T I M E L I N E   O F   D O O M
“Can You Hear Me Now?”

Few people in the developed world realized how dependent they were on electronic communications. When fuel shortages caused massive power blackouts, the complex, worldwide web of connections began to unravel. After a rapid, cascading series of failures, the communications systems collapsed, leaving millions without a back up system. This total blackout of communications added confusion to the dire situation caused by fuel shortages, contributing to the collapse of central authority.

The communications blackout was also a psychological shock to Americans used to living in isolated cars, offices and suburban homes. Cell phones and computers were their only connections to “virtual communities.” Many years later, in the midst of the desolation and destruction that followed, some deranged survivors could be seen clinging to cellphones, hoping for a signal that would connect them to a world long gone.