Addendum

If you're wondering what kind of circle of mages would develop such a thing, probably one with access to the internet, to wit, time-travelers. Whether they're traveling forward or backward is beyond me to say.

A Future Story

One day, culinary historians will discover people of our era used cookie dough to make cookies. The public will not believe it. Eventually everyone on the internet will come to believe we never ate cookie dough directly. That's just how the world will continue to be.

Addendum

As for the other myths, the internet has made their meaning obvious. For thousands of years people wondered about the symbolic significance of, for instance, Cronos and his devouring of his children. Turns out it's just fetish stuff. All of it. We just didn't know people existed who liked that kind of thing.

Culture's Finite Advance

"Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships?" The man paced around the room, a significant undertaking given its size.
"They're stupid," someone remarked from a couch.
"Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships? They are an everlasting archive of human achievement. The entire internet year by year preserved in a series of annual superfreighters stationed beyond orbit so that they can also be reached without being touched by any contaminating updates. My private platform offers a free shuttle service, so it can't be the cost, which is what it usually comes down to. Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships?"
The earlier speaker shrugged. His analysis had not changed, and his employer did not require flattery, obsequiousness, or false hopes.
Therefore it was in all sincerity that another in the room offered a suggestion. "Advertise more?"
"I put it all over every journal of note, every journal not of note, every public libraryr, university, college, community college . . . You did see to that, didn't you?" A thumb rose above the couch. "There, you see?"
"Maybe more, um, popularly oriented advertising? With logos and taglines and celebrities. 'In space, you finally can has cheezburger.' That sort of thing."
"We can try," the pacer allowed.
Within a month, half the population of Earth had migrated to space colonies to shorten the trip to the museum fleet while half the contemporary internet's pages became abandoned for lack of interest.
Finis

Legibility

Some people have trouble getting into fantasy, what with the invented terminology and exotic names. In other words, the greatest contemporary fantasy universe is online drama. It's a cooperative work too, like Thieves' World.

Cyclical Trends in Science Fiction

I used to think all science fiction of a certain age suffered from not having the internet in it, but now I think we might get tired of it pretty soon, what with all the bots and the viruses and the fetish-dodging and so forth.

Addendum

Elementally speaking, the magic internet would probably be fire and air, and while you might think it's strife, it's definitely love.

Important Fantasy Worldbuilding Considerations

If we go with an arcane/divine distinction, and please remember that there isn't much reason to do so unless we're writing Dungeons and Dragons fanfiction, and if also we decide our fantasy setting can go ahead and have a magical internet, a defensible decision, I bet the clerics would have it, or if they both do, theirs would be better. Wizards would keep sending each other faxes.

Addendum

That's why you should name things with internet searches in mind. Instead of Guerdon, call your thingy Guerdon DYNAMITE, for example. You have to pay me if you use that example.

The History of Fables

Once upon a time, people made up fables. Later, Microsoft released a game called that, so we all agreed not to put anything on the internet which would complicate searches about getting the best weapons and which property to buy first. The end.

Making Your Science Fiction Less Sterile

Replace the hivemind with a jivemind. Now that your science fiction seems twee instead, it's ready for Tiktok.

Alien Motivations

"We've finally caught you, space alien! Those decades of coverups were worth it."
The FBI agents sneered at the small gray humanoid tied to the chair.
"How about it, space alien? What do you want? Why were you skulking around the launch site?"
The alien spoke. "We want to find out how you got to your moon. It's so cool. We just bounce around planets. And what's with that internet? How do you guys come up with this stuff? Maybe you have to have cats. We don't have those. Can I have a cat?"
The agents stared at one another.
Finis

The Biggest Obstacles to Space Colonies

The people who live there have to not care about the freshest internet memes, but everybody with the skills to make it work cares deeply.

Modern Etiquette

How long is it appropriate to wait before putting up the internet video about how the Borderlands movie was underappreciated in its day? I already have the script written.

Addendum

The internet sent it over. Never mind. There aren't problems in the world anymore.

Addendum

I would have gone with Three Nopes, but I think that usage of "nope" is already dead. And Three Copes doesn't make sense if you think about it, which I know we all prefer not to.

The Sociology of Space Colonization

On Mars, the internet
Is different.
They don't have pictures of cats.
They have pictures of Mars cats.