End of the Internet?

Question

I heard this off the news, apparently the internet is overloaded and is going to slow down dramatically. If this does happen do you think this would greatly affect the world? and how would it affect you?

Answer 1

Good. Maybe it will stop spammers.

Answer 2

I think that first you need to understand that 'the Internet' is only a convenient way of referring to a cyber space (yes, I made that into two words deliberately to draw your attention to the two concepts involved). There is really no such thing as 'the Net' as one independent entity; it is a collection of linked computers - from a creakingly-ancient 386 to the most modern geekgasmatron, from Delhi to the Amazon, Johar Baru to Amsterdam, Seoul to Nome! From a research station in the Antarctic to an internet cafe in Tokyo, wherever a computer uses a modem, Bluetooth, DSL, or other linkage to connect to other computers, the Net exists.

Overloaded? How can you overload a net with almost infinite strands? Every time another person links into that net, he/she adds another mesh to it. It's like saying 'Someone told me we were running out of cyberspace because so many people are building porn websites on it!' (And if that starts floating around and eventually turns into an urban legend, just remember, you heard it here first! )

Check out http://www.centerspan.org/tutorial/net.htm to learn a bit more about the 'structure' of the Internet.

And are you old enough to remember the huge fuss the world (at least the Euro-centric and Amero-centric part) made over the Millennium Bug? I didn't notice any MORE people starving - an increase in religious persecution - a second Dust Bowl - a rise in population and unemployment.....

Then again, after the clock went past 2000 relatively uneventfully, I didn't notice the world getting any better all of a sudden either.
Perhaps we should think about the much older issues that have been affecting life on this earth long before the internet... with which we are still struggling...and with which we will still be struggling when William Gates the Fifteenth 'owns' the planet...

Hugs,
Judith

Answer 3

Hi, the internet will always be "overloaded" ... but the good thing is, bandwidth just keep getting better... new infrastructures keeps getting added... new servers are added ... well u get the idea, things just gets better to cope with the demand... look at 7 years back when the only way to connect to the internet was using those dial up modem, we didn't have much bandwidth then, things were choking... it was overloaded (anyone remember when the www used to be known as world wide wait?)

So in my humble opinion, as long as people still wants (or needs) to get online, the online experience will improve. If things get overloaded or slow-down, rest assured some party will jump in to try to fix things (especially when there's money to be made).
Slow downs always affects everyone... for me, my biggest hit would be my online banking and looking up information on programming stuffs (which indirectly affects my work quality as i'm a programmer and i constantly need to look up solutions or new stuff over the net).

Answer 4

Hmm, this is interesting. I find this very unlikely, I don't see how the internet could be overloaded. If it did, I think you would see a loss of use, or more government regulation. It would effect everybody everywhere. The internet is used for everything, bank transactions, email, communication, to basic business inventory. If it were to slow down dramatically, the world would be in big trouble. We rely on computers way too much, and the internet would greatly effect the business world.

Answer 5

think of the internet as a loop...there are times when lots of people are driving on the loop, and times when it is not so busy.
When one gets off, another gets on...the internet has always been crouded...ever too a long time to get on line? That is because you had to wait until someone got off.

Answer 6

It would effect everything because we depend on the net for so much - however, people lived without it before and would find a way to do so again.

Answer 7

don't think so. our civilization depends on the net. The net makes everybodies life easier. Without the net, we have to do it the old fashioned wasy with hardness.

Answer 8

IIIIIIIIIIII Donnnn't tttttthhhhiiiiiiinnnnkkkk tttthhhheeerrrrrrreeeeesss aaannnny ttttthhhhiiiiinnnngggg ttttttoooooo iiiiiiiiitttt.

Answer 9

WOW, I hope not ... I don't know how we could live without it now days.

I think we better get AlGore on this right away !! After all, he invented the internet.

Answer 10

Hmmm, I'd probably be on a more normal sleep schedule and my house would be cleaner.

Answer 11

they just ran out of things to talk about on the news.. so they made some shi t up