Global Q&A: ‘Do you think it’s possible to function in your society without the Internet these days?’

Mayank Janmejay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (The Epoch Times)

Generally, due to such a fast paced life, people and society cannot function without the Internet today is what Epoch Times reporters from Dubai to Australia found when asking locals:

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Mayank Janmejay, 25, Events Director The world we live in now; its pace is dictated by the Internet. The Internet not only has social, but also economic implications. Think about it for a minute without an international network how many of our daily activities would cease to function? Financial, educational, gaming, communications… the list goes on and on. The stats say that if Google was down, it would be losing $20,000 per min. So think about it if the entire network was down society would crumble.

Connecticut, USA Michael Lagana, 51, Real Estate Executive Well, I think we survived pretty effectively without the Internet, but now that the Internet is here, I think it would be really tough to go back to the way it was. So I'd say no, we probably couldn’t survive without the Internet. People have become so reliant on it that it would be a significant challenge to go back. Just the access to information, the availability of everything from restaurant reviews to shopping opportunities all at your fingertips without having to go to a library, or some clunky book, or something like that.

Itatiba, Brazil Leandrom Augusto Fermiano, 19, Factory Worker I don’t think that society today can function without Internet. The global market doesn’t function anymore. Purchases and sales are much more advanced over the Internet. Media is much easier on the Internet.

Maroochydore, Australia Kimberly Taylor, 27, Homemaker It’s impossible to functions without the Internet, because we’re so busy doing other things we can’t get to the bank. So that’s why I’m now sitting in my car transferring between my banks on my phone on the Internet, just after I’ve picked up my daughter from school. With having children and a young family, it is very hard to get out of the house without using the Internet to pay all your bills. You can even do shopping online if you can’t get out. If you’ve got no car—people can’t afford the living these days.

Sabadell, Spain Javier Ruiz, 39, Commercial Pilot I think we can for sure function without the Internet. The problem is that actually almost all is handled utilizing the Web; there are so many people who work with the Internet. It is a useful and very extensive tool, an enormous source of information, but I consider that without it we would have more free time, and we would enjoy the important things in life not dependent on a computer or Internet cafe.

Puerto Montt, Chile Jacqueline Cardenas, 43, Saleswoman There is a sector in society that is totally dependent on the Web; it would be practically impossible for them to live without it. … I can live perfectly well without the Internet. When I have to help my children to do some assignments, I seek information elsewhere, such as going to a library. When I have to communicate with family or friends, I use the phone, or when I have to pay my accounts, I personally will go to the place and pay them so I will avoid any fraud on the Internet—there is a lot. Fortunately we are still not completely trapped by the technology.

Itagui, Colombia David Serrano Zabala, 62, Commercial Agent To function without the Internet today is to be left behind. The Internet is the immediateness of communication; it is the tool that facilitates the use of resources to acquire any information instantaneously. The Internet has been the tool so that the world stays close to us. It is possible to function without it ... but that is entering into retrogression of modernity.

Lund, Sweden Gudmund Jannisa, 60, University Sociology Lecturer I can’t live without the Internet; it doesn’t work for me. I suppose if you were a taxi driver, for example, ... most people would be very limited. Maybe if you work in the woods, as a woodsman you can still do your job, but not on your free time. But I can’t, because I am a lecturer at the university and my classes are on the Internet. My students are all over the world, in Australia, Tanzania, and even in Kumla prison, et cetera. They can’t study with me if they don’t have access to the Internet; they can’t take my classes either without the Internet.

Look for the Global Q&A column every week. Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “Is there someone in your life you'd like to forgive but haven’t?”

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