The internet was intended to make communication and everyday tasks easier. Yet the growing dependence on digital services has also prompted questions about whether technology always delivers the convenience it promises.
On 14 October 2026, cartoonist First Dog on the Moon addressed this tension in The Guardian with the editorial cartoon “Is the internet finally unusable? Time to go back to faxes and landlines.” The accompanying tagline reads: “We embraced the internet and then forgot how to do things in the real world.” Read the original cartoon in The Guardian.
The headline poses a provocative question, while the reference to older communication technologies provides a humorous way to challenge modern digital dependence. It should be understood as satire, not a technical recommendation to abandon the internet.
Why Internet Usability Is Being Questioned
Usability is about how easily people can use a product or service to achieve a particular goal. For an online service, that might mean finding reliable information, completing a transaction or communicating with another person without unnecessary difficulty.
The cartoon’s premise invites readers to consider whether digital technology has always made these tasks simpler. An increasing reliance on online systems can also make digital access feel essential for activities that people once handled through other channels.
However, the publication does not establish that the internet has become universally difficult to use. It offers editorial commentary rather than measurements of website performance, user satisfaction or digital accessibility. The question is a prompt for reflection, not a conclusion supported by statistical research.
Why Faxes and Landlines Make an Effective Satire
Fax machines and landline telephones represent an earlier model of communication, before internet-connected services became central to so many daily activities. Invoking them creates a contrast between familiar, older tools and the complexity associated with modern digital systems.
The comparison is deliberately exaggerated. Returning to older technologies would not automatically resolve every communication problem, and the cartoon does not provide an operational plan for replacing online services.
Its more useful implication is that technological progress should not be judged by novelty alone. A digital service should be evaluated by whether it helps people accomplish their goals effectively, rather than by how many features or layers of technology it contains.
What the Cartoon Says About AI and Digital Dependence
The Guardian lists artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet among the cartoon’s topics. This places the work within a wider conversation about the changing digital environment, but the available publication text does not provide a complete transcript of the cartoon’s panels or establish a detailed argument about AI.
That distinction matters. It would be misleading to attribute specific claims about AI-generated content, online platforms or declining human skills to the creator without evidence from the cartoon itself.
The broader question remains relevant: as digital tools evolve, are they making everyday tasks easier to understand and complete? The answer will depend on the particular service, its design and the needs of the people using it—not simply on whether it incorporates newer technology.
What Readers Should Know
- The publication: First Dog on the Moon’s cartoon appeared in The Guardian on 14 October 2026 under a headline questioning internet usability.
- The central idea: References to faxes and landlines use nostalgia and humour to challenge assumptions about digital convenience.
- The evidence limit: The cartoon is editorial satire, not empirical proof that the internet is becoming unusable or that AI is responsible.
Conclusion
First Dog on the Moon’s headline turns frustration with modern technology into a deliberately provocative question. Its central contrast asks readers to reconsider what progress should mean in a digitally dependent world.
The important issue is not whether everyone should return to faxes and landlines. It is whether the technologies people use today genuinely help them accomplish everyday tasks with less difficulty.
Sources and Further Reading
- Is the internet finally unusable? Time to go back to faxes and landlines — The Guardian — Original cartoon by First Dog on the Moon, published 14 October 2026.
