I remember perfectly well when there was no internet. Things worked. They were slower, more local, and more limited, but they worked perfectly well. So strange that people simply can’t imagine it any more.
It’s true that a sudden collapse of the internet would cause dislocation, chaos, death, starvation, and who the hell knows what else. But then humans would regroup. We’re really really good at adapting to new situations and solving new problems. It’s what we are actually best at. We’ve never failed to do it. I have perfect faith it would happen again.
Maybe five or six billion people would die, which would be very helpful for saving the planet. But that’s probably too much to hope for.