Going off grid
In the cities, many of us fantasize about leaving it all behind to go off the grid. In an ideal future, we build a cabin in the middle of nowhere to live off the land. Nevermind the fact that America is 80% urban 20% rural as of the 2020 census. Most who grow up in a small town say they want to move away to the city for better jobs and amenities. The grass is always greener on the other side
There's a twist to the off grid dream in the social media age. Those who build the mountain cabins and desert abodes decide to make YouTube videos, TikToks, Instagram Reels about the lifestyle to supplement their income. Two motivations for installing your solar power rig are to edit these videos, or for your wife to keep her remote job in the city you left behind. You'd be stoked on receiving Starlink internet from a place the cable companies can't reach
There's a YouTube channel called Outdoor Boys where this nerdy looking guy puts himself in harms way in the Alaska wilderness, documents it on video, to net millions of views on YouTube. Called Outdoor Boys because he often brings his kids along for the survival missions
Personally, I spent a lot of time RV'ing with my grandparents as a kid in the 2000s, all over the mostly empty Western US. Papa actually loved computers. He mainly mapped the offroad routes for his Jeep. I remember seeing a lot of satellite imagery open. We had Direct TV above the passenger seat so I could watch Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Comedy Central to get away from nature. I'll tell more stories another time.
Really, I don't think it's feasible to escape the internet. Enshittified social media feels draining, the third world has Whatsapp group drama, yet the internet is still a crucial resource wherever you are