Analog and digital electronics are a very underrated tool for survival. For quite literally about 1.00 in parts, one can create a small radio transmitter capable of transmitting a mile or so, or a digital timer device for whatever uses. Both seem very handy to be able to do.
Radio has been the backbone of Military and Commercial communication for right about 100 years now. TV is radio. So is a wireless computer network. So is Satellite TV, and the Microwave Oven. So is the cellphone and CB. The point here is this technology is universally useful, both within and without society.
Consider a scenario with 5 people trying to stay somewhat seperated and move in the same direction staying nearby one another. These individuals would be far better off with 5 children's walkie talkies than with nothing.
Computers and the Internet are here to stay. With computers doing everything from displaying the output from cheap (10-20.00) digital cameras, to controlling lights and home appliances the technology is cheap and too versatile to ignore.
I consider this topic somewhat seperate from the internet. I imagine somewhere there is a paranoid survivalist with his whole house wired with ethernet cables who is only online through one computer that does not even connect to his household network.
I also envision a scenario with him and his buddy having a point to point link using wireless ethernet and pringles cans for a private directional wireless encrypted link between their household defense perimeters. Even if the first person decided to cancel his AOL subscription, they would still both enjoy the benefits of all this internet technology in their closed community, and just neglecting to invite or inform Big Brother.
Ever had your car break for a simple reason and not have the simple tool that would make the incident painless?
Tools are wonderful things. The ability to turn a screw or drill a hole or nibble away metal is a low cost way to expand ones ability to quite literally manipulate his external environment.
While the Internet is no friend to anyone's privacy, it is a wonderful research tool. I dont bank on it always being available in it's local form, so I make sure to have a usable copy of the invaluable references I find, kept locally.
Where this of course ends is the part where I advise you to create a reference area on your hard drive and proactively fill it with whatever info you feel will help you be better prepared, keep it on a laptop and figure out how to use solar cells to keep it running autonomously. Compared to the wieght of books and the computers versatility, the books lose. Besides books can get wet, as easily as laptops break. And there have been millions of PC's made so which is more durable or versatile between books and computers is very debatable.