Subscribe by EmailTake the television but leave the Internets alone!
March 21, 2008 by Mark O'Neill |By Mark O’Neill
A new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that more Americans would prefer to give up the television than lose their internet connection by a margin of 45% to 43%.
It also found that losing their internet connection for a sustained period of time would make people think they had been transported back to the Dark Ages. This leads to the best quote of the article :
“I suspect for a lot of people, if you cut that cord, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves,” said Bob Papper, a media professor at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. “They’d be paralyzed without the internet. They might have to read.”
As well as being funny, it is also very startling. It makes you realise how much the internet has penetrated our lives to the point that we’d be ‘paralyzed’ without it. That losing the internet would force us to do something as basic as read a book. That’s why I chose a man and a noose as the illustration for this post - because losing their internet connection and their computer would probably make a few die-hard net surfers choose the ultimate way out. It’s sad but it’s probably true.
What about you? Being a geek, I’m sure the TV would be history if you had to choose but if the internet connection went down, how long is too long? How long before you started chewing the sofa or ripping the wallpaper in frustration? How long before you considered picking up that book and starting to read? How long before you declared Holy War on the internet provider?
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Well I think that Bob Papper might need some more education himself on what the internet does. There are websites with text…ie news sites, magazine sites, heck there are even sites that you can read books on line.
Perhaps but his point was that if the internet was down and unavailable, people wouldn’t know what to do with themselves.
Of course, like if they locked the door of the libraries he uses, locked his office door and stopped sending him his snail mail, deactivated his cell phone and land line phone… or maybe he’d find another way to work. Just like people who use the Internet now.
I think a few of us geeks would create our own network and find a way to get it connected to the Internet, ISPs be damned.
I read books all the time. Maybe I’m more of a nerd than a geek?
I’ve had my Internet down a few times this past month, and it was a bit horrid to be honest. I turned on the TV and it was dreadful so I turned it off again. When did TV get so stupid?
I’m asking myself the same exact question. Maybe it was always stupid and only our perspective changed since we were last watching it, because we “live on the internet” where you can select your own content? Whereas TV is showing dumb content only to reach enough people to sell ads — masses don’t watch intelligent tv. This would make us somewhat spoiled in terms of content quality and would answer our question.
i got a flatscreen 32″ tv and all it displays is my “internets”… you guys still watch somebody else’s programming?
I’m one of those that rarely watches TV any more. My wife and kid watch it more than I do. Once in awhile I’ll get into a program but it’s pretty rare. To me there is more interesting and educational stuff on the internet. When I’m not online or away from it I’m usually reading. In the last 5 years or so I’d have to say it’s been rare that I’ve not been online at least once a day but I’ll go days without TV and not miss it.
I’ve been off most television for sometime now. I still read books and catch a few shows on TV but I live on the internet.
[...] JAV vartotojų apklausa rado, kad 45% amerikiečių mieliau atsisakytų televizoriaus, nei interneto. Priešingai teigia 43% apklaustųjų. Skirtumas dar labai nedidelis, bet tai jau lūžis. Reikia [...]
[...] prefer to give up the television than lose their internet connection by a margin of 45% to 43%. (Read on Source) This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 11:44 am and is filed under 4448. You [...]
I am just glad I don’t have to choose… losing either one would be very difficult.
It’s for situations like that that I continue to pay $20 extra for unlimited data service through my mobile carrier.
I rarely watch tv, but I’ always ont eh net. When our ISP was down for 2 hours on Staurday, I didn’t know what to do with myself - I have to face facts, I’m 100% geek!
Husband even suggested we went out for a walk to pass the time. What on earth was he thinking?