Many of us will remember our parents demanding that we “go outside and play” when we were children. Although this used to be associated with activities such as riding bicycles and climbing trees, we are more likely to see kids staring into the screen of a smartphone these days, as opposed to heading off to the woods for a game of hide-and-seek.
Unsurprisingly, the results of a survey of 2,465 students in Britain, aged between 18 and 25, revealed a staggering 69 percent (1) would choose a reliable internet connection as the most important factor in regards to their quality of life. This figure topped the (apparently) not-so-necessary aspect of daylight which ranked slightly lower at 64 percent. In other words, approximately just over one in every three young adults feel that their online presence is more important than sunlight. In fact, it’s been said that the youth of today require just two things; oxygen and wifi!
Are We Surprised?
Living without the Internet was a reality for us all no more than two decades ago. Anyone privileged enough to have a reliable internet connection would deal with slow dial-up speeds and those frustrating times when we had to wait for mum or dad to finish on the phone before logging on.
All of this has profoundly changed. No longer is obtaining a wifi connection a privilege; it has rather become a necessity. Schools, hotels, cafes, pubs, and every location in between seems to be offering access to high-speed Internet. In fact, even the London Tube has begun offering 4G wifi to its daily commuters (2). There are also plans to provide so-called “Smart Street” initiatives within public spaces, perhaps leading to less reliance upon traditional mobile networks.
Can You Live Without Internet?
Think carefully before you answer this question. How much time do you spend downloading videos or checking the updates of your friends every day? How often do you navigate to a social media site such as Facebook or Instagram? You might be surprised to learn that some teenagers spend up to nine hours each day on social media (3). Assuming that such a trend continues, this equates to more than one-third of their lives. To further cement this point, a 2017 survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics found that only ten percent of households within the UK still do not have Internet access (4). Now, let’s imagine that the technological clock was thrown back and the “Internet” no longer existed. What would happen?
… Social media would cease to exist! The only time others may “like” a photo is if you got out the family album and showed a friend in person. You would only gain followers if you decided to become an outgoing person and make additional real-world connections. No longer would you be able to access your favourite platforms such as Pokemon Go or Angry Birds to occupy your time, you would instead be forced to dust off the old board games from the attic.
It is not just social media which we rely so heavily on the internet for these days though, businesses worldwide rely on the world wide web to advertise and promote their business, as well as communicate between offices and in the organisation of meetings and much more. We are so incredibly reliant on the internet in our day to day life and therefore it’s important to have the most up to date software and connections in place to suit our needs.
Returning To The Real World!
The good news is that living without the Internet will remain within the world of fiction. If anything, such connectivity is becoming more streamlined. Projects such as the Superconnected Cities scheme now intends to provide free wireless to well over 14,000 small businesses throughout the country and this could represent only the tip of the digital iceberg.
In addition to Superconnected Cities, the UK Government has committed to a vision of a full fibre Britain and is now offering small to medium sized businesses the chance to improve their existing connectivity, thanks to a gigabit broadband voucher scheme. This incentive includes up to £3,000 towards the cost of a leased line instalment (flexible range of speeds available between 100Mbps – 1Gbps+) and includes FREE installation. This incentive, sponsored in part by TwistedPair, will provide businesses with a faster and more reliable service connection when compared to traditional broadband.
What would life be like without the Internet? Thankfully, we will not presently be forced to answer this question. As the world becomes even further reliant upon this amazing technology, TwistedPair will continue to provide bespoke network solutions based solely around customers needs. Considering that the youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow, it only makes sense that we support such an important digital infrastructure. Make contact with TwistedPair today on 08000 938 060 or email sales@twistedpair.co.uk to find out more about the vast range of Networking services available.
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