Some embodiments of this disclosure operate a network device in conjunction with a social networking system. The operations can include establishing a network island by providing network connectivity in a local region via the network device; connecting the network device to an intermittent network channel that is not continuously active; when the intermittent network channel is active, receiving a content item via the intermittent network channel, wherein the content items is not destined for a specific device in the network island; and caching the content item in a cache storage of the network device such that the content item is available to be accessed by any computing device within the network island.