Last month large parts of Tonga were left without internet when an undersea cable was broken. It’s a scenario that is far more common than is understood

“Modern consumers have come to imagine the internet as something unseen in the atmosphere – an invisible “cloud” just above our heads, raining data down upon us. Because our devices aren’t tethered to any cables, many of us believe the whole thing is wireless, says Starosielski, but the reality is far more extraordinary…”