What if the internet had opening hours?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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The internet is a funny old thing, isn’t it? It can provide us with immeasurable opportunities and resources, but it can also be all-consuming and suffocating.

Think about it, the internet is never ending and it cannot be completed. It’s a wonderful tool to have, but it’s also incredibly overwhelming. There’s a vast range of research telling us that we’re more anxious and depressed than ever before, all thanks to the internet, and more specifically, social media.

You only have to watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix to appreciate just how much the social media is impacting our lives. If you haven’t seen The Social Dilemma, I would highly recommend watching it, it’s incredibly eye opening.

A 5,000 person study found that higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction.

— American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017

The internet is a scary place, and that’s why it’s so important to spend some time away from it. We know that that’s the sensible thing to do, but we cannot imagine our lives without it, even for a few minutes.

So what would happen if the internet had opening hours?

Let’s say from 8am-6pm everyday you could log on and use the internet, just like you do now. You could search Google, research articles for your university degree, learn a new skill via YouTube, and write your weekly newsletter for Substack.

But then, at 6pm every night, the internet closes. No more searching or surfing, no more scrolling or streaming. Nothing. What would happen?

Most of us (my children included) lose ours minds if we’re without the internet for a few hours, such as in a power cut. So, how would we cope 14 hours a day without it? We humans rely on the internet for everything, so to be without it is unthinkable.

I personally think it’d be a good thing though. Sure, at first the world would almost implode on itself. Teenagers wouldn’t know how to function, and we’d have to talk to our families, but, I think we’d slowly get used to it, and eventually embrace it.

I’m certain that after a while we’d long for 6pm. To switch off and find other things that bring us joy, instead of aimlessly scrolling our phones, would certainly bring us the happiness and respite we need.

Can you remember what we did before the internet, some 30 years ago? I know I didn’t have internet access in my childhood, and I vaguely remember when Facebook came out, although I wasn’t allowed it until I was much older (thank goodness!).

I remember playing out with my friends on the street that I grew up on. Our mothers would shout our names when it was time for tea, or time to come in for a bath. I remember building dens in the local forest, and riding my bike all over my village.

My childhood memories are filled with nature, playing and freedom. I would love my children to experience a childhood like I had, but they never will, thanks to the internet.

So what would a typical 24 hours in 2023 with internet opening hours look like?

We’d wake to the sound of an alarm after getting a full 8 hours of sleep. We wouldn’t be able to check our emails or social media yet and so, slowly, we’d descend from our bedrooms and enjoy breakfast with our loved ones. We’d talk and share what we could remember from our bizarre dreams. We’d chat about what our day was going to look like, and what we were looking forward to.

Our children would head off to school without having even checked a screen that morning. Commuting to work would be peaceful. We’d have to download our favourite playlists or podcasts the night before to enjoy without internet connection, but we wouldn’t mind.

We’d arrive at work, and the internet would now be awake. We’d have to be productive. Emails would be responded to, work would be completed. Procrastination wouldn’t be a thing, not with a time limit on the internet keeping us on track. There’d be no catching up later, or taking our work home with us. It’d have to stay there until tomorrow when it could be connected to the internet again.

Work would feel less pressurised. It’d feel like counting down those last few hours at work before having a week off on holiday. We’d count down the hours until home time, knowing we had just a few hours to explore the internet for ourselves.

We’d head to social media first (obviously), and check in with loved ones over FaceTime. We’d check our bank balances, order our shopping, stream a few episodes of our latest boxset, and add any new songs to our downloaded playlists ready for tomorrow’s commute.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, the clock would count down to 6pm, and we’d be met with a message: “The internet is now closed. We will be open again tomorrow from 8am. Enjoy your evening”.

We’d rise from behind our laptops, we’d look up from our phones and we’d see other people. Our people. Our favourite people in the world. And we’d smile and head towards them. We’d hug them and talk to them about their day.

We’d enjoy our evening meal together. It wouldn’t be rushed. Instead we’d sit there talking some more because there was no where we needed to be. Afterwards, we’d bundle into the living room and enjoy a game from the cupboard, not from the Xbox.

Then it’d be time for bath and bed. We’d snuggle up next to our children to read a story. They’d read the left pages, we’d read the right hand pages. We’d experience and enjoy the book together, and we’d talk about what we think might happen next.

Bedtime would come, we’d reach for our favourite pen and open our journal to jot down our thoughts, and what we’re grateful for (I’m sure it’d be that the internet had opening hours!). We’d reach for our own book now, and enjoy a few chapters. There wouldn’t be a blue light in sight, and we’d be able to nod straight off.

If the internet had opening hours, we’d feel better in ourselves, we’d be healthier because we’d have the time to eat well and exercise. Our relationships would be better, we’d be more productive, and less stressed and anxious.

The truth is, we could experience this blissfulness right now. We could live as if the internet had opening hours right now, and I’m positive we’d all be better people for it.

What do you think? Could you do it? What sort of impact do you think the internet having opening hours would have on you, and the world around you? Have you seen The Social Dilemma? Meet me in the comments to chat about it, I’d love to know your thoughts.

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