this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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Basically: Would you rather have like a year (or so) of your life being able to browse the internet unrestricted, but you have to live the rest of you life never having access to those thing ever again. And you cannot save anything, meaning: no datahoarding (except in your brain).

OR

Just never know about the free unrestricted internet in the first place?

(I personally would have trouble dealing with the FOMO)

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[–] Soulifix@kbin.melroy.org 2 points 5 hours ago

What kind of a question is this?

Define 'Unrestricted Internet', like what, child porn? If so, then fucking no.

[–] Jagger2097@lemmy.world 11 points 15 hours ago

Some of us were born before 1985 and enjoyed this already.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 13 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

If "unrestricted internet" means I have to listen to dumbfucks saying that drinking bleach cures COVID-19, racial, homophobic, or transphobic slurs, and misogynistic bullshit: No thanks. I've already lived through times where the Internet wasn't even as moderated as it is today, and even today moderation is pretty fucking shit.

Pretty much 100% of the time anyone whines about being censored on the internet, it's because they said some stupid shit and got thrown out of the bar.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I mean like a scenario where you were born in PRC.

You either choose to know about the western internet for 1 year, before the government figured out how to block your circumvention method forever. Or just never finding out about the western internet in the first place.

The FOMO about youtube, western media, etc.

[–] irish_link@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

If there is a mechanism for change then I would want to have the knowledge we are being lied to and work toward the change. I would want to know. Even if I would never see the change but there was the opportunity for my kids or theirs to have it all without resurrection then I would want to know.

If the idea is only this question and no way to change the outcome I would want to stay in the cave Mr. Plato and be none the wiser.

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 2 points 17 hours ago

Exactly this.

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 4 points 16 hours ago

What would a year add? Also, what would be unrestricted? Do you think the US is unrestricted?

I’m commenting from China. There’s plenty of ways to get around restrictions

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

This question is hard to answer because aside from some horrific things, I've always had unrestricted access, and without knowing what I'd be losing, it's hard to say one way or the other.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

But, hypothetically, if there was an ultra-secret underground internet (like even more secret than the dark net), would you want to know? Think of like ultra secret CIA networks, KGB/FSB databases, etc. You'd know if every conspiracy theory was real, or if they ate just BS and that the official story is legit. etc.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

I'd totally be in then. I'm a try anything once kind of guy.

[–] Libb@jlai.lu 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Use that year of unrestricted Internet in order to find... alternative to the filtered Internet and when it's time to give up on that tasty freedom, move away from the Internet completely focusing on and using only the alternative(s) I will have found?

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Carrier Pigeon Network? 😅

[–] Libb@jlai.lu 0 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Carrier Pigeon Network? 😅

Maybe (it could be fun) but I would first consider more readily available things.
Things like meeting people IRL and also snail mail... Those are much slower and much more limited in the number of people I can meet but 1) I don't need to meet millions of people 2) they''are also all usage that are protected by many laws, that are not constantly spied upon, and that are not 'enshitiffied' by marketing & businesses and their endless greed either ;) Edit: they're also much less prone to trolls and haters, or moronic ideas spreading: it's harder to lie in the face of someone, or to insult them than to do it safely hidden behind one's keyboard ;)

And like I said, I would use that full year of free unfiltered search to find alternatives that, by their nature I wouldn't know they exist already.

The issue here would be to think that the Internet is everything. It is not. It was not (in the past) and it will not be (in the future).
At least it won't be for as long as we're physical beings and not just some digital avatars of ourselves ;)