Not by using any means that would get me put on a terror watch list (targeting infrastructure is just so gauche), nor by counting on a well-placed comet or convenient thermonuclear cataclysm to bring about the end of civilization (which would presumably also take care of the Internet, though the spammers would probably find a way to survive, just to spite us).

Instead, since we in the post-industrial West have gotten so dependent on the Internet, I’m looking at scenarios where society, as a whole, is scared, discouraged, or otherwise convinced to give up the Internet.

Since this is squarely in the realm of science fiction, it’s only natural that we find a few examples waiting for us:

* The Internet as a direct cause of sickness: The movie Johnny Mnemonic (which, other than the name and a few plot points, has practically nothing to with the original short story) brought us a debilitating “Nerve Attenuation Syndrome” (a.k.a. The Black Shakes).

While there’s a modern day analog in those folks who claim they’re allergic to wi-fi (these people are collectively known as “whackjobs”), NAS was a sickness caused by technological society as a whole, rather than Internet usage in particular. But we’re on the right track.

* The Internet as a vector of sickness: While the visual virus of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash comes to mind immediately (a binary bitmap, resembling “snow” on a TV screen, that irrevocably crashed the brain of any computer programmer who looked at), a more interesting concept that predated it is the basilisk, introduced by David Langford in his short story BLIT.

Named for the basilisk of mythology (a creature that killed with its gaze), Langford’s basilisk was an image, originally discovered in a fractal pattern, that the human brain simply couldn’t handle, killing anyone who viewed it. Simple enough to be spray-paint stenciled on walls, it also caused the transmission of images over the Internet to become a crime punishable by death, as noted in the notional comp.basilisk.faq, a USENET newsgroup FAQ set in a world where the basilisk is a real threat, the Internet is plain text only, and TV is a memory.

The only real-world equivalent we have (and it’s a stretch) would be the use of images on “shock sites” (look it up in Wikipedia, I’m not even going to link the article, since even the written descriptions are gross), shown to unsuspecting users to freak them out.

While the phrases, “I’m scarred for life,” “I hate you for showing me that,” “eye bleach” and “unicorn chaser” are often uttered by people exposed to shock sites, they still wouldn’t be able to bring Internet usage to a grinding halt, though they could, just like a Rickroll, devalue the link economy, albeit locally, temporarily — by training people not to click on links, you might slow the usage of the Internet, but nothing yet is going to roll it back. Not even spam.

Until that comet hits, of course.

Do you have a way to ruin the Internet? (Besides spam.) Leave a comment.

Last week Jeff shared his ideas on why he sees open innovation as the future.

Connie: How did your background lead you into social media?

Jeff: I had a career in radio from early to mid 90’s & worked my way up. I was creative & always looking for the next thing & I could see how radio was changing with the advent of the rise of the internet.

Connie: What changes did you see?

Jeff: As a radio producer we sent & received audio by reels in a box; then on cd’s & still mailing them; & finally we were emailing mp3 files.

When I got involved with satellite radio, I fell in love with web 1.0. Then as I worked thru Y2K I was fascinated with Yahoo, Cisco, & Dell. I realized how the internet was changing the face of business.

Connie: What was the tipping point to shift you into social media?

Jeff: I operated a website & worked with the community doing podcasting. Fourteen months ago “Radio left me” and I transitioned into social media full time.

An article in Business 2.0 magazine sparked my attention. The article in the Oct 05 issue focused on how companies tap into consumer passion. Everything clicked for me. The question was: How are companies going to find their brand enthusiasts & connect with them? So I started blogging at www.consumerpassion.com

Connie: What is your definition of open innovation?

Jeff: When a business goes outside of it’s normal boundaries to gather ideas from consumers, clients, & employees. It’s a matter of being open for innovation & telling them that you’re open to feedback then listening & responding. Related terms are user generated content & crowd sourcing.

There are many examples of this being used as a business model:

Threadless, Zazzles, Crowdspring

Bell Canada leverages ideas from staff.

Dell Ideastorm gathers ideas from customers.

I’m a reseller for SuggestionBox.com which allows a company to gather suggestions from their customers. Other examples are GetSatisfaction.com, BrightIdea (enterprise level) & Salesforce

Connie: Open innovation needs a different mindset and company culture than traditional or closed innovation. How can companies bridge that?

Jeff: The article’s point was that people are talking about you. Are you going to meet them where they are, welcome them? & be listening?

The web is the great leveler. It allows small businesses to seem bigger & big businesses to seem more intimate. Small businesses can use the same tools that the big businesses are using

Connie: What do you see as the challenges?

Jeff: Over 40% of small businesses still don’t have a website. They may have an email addresses. I provide businesses with guidance to get into listening & responding. When I attend events I put “open innovation evangelist” on my tag to get the conversation started!

Thanks to Jeff for his time in sharing his passion about open innovation. It was quite apparent in talking with him that he’s enthusiastic about the future for small businesses online.

You can find Jeff at BrickAndClickConsulting.com & ConsumerPassion.com