The Global Internet Shutdown on January 16: Debunking the Viral Claim and Its Alleged Connection to The Simpsons
In recent times, the long-standing American television series, The Simpsons, has become known for accurately predicting future events. From forecasting Donald Trump’s initial term as the leader to foreseeing a forthcoming pandemic that will disrupt the world, past episodes of the show are frequently used to draw comparisons to present-day situations. Now, following the prophetic forecast by the creators of The Simpsons, a viral video has suggested that a worldwide internet blackout will occur on January 16, 2025.
The video depicting an alleged episode from the show implies that the global internet disruption will be triggered by sharks gnawing through the undersea cables. This event appears to result in complete chaos across the United States, with individuals unable to utilize computers and smartphones. Furthermore, they are incapable of conducting transactions using credit cards, and employees at Apple stores are compelled to manually jot down orders.
The footage also features what seems to be the US president addressing journalists furiously regarding the outage. Nearly all the characters in the show experience the effects of the global disruption, with the exception of Bart, one of the children in the Simpsons family, as he is excused from doing his homework.
Reactions on Social Media
Conspiracy theories are often embraced by users on social media, but the video has primarily elicited humorous reactions, with many chuckling at the outlandish nature of the assertions made in the video.
“So, we are reverting to the 80s. Excellent!” remarked one user, while another chimed in: “I wish it happens, we could use a break from work.”
A third individual remarked: “Are you familiar with how the Internet functions? This video is completely fabricated.”
The Reality
Despite the video’s viral spread, accumulating over 5.6 million views and thousands of comments, its content is unequivocally false. There is no such episode in The Simpsons, and the entire video seems to be pieced together using AI-generated video tools.
The video takes liberties with creativity, drawing inspiration from real-life occurrences. Instances of sharks and other marine creatures damaging undersea cables have occurred, but rarely have they caused a global blackout. Technology companies have implemented measures such as encasing the undersea cables in materials akin to Kevlar to diminish the likelihood of damage. However, in the improbable event that a colossal shark bites through the cable, rest assured, your internet connection will remain intact.