Bangladesh’s internet blackout: A wake-up call for our digital dependency?

While millennials still remember a life without the internet, this is not true of Gen Z and those born later. Total and sudden disconnection, therefore, such as the one caused by the current internet blackout in Bangladesh, is unprecedented, and the youth simply don't quite know what to do about it.

But why speak only of the younger generations? The wonders of the World Wide Web have not even spared the older, retired age group, who had, until just a week ago, passed many a leisurely afternoon scrolling social media, speaking to relatives on WhatsApp or watching something on online streaming services.

Truth be told, the heat of the internet shutdown is being felt everywhere, and why not? After all, the deafening — and quite frankly, maddening — absence of seamless connectivity is testimony to all it has done for this country in the past few decades. From international business liaisons to social connections, the internet helps with everything; much like oxygen; invisible, but omnipresent, and oh-so-suffocating in its absence.

Photo: Shahrear Kabir Heemel

"It's infuriating, really," says Fahmida Ismail, a 30 something young woman, who has not been able to connect to her family abroad for some days now. "None of us are used to this new world order. We like to remain busy with work. This total lack of connection is very unnerving."

Others are enjoying the hiatus, taking it as a kind of cleanse or reboot. Adiba Ajanee, Managing Partner at her family business, Standard Finis Oil Company, has mixed feelings about the situation. "It's definitely challenging, but I have used this break to spend time with my family — playing board games, watching cable TV, or even simply talking."

Another entrepreneur, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "Never say never, I suppose. Just a week ago, my wife and I were all set to throw away old DVDs from our home. Who would watch them anymore in an era of Netflix and Amazon Prime, we thought. And now look, it is these very objects that we had so casually dismissed as relics of the past that are keeping us entertained!"

Concerns about work still continue to plague him and his daughter, however.

"At the back of my mind, I'm always thinking about how much we are losing every day. At least during the pandemic, we had internet and could continue to run our operations smoothly," said his daughter. The opportunities they miss each day continue to sour this unexpected break for this family.

Photo: Shahrear Kabir Heemel

Similar apprehensions have baffled teachers and school authorities. "We were set to start school this week," says Amina, a senior teacher at a prominent school in the capital. "Albeit online. But the current situation has left us helpless. We are unable to connect with parents or let them know anything at this point — there's utter confusion!"

There are those who are making the best of things however, by going back to manual systems. Another businessman who prefers anonymity, mentioned, "We are going back to basics — faxes, telephone conference calls and so on. The business has to go on, somehow."

Boon or curse, life without internet certainly requires a lot of unlearning and relearning. While we wait for things to turn back to normal, we wish that this time, although unexpected, we can reduce dependency and online addiction, at least when it comes to social activities. It is a reminder that ditching the screen to go back to hobbies is an option, even when the internet is back.