In addition to dull life, office workers also complain that the Internet breakdown has made their work less efficient, rendering online communication with their overseas business partners impossible.

"The breakdown clearly shows that the world is so closely linked together that a cable breakdown in Taiwan can impact many parts of the world," said Zhou Jia, a businessman in Shanghai.

According to experts, the fundamental reason for the syndrome is that many people's lives have become dependent on the Internet.

"For many people, frustrated interpersonal relationships in reality have led them to choose the virtual world for consolation," said Xia Xueluan, a sociology professor at Peking University.

"When one channel is cut off, they will feel greatly uneasy and try to find alternatives," said Xia.

In fact, millions of netizens have turned to La-Va and QQ, two major domestic online chatting tools, to communicate since Tuesday, reported Chinese-language newspapers.

Experts also called for emergency measures to curb sudden Internet collapse and minimize its influence on Internet users.

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