Just imagine if we turned off the internet?

The oxygen of instant publicity for terrorist  attacks perpetuates this horrific problem – and is likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future while the internet has us all in its grip. Suppose the European Union were to impose a modern form of curfew by disabling all internet communications in member countries for the next three weeks.

A shocking thought, but, to follow the thought experiment through, what might happen?

Business would slow down to a snails pace, operating in an old style 9-5pm time frame; the stock market would go quiet until the ticker tape was reinstalled by a few quick thinking firms; typing or handwriting a letter and using the postal service would replace email; any analogue FM radio stations still broadcasting would be very popular; going to your local newsagent to buy a printed newspaper to find out what happened yesterday would be the norm (with the added benefit of having some face-to-face real time contact with your neighbours).