How important is having an internet connection to you?

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

Would rate my connection 9/10 important when breathing is 10/10

[DixonTheAdversary 1,632]

I use it every day, but if it does go out, I have plenty of other options for things to do.

[Splashee 28,564]

I am about to get a smart phone, so I will have internet all the time This is a goods thing...?

[MangoFoalix 24,955]

Very important to me. I spend a considerable amount of my time online.

[CatCat 1,118]

Very much important, I  N E E D  I T

[Samurai Equine 51,392]

Oh, wow... How do I put this? I have such a complex answer.
The internet has become so much more important in my life these last few years, and not just because I've been making more friends online, but also because so many things are done digitally now. It's ridiculous! Hard to believe there was a time when people thought the internet was just a "fad" and would die out some day. Bet they had no way of predicting what it would become by today's standards.

The short answer is this:
Mostly important. I wouldn't say that I'd die without it, but a huge chunk of my life would be missing, and it would be so much harder to get by in life without it. Heck, I went longer than most people without a cell phone/smart phone. And now that I have one that I use regularly, even I'm having a hard time seeing myself without it.

Long answer:

Spoiler

You have to understand one thing first: I was born in 1984, so I know what it's like to grow up without the internet. I didn't have it the first few years of my life. I know what life was like before it became common place for consumers.

If you had asked me in the 2000's (maybe the early half of the 2010's as well), I would have said that I don't need the internet. I might use it for some shopping and some entertainment purposes, but if I lost it over night somehow, I wouldn't mind. I could get by doing things the old fashion way before everyone had the internet. It might take a moment to get use to it, but I could do it. Part of the reason was because I didn't have a lot of internet friends and hardly that many reasons to constantly, religiously log on.

I still have those basic pre-internet instincts. I could totally immerse myself in television and books. I could go to local shops for all my needs, in theory. Heck, if I still have a computer, there are plenty of games I could play offline if I wanted to, and I have video game system as well.

But these days? Forget it.
Because it's not just me that's changed, it's the world.

On the one hand, I now have a huge amount of online friends that I stay in regular contact with. Streaming services have made it possible to watch things not available anywhere else. There's so many music options online that I could never dream of. (At this point, I could easily cut TV out of my life, as long as I have the internet.) I can buy international items that would NEVER be available in my local shops. I can get better deals online for most things than any local retailers. I can look up any educational material, medical information, or anything that I might need at a moments notice.

But like I said, it's not just me, it's the world that's changed.
Now, there are more business urging people to apply for a job online instead of trying to score in-person interviews. Local retailers are asking people to use their online store instead of their local shop (Seriously, I don't WANT to buy clothes online! Measurements won't tell me how the material feels or anything, I WANT to try it on before I buy!). Many stores (like toy stores and music/multimedia stores) has closed their doors because they can't compete with online services. Many of the local food chains are urging customers to use their app instead. Even if I wanted to get rid of the Internet in my personal life, I'd be at a HUGE disadvantage doing so. I almost have no choice but to remain connected.

It's really a shame. Don't get me wrong, I love how much technology has progressed and opened up more doors than we could have ever imagined. But you know, sometimes I WANT to spend money around town. Sometimes I WANT to support my home town, pay taxes, and keep local businesses going. If you pay online, there's no telling where your money is going. There is a benefit to shopping locally, but it doesn't help when everything local is telling me to just stay online.

So, yeah. Through no fault of my own, the internet has become a much needed necessity. Go figure.

 

[Splashee 28,564]

OH MY GOD, give me back my broadband!

 

This is my third post here. The first one said I didn't really mind being without internet. This is my second day without an unlimited internet, having to count the data I am accessing/downloading. Never before have I heeded to download so many programs, and watch Youtube than before. When you are without something, you will miss it more than you first thought.

[Bastian 13,319]

The first day without internet I overreact but (sex) a week passes without internet and I get used to it.

[Clawdeen 14,096]

I don’t know what to do with myself when it goes out.

[ZiggWheelsManning 10,274]

It's something I need use of everyday.  

[Retro*Derpy 3,183]

Extremely important. Must feed the addiction.

[Spark Thunderbass 1,439]

It’s so important, it keeps my sanity going, I can’t bare to live without it, and I’ve already been through several times without internet at all, which is not in anyway fun.

[Justin_Case001 4,888]

Hmm.  Interesting question.  My knee-jerk response is that I simply cannot live without it, but if I'm honest with myself, I was far happier and more well-adjusted before the internet existed.  (Yeah, I'm old.)  I don't want to return to a pre-internet time, but I have a feeling that if I did, I'd be happier once I detoxed.

[Iforgotmybrain 5,663]

Realistically? Very. I just don’t think it’s possible to exist solely offline anymore, too many things require the internet. I mean, I literally don’t know what a world without the internet, texts, and instant phone calls is like. All of those were pretty widespread things even in 1999, let alone a few years later when I was actually able to understand and use them. Even the Amish have given in somewhat to technology and the internet. They have solar panels. Certain sects allow things such as smartphones as long as you don’t use them for things they consider blasphemous. We’ve all become Lain, connected to the Wire.

I’m sure it’s possible to adapt to not having internet but like… realistically the time you wasted on the internet is just going to end up being filled by something else. If TV is still an option, probably that. If it isn’t an option then I do think the chance of actually using that free time on something useful goes up.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

Internet is essential for today’s life, so it’s VERY important