Could the internet go offline? Inside the fragile system holding the modern world together

Behind every meme and message is creaking, decades-old infrastructure. Internet experts can think of scenarios that could bring it all crashing down ...

It is the morning after the internet went offline and, as much as you would like to think you would be delighted, you are likely to be wondering what to do.

You could buy groceries with a chequebook, if you have one. Call into work with the landline - if yours is still connected. After that, you could drive to the shop, as long as you still know how to navigate without 5G.