Not for very long. Our internet is really finicky, and whenever it goes out my roommate and I have a few moments of pure panic. We inflict senseless violence on our computers and scream battle cries which I'm sure alarm our neighbors.
I honestly do no know what to do with myself if I can't be online. I recently got one of the little notebooks and google chrome, but not having stumbleupon is really beginning to take it's toll. I know there's a way to do it, but the toolbar just takes up so much space. It leaves me with a strip of screen about four fingers high, and I have small hands.
Outside? Isn't that where zombies come from? No thank you.
Haa. Not long at all. The first thing I do every morning is check my phone and open up the laptop. It's seems so crazy that not too long ago, NOBODY had cell phones. When people broke down on the highway they just had to wait. That's iiiiiiinsane! Now people panic when they leave the house without their cell phone.
Also, back in the day when I was in school, we used to have to go to the library if we needed information for a project or whatever. Now all the kids have to go is open Google and they have EVERY SINGLE DETAIL on ANY subject. It's an amazing thing. People these days would be FUCKED without mobile/internet access.
I dropped my cell phone down a sewer gutter one time and didn't have a phone for two weeks. This dosen't sound that bad but I live with my boyfriend, who does not have a phone, and we live a good 1000 miles away from any of our relatives....sooo, that phone was my only form of communication. Plus I don't have internet because I am poor.
Sadly during those two weeks I only had a couple of calls and like one text. >_< So I didn't really freak out. xD
On my phone? IIf I have internet on my computer, several hours is fine. If I'm not connected to a computer and I only have my phone with me. Maybe an hour or two, at best. My internet and computer access serve as a way to ground me, something that is consistent in my day.
I tried to go without my mobile phone and internet once because my family was complaining about me being online too much, and using my phone everywhere. Bathroom, while dinning, etc. So I chose to control how much time I spent online and the phone. As a result I ended up getting more work done and the house was cleaner and oh yeah I spent more time with people. In person!
Now ... I don't know about going without cell phones and internet completely. I think... no I know that I would be freaking out trying to keep up with everyone. Any my regular phone bill would go up just from me trying to get in contact with them.
Now-a-days, mobile phones are a big help when you're stranded out somewhere and you need to help. And the internet is my number one source for all my informational needs. I hardly ever go to the library anymore.
So I'd give it about 24 hrs and 3 mins before I lost my mind. But with the help of a little human contact I would recover easily after I got over the knowledge that those things were gone from my life. I think I would adapt quickly.
We all would if we had to.
I think it's important to manage the time you spend on both. There's no substitute for real human interaction. And these are all very helpful technologies so manage your time by spending a certain amount of time each day on checking your email and calls, play games for an hour and then turn them off. They'll be there again later when you're done working or spending time with loved ones (who may not play).
I can't stand talking on phones so i could probably deal without my cell for a few days but i like to have it in the car in case of emergency like when a great old song comes on the radio and i have to call someone and tell them what station to put on :) Internet on the other hand is a little different, I can't go a day without checking my email and ofcourse facebook so that would seriously suck plus i get all my bills online and pay them online so yeah that just wouldn't do...i'm bored
Well to begin with, i must share that i no longer have a cell phone! Gasp!! Shocking i know. All my friends think im weird and they constantly tell me that they wouldnt be able to live without their cell phones. But I have done alright without one. I will admit that I do miss it once in a while, for texting friends or even when i need to check the time, but i decided to give up having a cell phone in order to save a bit of cash. I now use those extra (yet much needed) $50-$70 dollars a month for groceries or books or other miscellaneous items i may need. I have not had a cell phone for about a year now, but i didnt exactly get rid of it; i now use it at home as my alarm clock in the mornings, which is really cool because i get to change the songs or sounds i wake up to! =]
My dependence of the internet, of course, is another story...
Without the internet, i tend to feel deprived and bored. I feel cut of from the world and its many discoveries. I would say the max i can go without the internet is two days.
I love my computer and the internet most dearly. I feel that they are the greatest inventions ever and if one learns how to use them properly, we can harness its endless amount of information for learning and discovery.
I have learned soooo much from the internet. Whenever i come across something i dont know, or dont understand, or simply want to know more about, I head over to my computer and let my curiousty go wild. I can do anything on the internet, from learning how to cook my favorite dish to reading about the history of the Middle East.
i personally don't use a cell anymore, so that's no biggie but my LAPTOP, oh gosh i need it all the time if i'm not out with my friends. it's like my new lifeline.
I can last awhile. I don't use the computer that much and I don't have texting so my options are otherwise pretty limited. I do rely on the internet for homework, so without it I would probably be failing!
This is actually a good Writer's Block. I shut everything off at regular intervals because it becomes too busy to handle. About once a month, before I even leave school on Fridays, I sometimes shut off my phone for the weekend and when I get home I turn off my Zune and the computer and just get in bed with a book. I avoid the internet until Sunday when I can no longer ignore important pieces of computer-related homework. It's actually really nice to have a 'me' weekend. My friends get annoyed when I don't respond, but I already spend every single day with them that two days off isn't really a big deal.
Seriously? There are people that would break into cold sweats without the internet?
I know I use the internet far more than I need to, that's a given. But there are so many other things that could be done. Video games, reading a book, doing homework, working out, playing with the dogs, drawing and coloring, cleaning. The list goes on and on and on. So I'd probably be a little miffed, but after long enough, it wouldn't be so big of a deal.
Now mobile access, that's a little harder. Being a dog walker, its imperative that I be able to contact the clients and they be able to contact me in times of emergency...and seeing as I just spent the past five hours out doing dog walks, a client would be pretty screwed if they needed to reach me. Plus with Kev living 700 miles away and our home phone not having long-distance service, I don't think it would be possible for our relationship to continue, which would be absolutely heartbreaking.
But then again, lets go back twenty years in time, when the only people with mobile phones were insanely rich enough to carry around an electronic brick. It would be difficult for us now, but not impossible.
If it's nice outside, and I have a car I'm good for a few days. If it's winter, cold as all get out and snowing. I can go...an hour...unless I have books to read.
i lived most of my life without either
i have gone over a year without it before after attaining internet.
it is great while i have it and damn useful but i am not really addicted to it.
I honestly can't even remember the last time I went more than a day without checking email/Twitter/internet. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), smart phones have given us the power to check the internet any time we want. Which means I am CONSTANTLY using it to look up information or answer questions.
I ***wish*** we were all far more disconnected... I don't see a lot of good coming from our constant connection to other people. Do I really need to know that so and so just had great coffee? Does that improve my life in any way? When I see her in person, has that piece of information actually made our relationship any better? For me, I feel like all of the Twitter an Facebook stuff actually just serves to keep me connected with people in a completely superficial and shallow way. I know that a random chick I haven't hung out with in years enjoyed her morning coffee, but I have no intention of connecting with her in a deeper or more meaningful way.
I also cannot stand that I get my work email on my iPhone. This weekend, I actually had to make a conscious decision that I wasn't even going to look at it because all that happened when I did was a surge of frustration and annoyance. Just because everyone else wants to spend his Saturday working doesn't mean that I should succumb to the pressure of also doing so.
Basically, I feel like because of our ability to remain constantly connected, work and social expectations have completely shifted, and I'm not sure I like the results.
Of course, I haven't even answered the question... Given the right scenario (like a week-long beach vacation), I would HAPPILY disconnect and just enjoy the company of those I'm with. And a good book.
Well, I usually check my e-mail every morning first thing, so it would be hard to last even a day without the internet. I HAVE done it, for 4 months in LA, but man, it was hard.
I went two weeks when I moved 3,000 miles across country. I had a cell phone, which I was thankful to have, since I had no Internet. By the end of those two weeks, I thought I was going to go insane without internet access. So I would say, a week at the most. I have books and an iPod for the rest.
I could go for at least 5 days. I have before and I bet I could again. Though some (I'm looking at you, Red) would disagree. Some (again, you, Red) would say I couldn't live an hour without my so-called "wife phone" (iphone).
I have to have my phone with me at all times, in case I fall out of my chair or get stuck somewhere. And if my guardians call and I don't answer, they totally freak. So, no time at all. I can leave the computer for four or five hours if I'm outside doing stuff, but when I'm in the house, it draws me back. I can't stay away more than a half hour or so, even with a good movie on the DVD. I pause over and over to run and check email and stuff. Very unhealthy, I know, but it's my life.
I can survice pretty well without a mobile phone. i`m not so big on the texting or calling since im not paying for it.
As for the computer; less then 15 minutes o__o there hasnt been a day where i havent been on the computer. april vacation my mom took off the computer time away from me that i had to go to my friends house to use the computer :( it was extreme torture XD
I just went a month and a few weeks without a good way (a computer that didn't run on dialup) to get onto the majority of stuff I like to get on. Any more than that and I might have bitten someone (or killed them with a laser screwdriver)
Due to the fact I'm going through a long distance relationship, I'd freak out after more than a couple days. However, back when we were chatting via phone a lot, I was hardly online AT ALL, and during our brief time together, I could care less about the internet.
Well, actually, right now, forgetting Nat, I need the internet for my online course. Also, to check the bus schedule. I can do all that on my phone, now, but without my phone, I'd e a sad person, and I'd have to leave much earlier for everything so I don't arrive late. Additionally it would be so much harder to look up references. I'd have to move back into the main city as Treasure Island is only useful for people who don't NEED to get out 5 times a day.
... I wish I was on the computer less. I'm sure it will be come Nat officially moving here (He's unofficially moving here by the end of the year
Ahahahahahahahaha! Me without internet! I can go a couple of days, if I have to, and if I have sufficient distractions. If we lost internet at home, I'd be either at the library or taking my laptop to Krystal's because I would go bonkers.
Speaking of my laptop, I wish I could afford a nice Timbuk2 messenger bag that my laptop would fit in. I'm still using a ratty, falling apart messenger bag because it's the only thing I can find that I can carry more than just lappytron (even if it's not much more).
*is horrified* Live w/o the Internet?? impossible. I think the most I ever lasted has been less than 24 hours, lol. The mobile? Bleh, I don't even use it.
I do fairly well without internet. I usually just play games, and I have games without the net as well, so I'm good. Also I tend to get more done without getting distracted by the things online. When doing artwork I avoid the net so I don't get distracted.
That would be a lifetime buddy. I don't break into cold sweats due to lack of usage of mobile or internet technology. However, most likely my mother would be worried sick since I rely on a cell phone for phone-contact with everyone and the reason why a cell phone was bought was for safety reasons. That and I need the phone to contact my mother's doctors to create appointments and ensure she gets there when I am not around.
As for the internet... i need it for online quizzes for some of my classes, so it is needed. Unless I want to fail.
well if its the internet, i can live without it for maybe 3 weeks~or 2 weeks~ i really done NEED to be online too much, its not a HUGE OBSESSION like for some people...
i would only DIE if there was news about L'Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE, orVAMPS~! (my fav singers/bands) then i would desperately wanna know, or hear a new song, or buy tickets(for a concert if it was in the US..)!! or pretty much any singer's concert on sale & if i missed it i would be VERY DESPERATE.. hehe but yeaaa so with out none of that happening i can go like 3 weeks~i thinks that it..no more~!
When I'm at my dad's, I can go a few days without the internet, maybe a week. He lives in the country and has no internet access whatsoever. Yeah he can get dial-up but I can't play WoW on that and I'm too impatient to use it period. Mobile internet I really don't do, but if I ever get a SmartPhone, iPhone, or Blackberry, that might change.
How long could I survive? Probably as long as it took for everything to come back on. I have a TV and I have a bed to sleep in. I have job hunting to do as well as spending time with my family. I would miss my games and texting my friends to see how they are, but I suppose I would just have to get a house phone and force them to call me via that. Hah. I'd actually get to talk to them instead of texting. That would be delightful.
It's not about internet or phone, but about being able to contact people and having people contact me. I could go forever without internet or a phone if it meant everybody I needed to talk to was a walk away. But cell phones and social networking sites are just how our generation communicates. I'm not obsessed, and I text few people anymore. Now my iPod is a different story. I couldn't go a day without not hearing any music.
Well, there would be factors involved. I am not in need of the internet as long as I have something to do. I dont even have mobile internet on my phone, so I can go forever without that. I do love the internet, and it is a great way to pass time, but other than checking my email (which I dont get much) and Facebook (which noone really talks to me on anyway) I just goof off. I tend to balance nowadays between the Xbox, Wii, and computer.
So..
Answer 1A (have something to do and without internet): I can go indefinately as long as I am kept busy.
Answer 1B (am not busy at all without internet): Probably around day two or three of boredom. After I've watched all the TV shows I can, sorted all my cards, and played games until I dropped on the Xbox & Wii.
I would have to say a month.
I would still have my T.V and my MP3 player so it not like im truly missing anything also it give me a chance to get out more and read more.
LMAO...This question made me laugh a lot...but I've had to live through this from time to time. I know the feeling lol...idk man I'm so wired these days. I have to keep checking my facebook...twiiter...or Myspace...it's really sad. I've gone to paying things online...making myself more dependent on my internet. I literally go through withdrawl syndrom the first days without internet, but then I kind of start liking the feeling of being un-plugged...I have more time to do things other things than just sitting in front a computer screen. LOL but when my internet comes back...woahhhh the addiction comes back with a vegence! lol Now I've lived w/o my internet connection before but to live w/o my phone is another matter....lol I have not experienced that yet. How sad! lol
I know I've gone three weeks without the internet just fine, and was very happy with it.
I know that if I didn't have the Internet, I'd hae gotten a lot more done today. So far, all I've done is play on LJ and read angsty PotC fanfic. Not sure why, but when I'm feeling crappy, it does make me feel better. Especially if the fic kills off Jack. (I don't mind dead!Will ones though. They're good too.)
So tired.... *sigh*
Goal for tonight: Bling the teal bodice. Goal for tomorrow: assemble the navy skirts. I've got a volunteer willing to wear the blasted things tomorrow so I can do the hem... if I get them assembled. Yay!
I was living in New York for a minute, with someone who didnt have any type of internet, house phone, and eventually I lost my mobile phone service because I didnt have the money to pay for it.
I became socially crippled.
I think I'll say...3months is the longest I can go without mobile or internet access, after that I gotta start breaking things or I can just walk my happy butt to the corner store and buy a news paper.
Cold Sweats? That's a bit extreme isn't it? The internet I could live without if need be. Sure, I love LJ and Facebook and I obsess over news and recipes websites. But I wouldn't be physically ill over it. Maybe a bit bored.
My cell phone, however, is far more important. When I forget my phone while at work I constantly worry that Jacob's school is going to try to call me or that Jason will need me and not be able to get me. So...no cold sweats still, but extreme worry that my men will need me.
Despite what you might expect, wired little me does just fine enjoying life free of all that stuff. If I'm traveling or up at my parents or even if home connection goes out*, I don't have a freak-out -- but turn my attention to all the other things in life, whether that's nature, a book, family, or whatever. I don't sit around counting the minutes 'til I can get back online or whatever. Yes, when I'm on, I'm on, but when I'm off, I'm off.
* OK, unless said problem happens the minute I have to upload an important web job!
My Verizon high speed internet (NOT FIOS) was out for 3 days, and it literally drove me insane! I love the internet, I watching and reading things on it. I even appreciate the mundane things like checking email with it. Even worse, I'm addicted to twitter...but everything needs the internet. Especially if I need to update my ipod...or something else, or even my blackberry.
.... the longest ive gone with out either was about month maybe longer but within like 3 hours with out it the first day it was taken i was begging my mom for my laptop and phone back.
My phone is my connection to the world along with my laptop, i have the net on my phone just incase the wi-fi modem goes out at home and for when i travle so i can stay updated.
I have gone days without going online. It's when I remember that I cannot go online that I start thinking of all the things I could be doing online. I go from "hey I could be on Facebook" to "what if someone needs my help online?" to "what if I am this person's last hope?" It's all mind over matter.
a few hours??? updating from my phone....won't be on chat for a few more hours sorry...mom needs computr and I need sleep...
my dad's doing ok...though he did have to specify power of attorney and will o.o...
beckielric....see Sugi's new blog???
About 0.5 seconds. Panic attack comes when I realize my internet is gone.
Why is this however? No, it's not because MAH LIEF IS MAH INTERWEBS, it's because my anxiety tends to prevent me from being social in day to day life and frankly, I don't want to be social at school because high school kids are douchebags. I get my social fix in through the internet and it's how I contact some of my closest friends.
That and I just have nothing to keep me occupied when the internet goes out, which is usually at 1 am or some shit.
Our trips to the woods typically take about 3-5 days. It is a wonderful time where best friends become one with nature, each other, and flip cup. We only really turn our phones on every few hours to check the time since none of us city folk own watches.
I can survive disconnected for about 1/5 of a second. The idea of not having mobile or Internet access is much worse than the reality. Thinking about it, dread sinks in. How will I survive without my LOLCats, my Farmville, my LJFlist? While I'm disconnected, dozens of wonderful, interesting things could be piling up on my rss reader. Dear old friends might be emailing me. The final, time-sensitive instructions to that geo-caching prize I've been arm-chair hunting might await. The anticipation is too much to bear!
But after about half an hour, it wears off. The non-electronic life engages me and I am fine. Really. I'm Fine!
A WEEK. I went a week because my computer adapter shorted out AND my stupid pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile ran out of credit. I was bored. as. shit. This was when I was staying at my aunt and uncles house and the aunt (who talked crap about me behind my back) wouldn't let me use hers. I nearly died of boredom.
Now that the framing around my laptop is broken, I have to be careful until I can get a $300 machine from Wal*Mart or a refurbished shop.
Not really cold sweats but that crazy maniacal feeling you sometimes get when you can't do something you usually do on a daily basis. You start to get paranoid, then you start to think that people are out to get you. That they are the ones who brought this torture upon yourself and that anything you do will be prevented by them from reaching your goal. Those people you believe are keeping you from what you really want is only a small figment of your imagination. I have felt like that before, and I can't go anywhere without my cellphone in my right front pants pocket. I feel naked believe it or not. I feel truly exposed to people, almost as if I weren't wearing any clothes. I feel uncomfortable and I want to get of that place as soon as possible, go home and clutch my cell phone for dear life.
Then the whole no internet thing has happened to me so many times. There was one time that there was a thunderstorm and the power went out for a day. I joke you not, I felt as if I were going crazy. There was another time where I went to a trip for 3 days up North to Sacramento, and I didn't have a laptop. I spent a day dying until I found out that one of my friends brought a laptop with her. We were on that thing 24/7. Also, those times I have gone to Mexico and where, I must tell you, my grandma has no TV nor reception. My phone was bogus but at least I had it with me. All these instances that have occurred have made me feel as if I had lost something very valuable in my life. The internet is the one place where I can connect with my friends that can't call me. It is also the place I go and read things that you would spend days, weeks, years, trying to find. I can listen to music on it, since I don't own an IPOD.
So, I had recently found out that my sister had conducted a little experiment to see how long would I last without my cell phone or the internet. These two things were taken from me, and I agonized over it, going insane with boredom and anxiety. Turns out that I can last about 2 hours before I am bored to death.
When I moved to UCSC, I had to wait like 2 weeks before I had internet. Towards the end of that second week, I was starting to go batty. I had my PS2 to keep my company, but the internet is my vice.
A week at most. I know I'm pretty bad. I need the internet more than TV. I could live without TV for the most part. And my cell phone I could live without too. Just not the internet. Unless like something terrible happened. I mean I was in a psychiatric hospital for a month and there was no internet and we couldn't watch certain channels. I was sheltered for three months. I tell you the internet has helped me a lot. Especially Web MD. I was actually diagnosed with Sleep apnea and Asthma and didn't know I was even at risk for it until I looked on Web MD and the symptoms and visited my doctor.
I have done "Internet Vacations" before, in the past. Sometimes they last a day, or a whole week. I think a week is about as much as I can handle, since trying to catch up with things like email, Facebook, Twitter and the like can get overwhelming! During these vacations, I think a week is when I would "break into cold sweats" just because of thinking of all the stuff I'd have to read through and catch up on would give me a mini panic attack.
I may have to do another Internet Vacation soon so I can get some writing and other things done around the house. Damn interwebz takes up a lot of my time!
Really, now? Hmm......considering that I don't have mobile intarwebs (anymore), and I've had the pleasure of "lack-o-internet" on my computer several times in the past, I can't say that I see myself breaking into cold sweats over something as trifling as "the Internet" anytime soon.
Now, if this had been about SoBes, then it'd be an entirely different answer.
Let's face it: even without your mobile or Internet access, how long would you survive all alone without another human soul to connect with?
Do you know how to make a fire with nothing but two sticks?
Do you know which plants aren't poisonous to eat?
How long would it take for you to freak out once you realized that you were completely disconnected from humanity and didn't know what was going on?
(It would probably take me 10 seconds once I realized the full implications this problem would bring.)
Granted, if you can live completely by yourself, entertain your own mind's wishes without human interaction, hunt and gather your own food, make your own shelter, and live life off the economic and information grid, then -you-, sir or ma'am, are awesome.
But how would you learn all that awesomeness beforehand?
Wikipedia? ...Your mom?
When you think of it that way, you might just break into an epically freezing cold mental seizure of downright fear if the current electric, speed-of-light connectivity of information available to the WHOLE OF HUMANITY were to suddenly turn "off."
Who could foot the bill on slowing down the progress of humanity? Of disconnecting the ability of bright minds from anywhere in the world to meet in one space and time? How could we not pay forward the advances of the likes of Guttenberg to spread information to all to access it? Could we pay for the price of ignorance and the fear of not knowing?
Is ignorance truly bliss or an illusion? What you don't know can hurt you. You probably shouldn't eat that mushroom.
To echo John Donne: No man is an island. And when I think about the vast amount of information on the internet, available to me at any time, from any source from any where in the world, literally available and waiting and at my command at my fingertips, I am further reminded that "all mankind is of one author, and is one volume." When we share our experience, we add to our collective consciousness, and the Internet is the live, Anonymous, evolving mirror of what we are and know of our world.
So although I can easily stay offline for months if I'm still in physical contact with humanity, I can only think of how slow and frustrating (and irritating for the askees, and embarrassing for the asker depending on the sensitivity of the question) it would be for one to ask everyone he or she met in search of the answer to their burning question. How long would that search take and how many answers would you have to gather and compare before you knew you had the right one?
At least with the Internet you could advance your own progress with 115,000,000 results for "no man is an island" in 17 hundredths of a second. Cold sweats? - The lack of access to information at such mind-blowing speeds would stop me cold in a freeze. I'd rather not!
For me, about 24 hours. I get nervous that something is going wrong in one of my online multi player games, or that my boss e-mailed me. or something happened to a family member. Besides, I am growing up in a time where technology is what helps us survive, w/o it, the nation would go to pieces, and I do not know how I would survive. I would be bored and annoyed, and scared something is going on I don't know about.
So I decided to do the Writer's Block question of the day cause I haven't posted in a while.
How long can you survive without mobile or Internet access before you break into cold sweats?
Honestly, I can go pretty damn long without my phone. I leave my phone at home all the time and don't think much of it. I don't get massive texts everyday like some people and I'm not always yapping on it like some either. Granted I like my phone but I won't go crazy without it. So I'd say I could go about 3 weeks at max without it.
Now internet...that's another thing. The difference between the internet and my phone is that with the internet the possibilities are endless. There is ALWAYS something to do online. That's probably why I'm online so much. Because even if I don't have anything specific to do on a certain day, I will find something to do. Now, I wouldn't say that I start breaking into a cold sweat but after about a week without the next (actually maybe about 4 days) I start to get irritable. I don't doubt that I have a slight addiction. But really, in this day and age (as far as young people are concerned) who doesn't? The only time I can really go without the net is when I'm distracted by something else more fun. And the only time that happens is whenever I go to Disney World. I don't feel the need to have the internet there because I'm up at 5 and don't get back in until about 11 and I do that 5 times during that week. So I'm not entirely sure if I'll bring my laptop with me when I go this year. I probably will anyway just to give updates and possibly upload pics of the ongoing trip. But otherwise, I won't be using it all that much while I'm there. I mean, come on, it's Disney World, why would you stay in the hotel on the internet all day? So for internet 3-4 days is when I start getting a bit antsy.
Without the internet, there's tv and without tv there's always books. So it's a good thing that I love to read.
Are you kidding me? I'm 57 years old. I know how to communicate by actually writing letters. I could throw my cell into a river and never miss it. And I could...ooooo, I've got e-mail! Bye!
The answer to this question depends on where I am in the world, and what I'm doing. If I'm traveling, I have a much higher tolerance for living the internet-free lifestyle. I can go weeks.
But if I'm traveling and working, or out of town and working remotely or waiting for something, I can't go more than a two days. If I'm in whatever town I'm currently living in, I'm pretty much constantly connected.
i could probably go a month or two (if it was during the summer and i wasn't expecting any important emails/etc). i love when we're at the lake house on sunapee because it didn't (used to) have internet, and we could relax for the week or two weeks we were there. so nice.
going without internet during the school year would suck. i think i've gone 2 days without it when living in the darkroom during finals, though. ... and had a ton of new emails in my college inbox. blah!
In all honesty, I probably wouldn't last very long. At work I'm on the internet all day researching products and checking prices, and a fair portion of my business communication is done via email.
At home, I'd miss the internet after 2 days and after 3 I'd probably be very upset. This is terribly healthy, I know, but hey, we all have our vices, right?
My mobile phone is my only phone, and while I don't always care if some people can reach me, it wouldn't work not to have access to a phone for emergencies.
Well, I've actually been living for the past 6 months with barely any Internet access, and I hate it. I've also been switching between using a phone with only minutes and texts, and that also sucks. I can't stand not having a computer because my life began to revolve around the Internet. I miss it so. When I first lost my computer, I seemed to be a bit on edge and withdrawn. Now, I'm okay, hoping that one day I can have back what I miss so much.
Oh Hell, are you kidding? Listen, I know I'm young but I have to thank the weird twist of fate that allowed me to be independent of my electronics. Call me old fashioned, but if I happen to forget my cell phone or can't get to a computer for a couple days, it's no big deal. When I go on vacation, I routinely leave my laptop behind (and I often find that I enjoy life more without it). Now, there are some things I really do rely on my cell phone and internet for. Examples? My mobile phone is my main phone line. It's the only number my employer has if she needs to reach me. I take some college courses completely online and need to be able to take quizzes, submit assignments, and participate in a discussion board. So if I was barred completely from using anyone's electronics (i.e. I couldn't borrow someone's phone to call my boss or use a library computer) then I might have some serious real life consequences. But for the little every day stuff like texting and surfing YouTube, pardon my French but who really gives a shit?
I guess the answer is a lot of people. They're so wrapped up in it and have been deluded into thinking it's important. They've begun to live vicariously through their electronic devices instead of seeking out life's adventures. I've seen it happen. An acquaintance of mine recently posted a Facebook status that said he was upset because he'd only sent/received 35 text messages that day, and he was used to doing about 300. My jaw dropped - I only use about 75-150 texts a month. And how lonely do you have to be to really get upset about something like that? It made me a little sad.
So where is this rant really going? You guessed it. As soon as I read this question I blurted out, "what do you think books are for?" I think part of the reason I don't rely on mobile and internet access is books. I meet so many people who think of books as outdated and arcane. But when you need some entertainment, enlightenment, or information and you can't use the internet, I'd say books are a pretty darn good option.
Of course, this brings up the whole argument that people can get just as lost in books as they can in front of a computer screen. I've seen that happen too. There are plenty of reclusive people who prefer interacting with books to interacting with people. That's just as unhealthy as anything else, and there's no law that says everyone who reads profusely has to read interesting and worthwhile literature. But lets talk generally for a second. I bet if you looked at the ratio of people who are bookworms to people who are internet addicts, you'd find the scale tilted toward the latter. I've seen people totally freak out because they forgot their cell phone; I've never seen someone go ballistic because they forgot a book. And no matter how convenient it might be to have all your information and entertainment in one little place, books are infinitely more convenient, not space-wise but because they are the ultimate form of back up. They don't crash. They're hard to break. They don't need to be plugged in. They're not loud. They're relatively easy to navigate. They don't allow you to really multitask (yes, I see that as an advantage. My dad and I were just talking about this the other day. We agreed that you can't really multitask, you can only do many things poorly). The only thing that books can't do is connect you to other people in an immediate sense. If you want to talk to your friend, you can't just jab your finger randomly on a page, hold the book against your head and expect to talk to her. But this little drawback isn't really so bad. I love phones, and I am a product of my generation. It would be pretty tortuous not to have that convenience. But it's a sad little fact that phones are a poor substitute for face-to-face interaction. If I want to make sure someone's at home before I visit him or I'm going to be late to an event or one of my dearest relatives moves to California, I want to have a phone. I expect that contact and people expect it of me. But for meaningful conversations, phones can't hold a candle to having someone right there with you.
I don't mean to come across as stuck up or superior. I blog, I chat, and some days I spend entirely too much time on the internet. I have hours long conversations on my cell phone with my friends. It's easy to do and it's not always a bad thing. But I guess what I'm getting at is that we have a fixation in our society on the utter (imagined) importance of mobile and internet access. Not just that, but many other artificial things as well. We've trained ourselves to scream and cry when we can't have those things and be instantly gratified. We've trained ourselves not to be able to sleep unless the TV's on. We've allowed ourselves to be sucked in by what someone else tells us is important but in fact is preventing us from deep contemplation, physical and emotional health, and really experiencing and noticing life and the natural world. I won't go so far as to say that books are natural--they're not. They're artificial constructs that man has created, and I know it. But damn it, they're important to me... and maybe I'm just afraid that they're dying.
I couldn't care less about mobile connections. When my internet connection is down, it's really irritating (mostly because it happens all the time and the Direct Connect office needs to get their shit together), but breaking into cold sweats is going a bit far, isn't it? That's, like, placing the importance of your phone and your computer (or other device that receives internet) up there with the importance of eating. If I don't have the ability to use my computer, I always have my other consoles. If I don't have those, I can always read. If I for some reason am incapable of doing that, then I can always go for a walk or clean or something. There's never a shortage of things to do when you take a step back to think about it.
I find myself quite attached to the internet, it's almost like a drug attention. If I had more things to occupy my time I don't think I'd rely so much on web-browsing to keep me entertained but in a small town like Waynesboro, you can hardly blame me. As technology keeps getting cheaper & more available for everyone, I believe society will continue to grow soft because let's face it; Electronics make us lazy! A few months ago I was dating a girl who was looking for a job & nearly EVERY place she went to referred her to the internet to fill out online applications. As much help as we get from computers as it is, the least we could do is fill out paper applications. I mean come on now! You really know the world is going down the toilet when pencils become obsolete just because society thought it was too much work to pick up a pencil. It's always good to get help, but I am fully capable of doing things myself. Although I love watching music videos on youtube & talking to friends over websites such as myspace, I could live without internet. Whether or not this world keeps going down this path of laziness, I know where my priorities are at & will continue to stray away from modern day society.
I used to seriously think I would die without access to the world at large, but I realize that I can go for lengths of time without any knowledge of what's going on, either with my friends Facebooks or Twitter. Not that I really want to...
WELLLLLL, since my social life pretty much depends on internet AND mobile access, it took me awhile to get used to the fact that I had to call people on the house phone to find out what is going on. It sucks but I deal. Haven't had internet in my house since late 2008. Life is horrible.
3days. its sad, how a little electric device can have a strong control over your life, end up feeling like months worth of drug abuse and going cold turkey just never seems to work.
Well, seeings how I've been living without a mobile phone for about... 3 and a half months now, I'd say I don't do too bad, although, I do need access to a phone or internet because I talk to my best friend every day, so somehow I manage that, because I also don't have a computer at home. I have to go to my grandma's apartment to use the computer. I'd say that I don't do too horrible though without access to the internet, I get bored after a few minutes anyways. But it's hard to live without a phone, because I hate being out of contact with people...
To be honest, I survived from 1968 to 1997 without using the internet. I do remember a time when the internet wasn't nearly as huge or as important as it is today. It's probably harder for people born during the era of internet use than it is for people born before it's widespread use. However, it should be remembered that the internet itself isn't evil. The internet is simply a tool to be used. The internet is a research and communications tool to make our lives easier. A tool is only good if it's used for the correct reasons.
Bah since i got enough free time,let's do another entry
Honestly,i can make do without a phone now that my cell phone has a cracked screen that you can barely see half the screen.I dont call people as much as i did,only to the ones that are out of the city like Hitaru (to check up on her),Taty,George,Yvonne and even then for something important like checking if they're heading into town and so on.And with a phone that doesnt have texting,forget about it,it's a waste of time really.
Now internet,now that i need,it's like crack,you just gotta have it.The most i'll ever go without internet is a few days and that's just to dick around with checking on emails,twitter and talking to friends all over the world,again like Hitaru,Taty,Sora,etc. The most i've gone without internet is a month,and that just completly sucked so much,it wasnt even funny,if that's Hell,i dont wanna go there T_T
i could pretty much live without a phone & not really worry too much....
but the internet. i grew up with it..... *laughs* even used my parent's credit card behind their backs just to get prodigy! [anyone else remember prodigy.... you know, before AOL got popular?]
i think i would eventually cave & break..... if only because a lot of my friends are in different states. i would want to know how people in my life were doing.
i would give it..... probably 6 months 'til i went insane.
give or take.
and i would have to get people to do snail mail in the meantime... so i could keep my sanity for that long.
How long can you survive without mobile or Internet access before you break into cold sweats?
How long can you survive without mobile or Internet access before you break into cold sweats?
Answers
I think I can actually survive awhile, what did we do before the internet?
Out of sight, out of mind...
Not for very long. Our internet is really finicky, and whenever it goes out my roommate and I have a few moments of pure panic. We inflict senseless violence on our computers and scream battle cries which I'm sure alarm our neighbors.
I honestly do no know what to do with myself if I can't be online. I recently got one of the little notebooks and google chrome, but not having stumbleupon is really beginning to take it's toll. I know there's a way to do it, but the toolbar just takes up so much space. It leaves me with a strip of screen about four fingers high, and I have small hands.
Outside? Isn't that where zombies come from? No thank you.
Haa. Not long at all. The first thing I do every morning is check my phone and open up the laptop. It's seems so crazy that not too long ago, NOBODY had cell phones. When people broke down on the highway they just had to wait. That's iiiiiiinsane! Now people panic when they leave the house without their cell phone.
Also, back in the day when I was in school, we used to have to go to the library if we needed information for a project or whatever. Now all the kids have to go is open Google and they have EVERY SINGLE DETAIL on ANY subject. It's an amazing thing. People these days would be FUCKED without mobile/internet access.
I dropped my cell phone down a sewer gutter one time and didn't have a phone for two weeks. This dosen't sound that bad but I live with my boyfriend, who does not have a phone, and we live a good 1000 miles away from any of our relatives....sooo, that phone was my only form of communication. Plus I don't have internet because I am poor.
Sadly during those two weeks I only had a couple of calls and like one text. >_< So I didn't really freak out. xD
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Not very long. A few hours.
At least a week. I don't have a cell phone, and when I go on vacation in June I don't have access to the net for a week.
On the computer? A day or two, maybe.
On my phone? IIf I have internet on my computer, several hours is fine. If I'm not connected to a computer and I only have my phone with me. Maybe an hour or two, at best. My internet and computer access serve as a way to ground me, something that is consistent in my day.
maybe an hour. /pathetic
I tried to go without my mobile phone and internet once because my family was complaining about me being online too much, and using my phone everywhere. Bathroom, while dinning, etc. So I chose to control how much time I spent online and the phone. As a result I ended up getting more work done and the house was cleaner and oh yeah I spent more time with people. In person!
Now ... I don't know about going without cell phones and internet completely. I think... no I know that I would be freaking out trying to keep up with everyone. Any my regular phone bill would go up just from me trying to get in contact with them.
Now-a-days, mobile phones are a big help when you're stranded out somewhere and you need to help. And the internet is my number one source for all my informational needs. I hardly ever go to the library anymore.
So I'd give it about 24 hrs and 3 mins before I lost my mind. But with the help of a little human contact I would recover easily after I got over the knowledge that those things were gone from my life. I think I would adapt quickly.
We all would if we had to.
I think it's important to manage the time you spend on both. There's no substitute for real human interaction. And these are all very helpful technologies so manage your time by spending a certain amount of time each day on checking your email and calls, play games for an hour and then turn them off. They'll be there again later when you're done working or spending time with loved ones (who may not play).
So that's my 2 cents! ( :
I can't stand talking on phones so i could probably deal without my cell for a few days but i like to have it in the car in case of emergency like when a great old song comes on the radio and i have to call someone and tell them what station to put on :) Internet on the other hand is a little different, I can't go a day without checking my email and ofcourse facebook so that would seriously suck plus i get all my bills online and pay them online so yeah that just wouldn't do...i'm bored
Well to begin with, i must share that i no longer have a cell phone! Gasp!! Shocking i know. All my friends think im weird and they constantly tell me that they wouldnt be able to live without their cell phones. But I have done alright without one. I will admit that I do miss it once in a while, for texting friends or even when i need to check the time, but i decided to give up having a cell phone in order to save a bit of cash. I now use those extra (yet much needed) $50-$70 dollars a month for groceries or books or other miscellaneous items i may need.
I have not had a cell phone for about a year now, but i didnt exactly get rid of it; i now use it at home as my alarm clock in the mornings, which is really cool because i get to change the songs or sounds i wake up to! =]
My dependence of the internet, of course, is another story...
Without the internet, i tend to feel deprived and bored. I feel cut of from the world and its many discoveries. I would say the max i can go without the internet is two days.
I love my computer and the internet most dearly. I feel that they are the greatest inventions ever and if one learns how to use them properly, we can harness its endless amount of information for learning and discovery.
I have learned soooo much from the internet. Whenever i come across something i dont know, or dont understand, or simply want to know more about, I head over to my computer and let my curiousty go wild. I can do anything on the internet, from learning how to cook my favorite dish to reading about the history of the Middle East.
The internet is a very important part of my life.
i personally don't use a cell anymore, so that's no biggie but my LAPTOP, oh gosh i need it all the time if i'm not out with my friends. it's like my new lifeline.
I can last awhile. I don't use the computer that much and I don't have texting so my options are otherwise pretty limited. I do rely on the internet for homework, so without it I would probably be failing!
I actually cannot survive without Internet or my mobile, its a huge part of my work. I use both all day everyday. I would probably shrivel up and die!
This is actually a good Writer's Block.
I shut everything off at regular intervals because it becomes too busy to handle.
About once a month, before I even leave school on Fridays, I sometimes shut off my phone for the weekend and when I get home I turn off my Zune and the computer and just get in bed with a book.
I avoid the internet until Sunday when I can no longer ignore important pieces of computer-related homework.
It's actually really nice to have a 'me' weekend.
My friends get annoyed when I don't respond, but I already spend every single day with them that two days off isn't really a big deal.
Seriously? There are people that would break into cold sweats without the internet?
I know I use the internet far more than I need to, that's a given. But there are so many other things that could be done. Video games, reading a book, doing homework, working out, playing with the dogs, drawing and coloring, cleaning. The list goes on and on and on. So I'd probably be a little miffed, but after long enough, it wouldn't be so big of a deal.
Now mobile access, that's a little harder. Being a dog walker, its imperative that I be able to contact the clients and they be able to contact me in times of emergency...and seeing as I just spent the past five hours out doing dog walks, a client would be pretty screwed if they needed to reach me. Plus with Kev living 700 miles away and our home phone not having long-distance service, I don't think it would be possible for our relationship to continue, which would be absolutely heartbreaking.
But then again, lets go back twenty years in time, when the only people with mobile phones were insanely rich enough to carry around an electronic brick. It would be difficult for us now, but not impossible.
It depends on what I'm doing.
If it's nice outside, and I have a car I'm good for a few days. If it's winter, cold as all get out and snowing. I can go...an hour...unless I have books to read.
a few hours at best. i'm going to have to deal for 2 weeks while i'm away for vacation. i'm going to miss my boobie ):
i lived most of my life without either
i have gone over a year without it before after attaining internet.
it is great while i have it and damn useful but i am not really addicted to it.
I honestly can't even remember the last time I went more than a day without checking email/Twitter/internet. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), smart phones have given us the power to check the internet any time we want. Which means I am CONSTANTLY using it to look up information or answer questions.
I ***wish*** we were all far more disconnected... I don't see a lot of good coming from our constant connection to other people. Do I really need to know that so and so just had great coffee? Does that improve my life in any way? When I see her in person, has that piece of information actually made our relationship any better? For me, I feel like all of the Twitter an Facebook stuff actually just serves to keep me connected with people in a completely superficial and shallow way. I know that a random chick I haven't hung out with in years enjoyed her morning coffee, but I have no intention of connecting with her in a deeper or more meaningful way.
I also cannot stand that I get my work email on my iPhone. This weekend, I actually had to make a conscious decision that I wasn't even going to look at it because all that happened when I did was a surge of frustration and annoyance. Just because everyone else wants to spend his Saturday working doesn't mean that I should succumb to the pressure of also doing so.
Basically, I feel like because of our ability to remain constantly connected, work and social expectations have completely shifted, and I'm not sure I like the results.
Of course, I haven't even answered the question... Given the right scenario (like a week-long beach vacation), I would HAPPILY disconnect and just enjoy the company of those I'm with. And a good book.
I've only ever had to go a week and I was fine with that so more than a week.
Uh, a couple days. I rely too much on the Internet. It's sad really.
Well, I usually check my e-mail every morning first thing, so it would be hard to last even a day without the internet. I HAVE done it, for 4 months in LA, but man, it was hard.
I went two weeks when I moved 3,000 miles across country. I had a cell phone, which I was thankful to have, since I had no Internet. By the end of those two weeks, I thought I was going to go insane without internet access. So I would say, a week at the most. I have books and an iPod for the rest.
Hmmm I really don't know probably two weeks at the most.
Maybe 24 hours. After that, I might start getting lonely.
I could go for at least 5 days. I have before and I bet I could again. Though some (I'm looking at you, Red) would disagree. Some (again, you, Red) would say I couldn't live an hour without my so-called "wife phone" (iphone).
I have to have my phone with me at all times, in case I fall out of my chair or get stuck somewhere. And if my guardians call and I don't answer, they totally freak. So, no time at all. I can leave the computer for four or five hours if I'm outside doing stuff, but when I'm in the house, it draws me back. I can't stay away more than a half hour or so, even with a good movie on the DVD. I pause over and over to run and check email and stuff. Very unhealthy, I know, but it's my life.
well. i would last about a month and a half maybe more with out a mobile or internet access. i have plenty of home projects to work on.
I can survice pretty well without a mobile phone. i`m not so big on the texting or calling since im not paying for it.
As for the computer; less then 15 minutes o__o there hasnt been a day where i havent been on the computer. april vacation my mom took off the computer time away from me that i had to go to my friends house to use the computer :( it was extreme torture XD
I think I could take it for maybe 48 hours, anymoe than that and I would be out of business!
I just went a month and a few weeks without a good way (a computer that didn't run on dialup) to get onto the majority of stuff I like to get on. Any more than that and I might have bitten someone (or killed them with a laser screwdriver)
Due to the fact I'm going through a long distance relationship, I'd freak out after more than a couple days. However, back when we were chatting via phone a lot, I was hardly online AT ALL, and during our brief time together, I could care less about the internet.
Well, actually, right now, forgetting Nat, I need the internet for my online course. Also, to check the bus schedule. I can do all that on my phone, now, but without my phone, I'd e a sad person, and I'd have to leave much earlier for everything so I don't arrive late. Additionally it would be so much harder to look up references. I'd have to move back into the main city as Treasure Island is only useful for people who don't NEED to get out 5 times a day.
... I wish I was on the computer less. I'm sure it will be come Nat officially moving here (He's unofficially moving here by the end of the year
Ahahahahahahahaha! Me without internet! I can go a couple of days, if I have to, and if I have sufficient distractions. If we lost internet at home, I'd be either at the library or taking my laptop to Krystal's because I would go bonkers.
Speaking of my laptop, I wish I could afford a nice Timbuk2 messenger bag that my laptop would fit in. I'm still using a ratty, falling apart messenger bag because it's the only thing I can find that I can carry more than just lappytron (even if it's not much more).
*is horrified* Live w/o the Internet?? impossible. I think the most I ever lasted has been less than 24 hours, lol. The mobile? Bleh, I don't even use it.
what's smaller a nano-second or a millisecond?
I do fairly well without internet. I usually just play games, and I have games without the net as well, so I'm good. Also I tend to get more done without getting distracted by the things online. When doing artwork I avoid the net so I don't get distracted.
15 minutes, maybe lol I feel like people might want me for something and won't be able to reach me.
That would be a lifetime buddy. I don't break into cold sweats due to lack of usage of mobile or internet technology. However, most likely my mother would be worried sick since I rely on a cell phone for phone-contact with everyone and the reason why a cell phone was bought was for safety reasons. That and I need the phone to contact my mother's doctors to create appointments and ensure she gets there when I am not around.
As for the internet... i need it for online quizzes for some of my classes, so it is needed. Unless I want to fail.
As disgraceful as it sounds, only about a day.
well if its the internet, i can live without it for maybe 3 weeks~or 2 weeks~
i really done NEED to be online too much, its not a HUGE OBSESSION like for some people...
i would only DIE if there was news about L'Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE, or VAMPS~! (my fav singers/bands)
then i would desperately wanna know, or hear a new song, or buy tickets(for a concert if it was in the US..)!!
or pretty much any singer's concert on sale & if i missed it i would be VERY DESPERATE..
hehe but yeaaa so with out none of that happening i can go like 3 weeks~i thinks that it..no more~!
About 37 minutes and 18 seconds...give or take a millisecond or so.
When I'm at my dad's, I can go a few days without the internet, maybe a week. He lives in the country and has no internet access whatsoever. Yeah he can get dial-up but I can't play WoW on that and I'm too impatient to use it period. Mobile internet I really don't do, but if I ever get a SmartPhone, iPhone, or Blackberry, that might change.
How long could I survive? Probably as long as it took for everything to come back on. I have a TV and I have a bed to sleep in. I have job hunting to do as well as spending time with my family. I would miss my games and texting my friends to see how they are, but I suppose I would just have to get a house phone and force them to call me via that. Hah. I'd actually get to talk to them instead of texting. That would be delightful.
It's not about internet or phone, but about being able to contact people and having people contact me. I could go forever without internet or a phone if it meant everybody I needed to talk to was a walk away. But cell phones and social networking sites are just how our generation communicates. I'm not obsessed, and I text few people anymore. Now my iPod is a different story. I couldn't go a day without not hearing any music.
Probably like 3 hours. LMAO. K~ That was the easiests writer's block I've ever done. xDD
Indefinitely.
Well, there would be factors involved. I am not in need of the internet as long as I have something to do. I dont even have mobile internet on my phone, so I can go forever without that. I do love the internet, and it is a great way to pass time, but other than checking my email (which I dont get much) and Facebook (which noone really talks to me on anyway) I just goof off. I tend to balance nowadays between the Xbox, Wii, and computer.
So..
Answer 1A (have something to do and without internet): I can go indefinately as long as I am kept busy.
Answer 1B (am not busy at all without internet): Probably around day two or three of boredom. After I've watched all the TV shows I can, sorted all my cards, and played games until I dropped on the Xbox & Wii.
At least 6 minutes.
I would have to say a month.
I would still have my T.V and my MP3 player so it not like im truly missing anything also it give me a chance to get out more and read more.
LMAO...This question made me laugh a lot...but I've had to live through this from time to time. I know the feeling lol...idk man I'm so wired these days. I have to keep checking my facebook...twiiter...or Myspace...it's really sad. I've gone to paying things online...making myself more dependent on my internet. I literally go through withdrawl syndrom the first days without internet, but then I kind of start liking the feeling of being un-plugged...I have more time to do things other things than just sitting in front a computer screen. LOL but when my internet comes back...woahhhh the addiction comes back with a vegence! lol Now I've lived w/o my internet connection before but to live w/o my phone is another matter....lol I have not experienced that yet. How sad! lol
30 seconds
I know I've gone three weeks without the internet just fine, and was very happy with it.
I know that if I didn't have the Internet, I'd hae gotten a lot more done today. So far, all I've done is play on LJ and read angsty PotC fanfic. Not sure why, but when I'm feeling crappy, it does make me feel better. Especially if the fic kills off Jack. (I don't mind dead!Will ones though. They're good too.)
So tired.... *sigh*
Goal for tonight: Bling the teal bodice. Goal for tomorrow: assemble the navy skirts. I've got a volunteer willing to wear the blasted things tomorrow so I can do the hem... if I get them assembled. Yay!
I was living in New York for a minute, with someone who didnt have any type of internet, house phone, and eventually I lost my mobile phone service because I didnt have the money to pay for it.
I became socially crippled.
I think I'll say...3months is the longest I can go without mobile or internet access, after that I gotta start breaking things or I can just walk my happy butt to the corner store and buy a news paper.
xoxo
.kandrea..
Cold Sweats? That's a bit extreme isn't it? The internet I could live without if need be. Sure, I love LJ and Facebook and I obsess over news and recipes websites. But I wouldn't be physically ill over it. Maybe a bit bored.
My cell phone, however, is far more important. When I forget my phone while at work I constantly worry that Jacob's school is going to try to call me or that Jason will need me and not be able to get me. So...no cold sweats still, but extreme worry that my men will need me.
About 45 minutes.
Despite what you might expect, wired little me does just fine enjoying life free of all that stuff. If I'm traveling or up at my parents or even if home connection goes out*, I don't have a freak-out -- but turn my attention to all the other things in life, whether that's nature, a book, family, or whatever. I don't sit around counting the minutes 'til I can get back online or whatever. Yes, when I'm on, I'm on, but when I'm off, I'm off.
* OK, unless said problem happens the minute I have to upload an important web job!
For me, I could go 4 weeks before withdrawl syptoms kick in.
I've never really thought about it.
My Verizon high speed internet (NOT FIOS) was out for 3 days, and it literally drove me insane! I love the internet, I watching and reading things on it. I even appreciate the mundane things like checking email with it. Even worse, I'm addicted to twitter...but everything needs the internet. Especially if I need to update my ipod...or something else, or even my blackberry.
.... the longest ive gone with out either was about month maybe longer but within like 3 hours with out it the first day it was taken i was begging my mom for my laptop and phone back.
My phone is my connection to the world along with my laptop, i have the net on my phone just incase the wi-fi modem goes out at home and for when i travle so i can stay updated.
I have gone days without going online. It's when I remember that I cannot go online that I start thinking of all the things I could be doing online. I go from "hey I could be on Facebook" to "what if someone needs my help online?" to "what if I am this person's last hope?" It's all mind over matter.
a few hours??? updating from my phone....won't be on chat for a few more hours sorry...mom needs computr and I need sleep...
my dad's doing ok...though he did have to specify power of attorney and will o.o...
beckielric....see Sugi's new blog???
Not that long, let's face it, that is my window to my social life.
About 0.5 seconds. Panic attack comes when I realize my internet is gone.
Why is this however? No, it's not because MAH LIEF IS MAH INTERWEBS, it's because my anxiety tends to prevent me from being social in day to day life and frankly, I don't want to be social at school because high school kids are douchebags. I get my social fix in through the internet and it's how I contact some of my closest friends.
That and I just have nothing to keep me occupied when the internet goes out, which is usually at 1 am or some shit.
I could probably last one week before i start panicing
Our trips to the woods typically take about 3-5 days. It is a wonderful time where best friends become one with nature, each other, and flip cup. We only really turn our phones on every few hours to check the time since none of us city folk own watches.
I can survive disconnected for about 1/5 of a second. The idea of not having mobile or Internet access is much worse than the reality. Thinking about it, dread sinks in. How will I survive without my LOLCats, my Farmville, my LJFlist? While I'm disconnected, dozens of wonderful, interesting things could be piling up on my rss reader. Dear old friends might be emailing me. The final, time-sensitive instructions to that geo-caching prize I've been arm-chair hunting might await. The anticipation is too much to bear!
But after about half an hour, it wears off. The non-electronic life engages me and I am fine. Really. I'm Fine!
About as long as the money in my bank account lasts. I make all of my money online, so I kinda need it :P
A WEEK. I went a week because my computer adapter shorted out AND my stupid pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile ran out of credit. I was bored. as. shit. This was when I was staying at my aunt and uncles house and the aunt (who talked crap about me behind my back) wouldn't let me use hers. I nearly died of boredom.
Now that the framing around my laptop is broken, I have to be careful until I can get a $300 machine from Wal*Mart or a refurbished shop.
As long as I have book(s), drawing paper, pens/pencils/erasers, and a radio... I'd pretty much be good to go.
Not for long. I don't think I could stand one day w/out computer. I would probably want to go on my IM and check my mail so badly....;^;
Not really cold sweats but that crazy maniacal feeling you sometimes get when you can't do something you usually do on a daily basis. You start to get paranoid, then you start to think that people are out to get you. That they are the ones who brought this torture upon yourself and that anything you do will be prevented by them from reaching your goal. Those people you believe are keeping you from what you really want is only a small figment of your imagination. I have felt like that before, and I can't go anywhere without my cellphone in my right front pants pocket. I feel naked believe it or not. I feel truly exposed to people, almost as if I weren't wearing any clothes. I feel uncomfortable and I want to get of that place as soon as possible, go home and clutch my cell phone for dear life.
Then the whole no internet thing has happened to me so many times. There was one time that there was a thunderstorm and the power went out for a day. I joke you not, I felt as if I were going crazy. There was another time where I went to a trip for 3 days up North to Sacramento, and I didn't have a laptop. I spent a day dying until I found out that one of my friends brought a laptop with her. We were on that thing 24/7. Also, those times I have gone to Mexico and where, I must tell you, my grandma has no TV nor reception. My phone was bogus but at least I had it with me. All these instances that have occurred have made me feel as if I had lost something very valuable in my life. The internet is the one place where I can connect with my friends that can't call me. It is also the place I go and read things that you would spend days, weeks, years, trying to find. I can listen to music on it, since I don't own an IPOD.
So, I had recently found out that my sister had conducted a little experiment to see how long would I last without my cell phone or the internet. These two things were taken from me, and I agonized over it, going insane with boredom and anxiety. Turns out that I can last about 2 hours before I am bored to death.
When I moved to UCSC, I had to wait like 2 weeks before I had internet. Towards the end of that second week, I was starting to go batty. I had my PS2 to keep my company, but the internet is my vice.
In January, I went two weeks in Guatemala without internet/cell phone access but I did have a phone card to call Kevin with every day.
A week at most. I know I'm pretty bad. I need the internet more than TV. I could live without TV for the most part. And my cell phone I could live without too. Just not the internet. Unless like something terrible happened. I mean I was in a psychiatric hospital for a month and there was no internet and we couldn't watch certain channels. I was sheltered for three months. I tell you the internet has helped me a lot. Especially Web MD. I was actually diagnosed with Sleep apnea and Asthma and didn't know I was even at risk for it until I looked on Web MD and the symptoms and visited my doctor.
Also I love http://www.planetphotoshop.com. It teaches me some awesome stuff to do with photoshop. It is really awesome.
I have done "Internet Vacations" before, in the past. Sometimes they last a day, or a whole week. I think a week is about as much as I can handle, since trying to catch up with things like email, Facebook, Twitter and the like can get overwhelming! During these vacations, I think a week is when I would "break into cold sweats" just because of thinking of all the stuff I'd have to read through and catch up on would give me a mini panic attack.
I may have to do another Internet Vacation soon so I can get some writing and other things done around the house. Damn interwebz takes up a lot of my time!
Really, now? Hmm......considering that I don't have mobile intarwebs (anymore), and I've had the pleasure of "lack-o-internet" on my computer several times in the past, I can't say that I see myself breaking into cold sweats over something as trifling as "the Internet" anytime soon.
Now, if this had been about SoBes, then it'd be an entirely different answer.
sadly, not very long.. i get cabin fever if i can't talk to the outside world... :(
Let's face it: even without your mobile or Internet access, how long would you survive all alone without another human soul to connect with?
Do you know how to make a fire with nothing but two sticks?
Do you know which plants aren't poisonous to eat?
How long would it take for you to freak out once you realized that you were completely disconnected from humanity and didn't know what was going on?
(It would probably take me 10 seconds once I realized the full implications this problem would bring.)
Granted, if you can live completely by yourself, entertain your own mind's wishes without human interaction, hunt and gather your own food, make your own shelter, and live life off the economic and information grid, then -you-, sir or ma'am, are awesome.
But how would you learn all that awesomeness beforehand?
Wikipedia? ...Your mom?
When you think of it that way, you might just break into an epically freezing cold mental seizure of downright fear if the current electric, speed-of-light connectivity of information available to the WHOLE OF HUMANITY were to suddenly turn "off."
Who could foot the bill on slowing down the progress of humanity? Of disconnecting the ability of bright minds from anywhere in the world to meet in one space and time? How could we not pay forward the advances of the likes of Guttenberg to spread information to all to access it? Could we pay for the price of ignorance and the fear of not knowing?
Is ignorance truly bliss or an illusion? What you don't know can hurt you. You probably shouldn't eat that mushroom.
To echo John Donne: No man is an island. And when I think about the vast amount of information on the internet, available to me at any time, from any source from any where in the world, literally available and waiting and at my command at my fingertips, I am further reminded that "all mankind is of one author, and is one volume." When we share our experience, we add to our collective consciousness, and the Internet is the live, Anonymous, evolving mirror of what we are and know of our world.
So although I can easily stay offline for months if I'm still in physical contact with humanity, I can only think of how slow and frustrating (and irritating for the askees, and embarrassing for the asker depending on the sensitivity of the question) it would be for one to ask everyone he or she met in search of the answer to their burning question. How long would that search take and how many answers would you have to gather and compare before you knew you had the right one?
At least with the Internet you could advance your own progress with 115,000,000 results for "no man is an island" in 17 hundredths of a second. Cold sweats? - The lack of access to information at such mind-blowing speeds would stop me cold in a freeze. I'd rather not!
For me, about 24 hours. I get nervous that something is going wrong in one of my online multi player games, or that my boss e-mailed me. or something happened to a family member. Besides, I am growing up in a time where technology is what helps us survive, w/o it, the nation would go to pieces, and I do not know how I would survive. I would be bored and annoyed, and scared something is going on I don't know about.
So I decided to do the Writer's Block question of the day cause I haven't posted in a while.
How long can you survive without mobile or Internet access before you break into cold sweats?
Honestly, I can go pretty damn long without my phone. I leave my phone at home all the time and don't think much of it. I don't get massive texts everyday like some people and I'm not always yapping on it like some either. Granted I like my phone but I won't go crazy without it. So I'd say I could go about 3 weeks at max without it.
Now internet...that's another thing. The difference between the internet and my phone is that with the internet the possibilities are endless. There is ALWAYS something to do online. That's probably why I'm online so much. Because even if I don't have anything specific to do on a certain day, I will find something to do. Now, I wouldn't say that I start breaking into a cold sweat but after about a week without the next (actually maybe about 4 days) I start to get irritable. I don't doubt that I have a slight addiction. But really, in this day and age (as far as young people are concerned) who doesn't? The only time I can really go without the net is when I'm distracted by something else more fun. And the only time that happens is whenever I go to Disney World. I don't feel the need to have the internet there because I'm up at 5 and don't get back in until about 11 and I do that 5 times during that week. So I'm not entirely sure if I'll bring my laptop with me when I go this year. I probably will anyway just to give updates and possibly upload pics of the ongoing trip. But otherwise, I won't be using it all that much while I'm there. I mean, come on, it's Disney World, why would you stay in the hotel on the internet all day? So for internet 3-4 days is when I start getting a bit antsy.
Without the internet, there's tv and without tv there's always books. So it's a good thing that I love to read.
Are you kidding me? I'm 57 years old. I know how to communicate by actually writing letters. I could throw my cell into a river and never miss it. And I could...ooooo, I've got e-mail! Bye!
The answer to this question depends on where I am in the world, and what I'm doing. If I'm traveling, I have a much higher tolerance for living the internet-free lifestyle. I can go weeks.
But if I'm traveling and working, or out of town and working remotely or waiting for something, I can't go more than a two days. If I'm in whatever town I'm currently living in, I'm pretty much constantly connected.
I think the longest I will be able to stand it before breaking into cold sweat would be 60 minutes!
Depends on how distracted I am. If I am kept entertained, I can go for a week or more. Bored out of my skull? Two days, max.
1 hour
i could probably go a month or two (if it was during the summer and i wasn't expecting any important emails/etc). i love when we're at the lake house on sunapee because it didn't (used to) have internet, and we could relax for the week or two weeks we were there. so nice.
going without internet during the school year would suck. i think i've gone 2 days without it when living in the darkroom during finals, though. ... and had a ton of new emails in my college inbox. blah!
In all honesty, I probably wouldn't last very long. At work I'm on the internet all day researching products and checking prices, and a fair portion of my business communication is done via email.
At home, I'd miss the internet after 2 days and after 3 I'd probably be very upset. This is terribly healthy, I know, but hey, we all have our vices, right?
My mobile phone is my only phone, and while I don't always care if some people can reach me, it wouldn't work not to have access to a phone for emergencies.
Well, I've actually been living for the past 6 months with barely any Internet access, and I hate it. I've also been switching between using a phone with only minutes and texts, and that also sucks. I can't stand not having a computer because my life began to revolve around the Internet. I miss it so. When I first lost my computer, I seemed to be a bit on edge and withdrawn. Now, I'm okay, hoping that one day I can have back what I miss so much.
a lifetime! it's a convienience for me but not a limb or crutch for my existence.
although i would have to go back to mailing checks and catalog/phone ordering. that would be a hassle but not out of the question.
Oh Hell, are you kidding? Listen, I know I'm young but I have to thank the weird twist of fate that allowed me to be independent of my electronics. Call me old fashioned, but if I happen to forget my cell phone or can't get to a computer for a couple days, it's no big deal. When I go on vacation, I routinely leave my laptop behind (and I often find that I enjoy life more without it). Now, there are some things I really do rely on my cell phone and internet for. Examples? My mobile phone is my main phone line. It's the only number my employer has if she needs to reach me. I take some college courses completely online and need to be able to take quizzes, submit assignments, and participate in a discussion board. So if I was barred completely from using anyone's electronics (i.e. I couldn't borrow someone's phone to call my boss or use a library computer) then I might have some serious real life consequences. But for the little every day stuff like texting and surfing YouTube, pardon my French but who really gives a shit?
I guess the answer is a lot of people. They're so wrapped up in it and have been deluded into thinking it's important. They've begun to live vicariously through their electronic devices instead of seeking out life's adventures. I've seen it happen. An acquaintance of mine recently posted a Facebook status that said he was upset because he'd only sent/received 35 text messages that day, and he was used to doing about 300. My jaw dropped - I only use about 75-150 texts a month. And how lonely do you have to be to really get upset about something like that? It made me a little sad.
So where is this rant really going? You guessed it. As soon as I read this question I blurted out, "what do you think books are for?" I think part of the reason I don't rely on mobile and internet access is books. I meet so many people who think of books as outdated and arcane. But when you need some entertainment, enlightenment, or information and you can't use the internet, I'd say books are a pretty darn good option.
Of course, this brings up the whole argument that people can get just as lost in books as they can in front of a computer screen. I've seen that happen too. There are plenty of reclusive people who prefer interacting with books to interacting with people. That's just as unhealthy as anything else, and there's no law that says everyone who reads profusely has to read interesting and worthwhile literature. But lets talk generally for a second. I bet if you looked at the ratio of people who are bookworms to people who are internet addicts, you'd find the scale tilted toward the latter. I've seen people totally freak out because they forgot their cell phone; I've never seen someone go ballistic because they forgot a book. And no matter how convenient it might be to have all your information and entertainment in one little place, books are infinitely more convenient, not space-wise but because they are the ultimate form of back up. They don't crash. They're hard to break. They don't need to be plugged in. They're not loud. They're relatively easy to navigate. They don't allow you to really multitask (yes, I see that as an advantage. My dad and I were just talking about this the other day. We agreed that you can't really multitask, you can only do many things poorly). The only thing that books can't do is connect you to other people in an immediate sense. If you want to talk to your friend, you can't just jab your finger randomly on a page, hold the book against your head and expect to talk to her. But this little drawback isn't really so bad. I love phones, and I am a product of my generation. It would be pretty tortuous not to have that convenience. But it's a sad little fact that phones are a poor substitute for face-to-face interaction. If I want to make sure someone's at home before I visit him or I'm going to be late to an event or one of my dearest relatives moves to California, I want to have a phone. I expect that contact and people expect it of me. But for meaningful conversations, phones can't hold a candle to having someone right there with you.
I don't mean to come across as stuck up or superior. I blog, I chat, and some days I spend entirely too much time on the internet. I have hours long conversations on my cell phone with my friends. It's easy to do and it's not always a bad thing. But I guess what I'm getting at is that we have a fixation in our society on the utter (imagined) importance of mobile and internet access. Not just that, but many other artificial things as well. We've trained ourselves to scream and cry when we can't have those things and be instantly gratified. We've trained ourselves not to be able to sleep unless the TV's on. We've allowed ourselves to be sucked in by what someone else tells us is important but in fact is preventing us from deep contemplation, physical and emotional health, and really experiencing and noticing life and the natural world. I won't go so far as to say that books are natural--they're not. They're artificial constructs that man has created, and I know it. But damn it, they're important to me... and maybe I'm just afraid that they're dying.
I couldn't care less about mobile connections. When my internet connection is down, it's really irritating (mostly because it happens all the time and the Direct Connect office needs to get their shit together), but breaking into cold sweats is going a bit far, isn't it? That's, like, placing the importance of your phone and your computer (or other device that receives internet) up there with the importance of eating. If I don't have the ability to use my computer, I always have my other consoles. If I don't have those, I can always read. If I for some reason am incapable of doing that, then I can always go for a walk or clean or something. There's never a shortage of things to do when you take a step back to think about it.
I find myself quite attached to the internet, it's almost like a drug attention. If I had more things to occupy my time I don't think I'd rely so much on web-browsing to keep me entertained but in a small town like Waynesboro, you can hardly blame me. As technology keeps getting cheaper & more available for everyone, I believe society will continue to grow soft because let's face it; Electronics make us lazy! A few months ago I was dating a girl who was looking for a job & nearly EVERY place she went to referred her to the internet to fill out online applications. As much help as we get from computers as it is, the least we could do is fill out paper applications. I mean come on now! You really know the world is going down the toilet when pencils become obsolete just because society thought it was too much work to pick up a pencil. It's always good to get help, but I am fully capable of doing things myself. Although I love watching music videos on youtube & talking to friends over websites such as myspace, I could live without internet. Whether or not this world keeps going down this path of laziness, I know where my priorities are at & will continue to stray away from modern day society.
I used to seriously think I would die without access to the world at large, but I realize that I can go for lengths of time without any knowledge of what's going on, either with my friends Facebooks or Twitter. Not that I really want to...
WELLLLLL, since my social life pretty much depends on internet AND mobile access, it took me awhile to get used to the fact that I had to call people on the house phone to find out what is going on. It sucks but I deal. Haven't had internet in my house since late 2008. Life is horrible.
3days. its sad, how a little electric device can have a strong control over your life, end up feeling like months worth of drug abuse and going cold turkey just never seems to work.
Are you serious? Survive without internet access? I don't think it can be done! Talk about going through the DT's, that would surely enduce it!
Are you kidding me? I wouldn't survive without my daily dose of internet life and friends! I enjoy my 'escape from reality' each day :)
Well, seeings how I've been living without a mobile phone for about... 3 and a half months now, I'd say I don't do too bad, although, I do need access to a phone or internet because I talk to my best friend every day, so somehow I manage that, because I also don't have a computer at home. I have to go to my grandma's apartment to use the computer. I'd say that I don't do too horrible though without access to the internet, I get bored after a few minutes anyways. But it's hard to live without a phone, because I hate being out of contact with people...
To be honest, I survived from 1968 to 1997 without using the internet. I do remember a time when the internet wasn't nearly as huge or as important as it is today. It's probably harder for people born during the era of internet use than it is for people born before it's widespread use. However, it should be remembered that the internet itself isn't evil. The internet is simply a tool to be used. The internet is a research and communications tool to make our lives easier. A tool is only good if it's used for the correct reasons.
Bah since i got enough free time,let's do another entry
Honestly,i can make do without a phone now that my cell phone has a cracked screen that you can barely see half the screen.I dont call people as much as i did,only to the ones that are out of the city like Hitaru (to check up on her),Taty,George,Yvonne and even then for something important like checking if they're heading into town and so on.And with a phone that doesnt have texting,forget about it,it's a waste of time really.
Now internet,now that i need,it's like crack,you just gotta have it.The most i'll ever go without internet is a few days and that's just to dick around with checking on emails,twitter and talking to friends all over the world,again like Hitaru,Taty,Sora,etc. The most i've gone without internet is a month,and that just completly sucked so much,it wasnt even funny,if that's Hell,i dont wanna go there T_T
i could pretty much live without a phone & not really worry too much....
but the internet. i grew up with it..... *laughs* even used my parent's credit card behind their backs just to get prodigy! [anyone else remember prodigy.... you know, before AOL got popular?]
i think i would eventually cave & break..... if only because a lot of my friends are in different states. i would want to know how people in my life were doing.
i would give it..... probably 6 months 'til i went insane.
give or take.
and i would have to get people to do snail mail in the meantime... so i could keep my sanity for that long.