Could you live without the internet? | The Digital Divide

Could you live without the internet? Doctors' appointments, travel directions, job applications, benefits forms, school scheduling and key services are today managed online.

While the UK government details its plans for a digital future to transform public services, one in seven Britons are forced to live without the internet. This film is voiced by three individuals experiencing digital exclusion, revealing how varied and complex the repercussions can be. Through enacted scenes from their lives, it makes visible the expanding digital divide – an issue too often unseen or ignored.

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[badmanskill]

I mean I _could_ live without the internet but I prefer to have it.

[buttercup]

I could live without the internet. My childhood in the 80s was a lot of fun; we lived and survived without it. The same goes for most of the 90s when I was a teenager.

[KrisHughes]

I would happily live in a world with NO internet, however, it is really hard for people to live in our current world without it. I now make my living online, but I remember when I (still self-employed) made my living without using the internet at all. As a result I had a network of local contacts. I was much happier. Local shops were busier and better stocked (no Amazon). People talked to one another more, and with greater attention - no smart phones. And when people phoned each other - it was also to talk. When you phoned a business or government office - you talked to a real person. The internet is fun but it has destroyed big parts of society, and is very addictive. We were better off without it, but now it's a necessity.

[mcclorei]

I think this is a huge problem we are facing. We are too dependent on the internet. This is why I books and games and dvds for my children. They play outside and run. We live almost exclusively like I grew up in the 90s. I wish sometimes it was gone, then a disaster like losing it wouldn’t impact us so much

[shannonbloom]

Yep. Still own all my books, art supplies, shop in stores, walk outside, own a DVD player and favorite DVDs, garden, camp, hike, etc. Is it convenient? Yes. For news and entertainment it's very convenient, but radio and plays do the trick. I could live without it, and within a couple of months I'd think of it in a nostalgic way, but probably be living a better life.

[deepankurnayantara]

I'm really curious to find out how this was shot and colour graded, it looks absolutely beautiful, like a proper film.

[sagn]

I was born in 62, only older folks will understand that life was much better before the internet came and flooded the world with falsehoods.

[Anonymous-bmsv]

Of course, but nowadays we're so dependent on it. I am a teacher and I am relient on internet. Baffling if you think about it...(back in the days a chalk board and a coursebook sufficed.)

[sisterhoney]

I was almost 40 when the Internet was first popular. I could easily live the rest of my life without it.

[dilbertdoe]

I lived without the internet for more than half my life. It's not water.

[ruffey]

People forget how many administrative processes have gone online. Looking for a job, filing your taxes, even arranging large item collections to be taken to the dump. The internet has been turned into an entertainment tool, but it was originally an information sharing tool, that enabled information sharing across borders in seconds. You may have all your old forms of entertainment to keep you occupied, but you'd spend a lot of time and money replacing digital information processes.

[Veroyu]

*Everyone can and everybody should really, people did it in the past and it was great, soo.*

[jeffreymintze]

Nah.. ive got my brain rotten by internet for a long time.

[anuragb]

I understand the problem with the internet in everyone's life like it reduces social interactions but the main question is what is the solution to this problem or rather is there any solution.

[nolslifegren]

Broadband renewal time come September . 18 months ago i signed a contract with BT for £40 per month . Last year they bumped it up by £10 and since April theyve stuck another £3 on top . BT can do one . Will be going without broadband from Sept . Stuff it im going back to listening to music watching dvds and reading books .

[annamarial]

I think some people would actually live without it. I could if my job was different...without it I wouldn't have this job for sure.

[yassineme]

Hard. Even at work we need the internet

[nottodaysatan]

Truth be told I’m addicted to the internet. It’s a form of escape. It’s my only way of connecting to the outside world since I live so remotely.

[Londonechoes]

It should be a Human Right now considering how everyone needs it to access vital Public Services.

On the flip side the legal/ financial sectors need to catch up, I had to Physically send copies of my Mothers death certificates etc during a very stressful time (Even though the originals could be verified digitally)

[Greekme.]

How the Guardian forgot to accurately report on the pogrom that is taking place in the Gaza ghetto. It's complicated...