Cyber Outage/Social Inage

On October 5^th a colossal, unplanned social and economic cyber-communication undertaking was launched in Sitka, Alaska, now labeled  The Great Sitka Outage of 2024.

 For the past 5 days some 8,000 Sitkans have been forced to communicate without their computers and phones. A break in the sole fiber optic cable connecting the town to the outside world suddenly terminated all of Sitka’s internet and phone services. The result . . .

 “It’s mayhem,” said an independent lawmaker representing Sitka in the Alaska House. “It’s just been shocking how dependent we are on the internet and how hard it is to do daily functions without it.”

Besides the town’s hospital, schools, city government and rescue services, the town’s library has one of the very few Starlink satellite units making it a hub for residents seeking an internet connection. Sitka’s library director has a somewhat different perspective on The Great Sitka Outage of 2024:

“All over town, you see people walking around more, going to people’s homes, hanging out and talking. We’ve been hearing that constantly from people, how nice it is. They’re like, ‘If I could just figure out the finances part.” . . . cash-only business transactions have replaced plastic.

“While the communications blackout has been “devastating” for residents who work from home, it’s also brought people together, with the library full of visitors talking and sharing stories and giving advice. For three minutes of texting, you end up with an hour of conversation with people you haven’t seen for a while — they’re all there,” the library director said. “People are just spending a lot more time doing what we used to do without the internet.

A local journalist sharing this ‘cyber-calamity’ commented, “ The outage has gotten Sitkans thinking –   about tighter cell phone restrictions in school, even about whether  there could be a  a one-day-a week of community wide internet disconnection or abstention.”

It’s kind of a golden moment, in some ways.”, says the library director. Kinda’ reminds me of Paul’s statement some 2,000 years ago:

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me the strength.” – Philippians 4:12-13

With only email and my blog, I’m a cyber-space minimalist, and this all has me musing about moving to Sitka.  However . . . today my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary . . . I don’t want it to be our last 😊

Keep Looking Up ^ . . . His Best is Yet to Come!