What if the Internet goes out?

Once I've secured my post-apocalypse essential supplies, I'll be mining Bitcoin with my graphite pencil.

One recurring objection to Bitcoin - especially in comparison to physical metals (gold & silver) or even physical fiat cash notes is "Well what if the Internet goes out? Isn't Bitcoin unusable then?". Whether the cause is a government conspiracy, solar electromagnetic pulse, apocalyptic nuclear war or some other hypothesis as to how a total Internet blackout would occur, the answer is still the same.

Firstly, Bitcoin is just information. It's theoretically possible for the entire Bitcoin network to run just with pens & paper. That would be enough to store, send, receive & even mine Bitcoin. Of course that's nowhere near practical, but the point is that Bitcoin as a technology is resilient. The existence of any kind of communication method, whether it be radio signals or letters sent by pidgeon, is theoretically enough to run Bitcoin. Furthermore, in any kind of partial Internet outage, Bitcoin is going to fare far better & recover quicker (due to its distributed, replicated, open-source nature) than any fiat banking system of electronic commerce.

Secondly, if the Internet is out - everywhere in the globe, permanently & for a sustained period - societal collapse will arrive immediately & brutally. Everyone will have far bigger problems than the value of their Bitcoin, which will be worthless. Gold bars or fiat notes will likewise be absolutely worthless. The only relevant (usable &/or tradeable) resources in such a scenario will be: guns/bullets, tinned food, fresh water & medical supplies. If you're concerned about such an event, it's a far better investment to acquire stockpiles of essential supplies & means for protecting them than any form of societally recognised currency.

This argument is simple & bulletproof (pun intended), yet this criticism of Bitcoin is perpetually brought up by people usually unaware that 99% of society's existing money is already digital or that have a prepper-fantasy of being post-collapse gold barons. Although The Bitcoin Cash Podcast recommends to be prepared for any & all contigencies, in the case of a sustained, global internet outage - neither gold bars nor Bitcoin will be of any help.

Invest in lead instead.