Personally, without access to the world's knowledge, I would never have discovered just how big of a nerd I am (and boy do I love being a nerd). The internet has also been the only portal for me to connect with like-minds, not just intellectually, but spiritually/emotionally.<p>Overall if the internet didn't exist, I would've lived in absolute oblivion and zero self-awareness, chugging along checking all the boxes until the end of life.<p>While some people might prefer to live without the internet and it's "distractions", I reckon a lot of people <i>depend</i> on the internet and the web, for escape, for comfort, for connection, for existence.<p>I don't know about you, but some days, it seems the internet is the only thing that feels real.