Did The Simpsons Really Predict an Internet Shutdown on January 16, 2025?

The Simpsons' remarkable ability to seemingly foretell future events has led to decades of praise (and meme-ification). The renowned animated series has shocked viewers with its predictions about anything from smartwatches to Donald Trump's presidency. The most recent online rumor, however, is that The Simpsons foretold a worldwide internet outage on January 16, 2025.

Let's examine this widely circulated hypothesis, disentangle fact from fiction, and discover the real meaning of this purported forecast.

The Viral Allegation: A Worldwide Internet Outage

The Simpsons supposedly prophesied a disastrous scenario in which a big shark destroys underwater internet connections, resulting in a global internet blackout on January 16, 2025, according to circulating reports and social media posts.

A few edited snippets that are credited to the program show:

• Underwater cables are being bitten by a shark.
• Characters talking about a breakdown of global communication.
• TV screens broadcasting headlines about a shutdown of the internet.

The hitch is that these snippets aren't taken from any Simpsons episodes.

The Truth: Dispelling the Myth After more research, it is evident that this assertion is untrue.

1. There isn't a single episode of The Simpsons with a shark-caused internet blackout. The show has over 700 episodes.

2. Edited Footage: The widely shared movies and pictures are significantly altered, fusing real-life Simpsons scenes with either doctored or faked captions.

3. Spread of False Information: It seems that this myth is just another instance of how The Simpsons' reputation for making accurate forecasts has been inflated in order to increase clicks and social media interaction.

Why Do People Take The Simpsons Predictions Seriously?

The Simpsons is one of the longest-running television programs in history, having debuted in 1989. It frequently touches on futuristic or unlikely events in its vast library and sarcastic view of society. Some of these scenarios have coincidentally matched actual events over time.

Well-known Simpsons "predictions" consist of:

• Long before smartphones and smartwatches were commonplace, the event showcased cutting-edge technology.
• Donald Trump's Presidency: In 2016, an unexpected joke from an episode from 2000 came to pass.
• Disney's Fox Acquisition: predicted in an episode from 1998.

Nevertheless, a lot of purported forecasts are either made up or overstated by enthusiasts.

The Actual Science Behind Internet Failures

The thought of an internet blackout isn't completely unrealistic, even though this assertion is untrue.

• Underwater Cables: Most global internet traffic relies on a network of undersea cables. Damage to these cables (caused by natural disasters, human activity, or even marine life) can disrupt connectivity in specific regions.
• Cyberattacks: Large-scale cyberattacks targeting internet infrastructure have caused temporary outages in the past.

But a worldwide internet blackout caused by a shark? Highly unlikely.

Why This Myth Spread So Quickly

1. Viral Appeal:
   The Simpsons’ reputation for predictions made the claim inherently intriguing.

2. Fear of Technology Dependency:
   In a world heavily reliant on the internet, the idea of a global outage taps into widespread anxieties.

3. Social Media Amplification:
   Platforms like TikTok and Twitter thrive on sensational content, and this theory was no exception.

No, The Simpsons Didn’t Predict an Internet Shutdown

The claim that The Simpsons predicted a global internet blackout on January 16, 2025, is nothing more than a hoax. While the show has a knack for occasionally aligning with real-world events, this particular story is a product of creative editing and internet misinformation.