What would happen if the internet disappeared for a week? Terrifying scenarios we haven't thought of!

In an era where the internet has become the nerve center of daily life, imagine for a moment that this web disappears suddenly... not for minutes or hours as sometimes happens during outages, but for a whole week!

How will our lives be? What will happen to the economy? How will people behave?
In this article, we will embark on a realistic imaginary journey of what could happen if the internet disappeared for a week, with real examples from past outages and astonishing effects you might not have thought of!

The Internet: The Backbone of Our Era.

Before we dive into the imagined catastrophe, we must recognize the extent of our reliance on the internet today.
The web is no longer just a means of entertainment or communication; it has become a vital pillar for sectors such as:

- E-commerce

- Banks and financial services

- Distance education

- Healthcare services

- Media and news

- Remote work

- Governments and public services

Without the internet, a huge part of our daily activities comes to a halt, whether we feel it or not.

Day One: Shock and Confusion.

At first, the biggest reaction will be confusion.

With the sudden disappearance of the internet, people will notice:

- Not loading web pages.

- Social media applications have stopped.

- The disappearance of streaming services like Netflix and YouTube.

- Email and instant messaging are down.

- Google services, including maps and navigation, have stopped.

A real example:

In October 2021, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp services experienced an outage that lasted only 6 hours, resulting in losses estimated at 100 million dollars for advertising companies and affecting millions of people around the world.

So how would the situation be if the outage lasted a full 7 days?

 

                                     

The second day: Work and services halted.

As the second day begins, deeper effects will start to emerge:

- Companies will stop working remotely, leading to huge financial losses.

- Electronic payment systems, such as PayPal and Stripe, have stopped.

- Online stores will be completely paralyzed (Amazon, eBay, and others).

- Global stock exchanges will have to temporarily close.

- Many banks will experience disruptions due to their reliance on electronic banking networks.

Real-life example:

In July 2021, a malfunction in the Akamai CDN network caused thousands of banking, news, and commercial websites to go down for hours, prompting many stock exchanges to temporarily halt trading.

Day Three: Social and Psychological Crises.

With three days passing without the internet:

- Social tension will increase, especially among the younger generations who are accustomed to digital communication.

- Rates of anxiety and depression may rise due to "forced separation" from the digital world.

- Difficulty in obtaining basic information, such as weather news, emergency events, and updates on epidemics or natural disasters.

- Rumors will spread like wildfire due to the absence of reliable digital media channels.

A similar situation:

In some countries that experienced deliberate internet blackouts during political crises (such as Iran in 2019), human rights organizations noted a significant increase in rates of anxiety and internal violence.

Day four: Disruption in supply chains.

The internet plays a pivotal role in managing global supply chains.

Without it:

- Maritime and air shipping will be disrupted due to the inability to update electronic schedules.

- Retail stores may experience a rapid shortage of goods, especially food and medicines.

- Emergency medical requests (such as blood unit requests or medical equipment) will face deadly delays.

A real-world example:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw how just extra pressure on the internet affected global supply chains. What about a complete shutdown?

Day Five: The Return of Traditional Means.

In the absence of the internet, some old methods will come back to the forefront:

- Using landline phones instead of communication apps.

- Returning to printed newspapers for news.

- Sending faxes instead of emails.

- Making payments in cash or via paper checks.

This return will be confusing, especially for the generations that did not live in the pre-internet era.

Day six: Slow adaptation.

Over time, humans will gradually begin to adapt:

- Companies may use radio or television channels to broadcast news or advertisements.

- Universities and schools will adopt paper-based education or traditional lectures.

- Local markets will thrive due to reliance on direct sales.

However, life will remain much slower and harder than we are used to.

The Seventh Day: Partial Return to Safety.

With the end of the week, some local networks may start to gradually recover.

And with it returns:

Bank communications.

Email.

Online news update.

But the crisis will leave deep psychological and economic impacts that may last for months or years.

What did we learn from this ?

Excessive reliance on the internet makes communities more vulnerable to outages or cyberattacks.

The urgent need for alternative emergency plans, whether at the individual, institutional, or governmental level.

The importance of preserving traditional life skills alongside digital ones.

Other examples proving the fragility of the internet:

AWS outage: In December 2021, the outage of Amazon Web Services caused major applications like Netflix, Disney+, and even some smart factory systems to stop working.

DDoS attack on Dyn: In 2016, a massive cyberattack caused half of the internet in the United States to go down for hours.

Summary:

The internet is not just a tool for entertainment or luxury... it has become the lifeblood of the modern world.
Its sudden interruption for just a week could leave economic, social, and psychological impacts far beyond what we expect.
Emergency planning and learning traditional life skills have become imperative in a world that relies excessively on technology.

Question for discussion:

If the internet really went down for a week...

What would be the first thing you think of doing? 

And how would you adapt to its absence? 

Share your thoughts with us in the comments!