What Would Happen If the Internet Collapsed?

From "How Stuff Works" - http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/internet-collapse.htm

Communication - The following would no longer be available:

• Text messaging and cell phone services
• Access to most television channels via cable and satellite (need to use antenna instead)
• SNSs - Facebook & Twitter - and instant messaging (need to write letters instead)
• Transferring files between computers (need to use CD or connect computers with cable instead)

Economic Consequences

• Electronic banking & PayPal no longer available
• Google & Amazon would become obsolete; Microsoft would suffer severely
• Manufacturing industry would lose $1.8 trillion worth of business from e-commerce
• Developed countries would suffer more economic losses than undeveloped countries

Political Consequences

• Smart grids (power grids) would be crippled, resulting in huge power outages across a country
• Intelligence agencies would not be able to share information
• Educational programs would suffer
• If military and research computer networks affected, country would be left open to attack

Good News - Internet Unlikely to Collapse because . . .

• Internet Backbone - cables and servers that carry bulk of data across networks - is not centralized
• Protocols (facilitate communication among machines) would have to fail to cause a global collapse -this is not likely
• Asteroid or comet or excessive gamma radiation could destroy Internet infrastructure, but in that case the whole Earth would be destroyed so the Internet wouldn't matter

My Response

Yikes! Hard to believe that only a few short decades ago I lived without all this stuff. I'd have no means of communication. I've disconnected my land line phone and only use my cell phone. I wouldn't be able to take this online course. There goes my master's degree. I wouldn't be able to tutor so many different subjects because I don't own a library of books for each subject and grade level. So I would be out of work. There goes my home. Thank goodness the Internet was designed so skillfully so that I don't have to lose any sleep over this. I'd forgotten how much I depend on it for even the simplest things.