regulation. Once again, you can self-regulate without the government butting in for a few days, or a week without troubling the rest of us. Your government talk reminds me of the oldies but goodies song by Five Man Electrical Band:

"Sign, sign
Everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery
Breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign?"

And it's not just for a week; rather, there are consequences for actions that go beyond such time frames. This is bigger than a Butterfly Effect. Such actions sometimes become precedents, that others cite when they try to justify erecting longer lasting signs.

Yeah, read several papers about the impact of the internet on anxiety and depression, sure it’s fierce! Absolutely right, government intervention is exactly what’s required!

Sunny Disposition

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Yeah, read several papers about the impact of the internet on anxiety and depression, sure it’s fierce! Absolutely right, government intervention is exactly what’s required!

Or just being a basic level adult and showing some self control

Sunny Disposition

The Eoghan Harris situation shows again how dangerous the web is and the need for it to be turned off from time to time.

McGinniesta

What are fat planks like me supposed to do for fanny in the mean time.

I think my head would burst if I didn't have some **** material.

Strumms

You turn off the internet for a week...

1) not an aircraft in the sky, the aviation industry collapses..

Can’t file flight plans
Can’t update aircraft databases
Can’t log maintenance issues
ATC can’t track aircraft reliably.

2) healthcare is in trouble, people die

Doctor in cappagh wants to send a brain scan to a professor in the Mater, needs a second opinion etc, e-mail, it’s there in seconds, otherwise he has to call a courier, wait for the courier, courier has to drive there, park, find the professor... patient could be dead. Best case scenario... what would have taken 5/minutes will take well over an hour.

3) Gardai, fire, ambulance services communications, ePCR etc.... not available... the emergency services at a standstill, more people die.

4) digital tv, no internet, no sky.

5) connectivity with friends, family, gone...

Turn off the internet, yeah, sound idea, really, in reality, no, thanks.

Sunny Disposition

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

The Eoghan Harris situation shows again how dangerous the web is and the need for it to be turned off from time to time.

It shows how trolls should be dealt with.

begbysback

Strumms wrote: »

You turn off the internet for a week...

1) not an aircraft in the sky, the aviation industry collapses..

Can’t file flight plans
Can’t update aircraft databases
Can’t log maintenance issues
ATC can’t track aircraft reliably.

2) healthcare is in trouble, people die

Doctor in cappagh wants to send a brain scan to a professor in the Mater, needs a second opinion etc, e-mail, it’s there in seconds, otherwise he has to call a courier, wait for the courier, courier has to drive there, park, find the professor... patient could be dead. Best case scenario... what would have taken 5/minutes will take well over an hour.

3) Gardai, fire, ambulance services communications, ePCR etc.... not available... the emergency services at a standstill, more people die.

4) digital tv, no internet, no sky.

5) connectivity with friends, family, gone...

Turn off the internet, yeah, sound idea, really, in reality, no, thanks.

You do know we could do all this before tinternet?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

begbysback wrote: »

You do know we could do all this before tinternet?

No. 4 was a bit tricky, to be fair.

(Ok, there was Sky before the internet - and it was much better!)

maccored

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 should take responsibility and turn off their network router at home and turn off the mobile phone for a few days.

You could knock off the www maybe, but too many devices and services rely on the internet

Tombo2001

Was booking a holiday home last summer, we agreed everything and then was told

"oh by the way, there's one other thing you should know...... the house has no wifi. Will that be a problem?"

I was like

"actually, I would pay extra for 'no wifi'".

It was genuinely a pleasure to be a way from wifi for two weeks.

Likewise - I lost the phone last year, took a month to replace it. I definitely noticed good habits emerging. Reading more, housekeeping more and so on.


The thing is- its all well and good for punters to say "you have the choice to turn it off if you want".

But phones (and specifically my issue would be phones, not internet) are so fuppin addictive. Its very difficult. They are compulsive and ever present.

maccored

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Was booking a holiday home last summer, we agreed everything and then was told

"oh by the way, there's one other thing you should know...... the house has no wifi. Will that be a problem?"

I was like

"actually, I would pay extra for 'no wifi'".

It was genuinely a pleasure to be a way from wifi for two weeks.

Likewise - I lost the phone last year, took a month to replace it. I definitely noticed good habits emerging. Reading more, housekeeping more and so on.


The thing is- its all well and good for punters to say "you have the choice to turn it off if you want".

But phones (and specifically my issue would be phones, not internet) are so fuppin addictive. Its very difficult. They are compulsive and ever present.

people are addicted, and like any addiction, the temptation is always there. its quite possible to chill and not bother with the web, the internet of a phone with a bit of effort.

Strumms

begbysback wrote: »

You do know we could do all this before tinternet?

We are living in the NOW.. not before the internet, what we could do before in many cases some of which I’ve mentioned, we cannot now.

Dr. Bre

begbysback wrote: »

You do know we could do all this before tinternet?

Bring back travelling by horse and cart . Who needs cars and aeroplanes

El Tarangu

begbysback wrote: »

You do know we could do all this before tinternet?

Yes - before the internet, ringing a family member in a different country cost £1 for a few mins; now it costs €0.000001 an hour or something

Elwood_Blues

I don't know if the OP is just trolling but if not, then maybe the question is being phrased incorrectly and instead be, should social media and news sites be turned off for a week?

You are also ignoring the benefits of what the internet provides:

Video chat, texting, email, GPS, IPTV, ebooks, podcasts, online banking, contactless payment, working from home, IoT, online learning, online research facilities to name but a few. Not to mention how it has helped with the advances in medical technology.

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

The Government will really though, they make you drive on the left hand side of the road, take your earnings to give to poor people and make everyone send their kids to school. You'll do what you're told.

And as for your above point, you have a free choice to drive on the other side of the road if you want to, it's just there are serious consequences if you do so.

Ubbquittious

Be gas if GPS was turned off for a week. All those poor souls who'd have to learn to navigate again. GPS should be able to stay going without the internet though

Elwood_Blues

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Be gas if GPS was turned off for a week. All those poor souls who'd have to learn to navigate again. GPS should be able to stay going without the internet though

Fair point about the GPS, I guess it only really makes sense for map updates.

riclad

our infrastructure depends on the web, flight plans,booking,freight, transport ,
gardai, medical emergency services,
its not just for tv ,tik tok,or netflix.facebook, social media.
The economy relys on the internet,turning it off is NOT an option,
no more than turning off electrical power networks.

Ubbquittious

Dr. Bre wrote: »

Bring back travelling by horse and cart . Who needs cars and aeroplanes

The way things are going with climate change this will probably happen at some stage

Ubbquittious

Elwood_Blues wrote: »

Fair point about the GPS, I guess it only really makes sense for map updates.

It would be worth turning off d'Internet to see if these kind of things do function as expected. I'm sure there are many infrastructural things that used to depend on direct radio links and leased lines but at some point during the past 20 years they were surreptitious ly swapped out for an Eircom broadband line with a HuaWei modem or else a 4G dongle in order to free up some budget for the Christmas party.


I'd say turn it off for an hour first to give people a chance to prepare. Then turn it off for a week about 6 months later

Lewis_Benson

I said it earlier on the thread and I'll say it again.
The government cannot "turn off the Internet".

Man Vs ManUre

If you can leave the immersion on for a week without anyone telling you, I think it’s very possible to switch off this internet yoke.

odyssey06

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

If you can leave the immersion on for a week without anyone telling you, I think it’s very possible to switch off this internet yoke.

Leave the immersion on for a week? Never mind taking out the internet that'll be like a second Chernobyl.

ILoveYourVibes

No

why?

Lemon need not squeeze other lemon to survive.

We dont need to destroy something to better ourselves. To be honest we would only be taking our dysfunction elsewhere.

Pandiculation

Absolute not and it would cause huge economic harm. A very large % of the Irish economy, access to all sorts of services, e-learning, personal and business communication many people’s most basic and necessary communication services, financial transactions, in many cases telephone, television, infrastructure of all sorts all operates using the internet to some degree.

It would also do enormous damage to our ability to be a modern economy or location for multinationals.

You might as well be suggesting turning off the electricity as modernity is stressful.

It’s not possible and even if it were it would be just profoundly damaging.

Ya, turn it off

Capt'n Midnight

Lewis_Benson wrote: »

I said it earlier on the thread and I'll say it again.
The government cannot "turn off the Internet".

In other countries the local govt has turned off many encrypted protocols and was then able to see lots and lots of stuff in the clear.