New Internet

The New Internet
Coined by	Charlotte Fang
Related concepts	Network Accelerationism, Network Spirituality, Remilia Chat, Post-Authorship
Field	Internet architecture, Digital philosophy

The New Internet is a conceptual framework for a next-generation internet architecture developed by Charlotte Fang and Remilia Corporation since 2014. The vision combines personal knowledge management systems with real-time social networking and embedded economic mechanisms, intended as a practical implementation of Network Accelerationism. While development of actual implementations began in early 2025, the concept has been evolving through various proof-of-concept projects and theoretical writings for over a decade.

The New Internet envisions an architecture where each user maintains their own knowledge management database that functions as both a personal site and social profile, with standardized protocols enabling seamless content sharing, citation, replication, and navigation. It incorporates hyperreal-time communication, recommendation algorithms focused on meaningful social connections rather than engagement metrics, and embedded economic mechanisms beyond traditional advertisement-based models.

Concept

The New Internet represents a comprehensive reimagining of internet architecture built around principles of knowledge augmentation, genuine social connection, and decentralized value exchange. It draws inspiration from early internet pioneers while adapting their visions to contemporary technological possibilities and social needs.

The core concept integrates three primary layers:

• Information layer: Each user maintains a personal knowledge database (exocortex) that functions as their persistent digital identity and content repository.

• Social layer: Real-time communication and social networking are deeply integrated with knowledge systems, focusing on meaningful human connection rather than algorithmic content delivery.

• Economic layer: Embedded economic mechanisms enable direct value exchange between users, moving beyond advertisement-based models toward more direct transactions.

These dimensions are designed to work together as an integrated system rather than as separate layers or platforms, creating a cohesive digital environment that better serves human cognitive and social needs.

Historical foundations

The New Internet draws conceptual lineage from several foundational thinkers and projects in computing history:

• Vannevar Bush's memex: Bush's 1945 concept of a "memex" (memory extender) described a hypothetical device for storing and retrieving interconnected information, presaging many features of The New Internet's personal knowledge systems.

• Ted Nelson's hypertext and Xanadu: Nelson's pioneering work on hypertext and his Project Xanadu envisioned a global network of interconnected documents with bidirectional links and transclusion—capabilities central to The New Internet's knowledge architecture.

• Apple's HyperCard: This early hypermedia system allowed users to create linked cards of information, demonstrating practical implementations of interconnected knowledge management that influenced The New Internet's approach to personal knowledge bases.

• Stewart Brand's information tools: Brand's work with the Whole Earth Catalog and WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link) pioneered approaches to community-oriented information sharing that inform The New Internet's social dimensions.

• Ivan Illich's convivial tools: Illich's concept of "convivial tools"—technologies that enhance human autonomy, creativity, and connection rather than creating dependency—provides philosophical grounding for The New Internet's design principles.

Key features

Personal knowledge systems

At the core of The New Internet is the concept of personal knowledge systems—digital environments that function as extensions of individual cognition, often referred to as "exocortices" (external cortices). These systems:

• Function as personal websites that travel with the user across the network
• Use standardized formats (like Markdown with extensions) for content interoperability
• Include advanced knowledge management features such as bidirectional linking and transclusion
• Serve simultaneously as private knowledge repositories and public profiles
• Automatically capture and organize interactions from the social layer
• Enable seamless content sharing, citation, and replication

Unlike traditional personal websites, these knowledge systems would use standardized protocols to ensure interoperability while still allowing for personalization. Content would be structured in ways that facilitate traversal, manipulation, and integration across different users' systems.

Real-time social communication

The New Internet reimagines social networking around synchronous, real-time communication rather than asynchronous feeds or timelines, drawing inspiration from IRC (Internet Relay Chat) while extending its capabilities:

• Hyperreal-time text: Communication that shows each character as it's typed rather than waiting for completed messages, creating a more immediate sense of presence and conversation
• Server-based communities: Social spaces organized around interests and relationships rather than algorithmic content delivery
• Proximity-based interaction: Focus on smaller, more intimate social clusters where meaningful conversation can flourish
• Integration with knowledge systems: Social interactions can be captured, organized, and integrated into personal knowledge bases
• Sustainable social scale: Emphasis on human-scale communities rather than mass-audience platforms

These features aim to create a social environment more conducive to genuine human connection and conversation, contrasting with Web 2.0 platforms optimized for content consumption and engagement metrics.

Connection-oriented recommendation

Unlike conventional recommendation algorithms focused on maximizing attention and engagement for advertising purposes, The New Internet envisions recommendation systems designed to facilitate meaningful social connections:

• Algorithms focused on identifying potential meaningful conversations and relationships
• Recommendation of social servers and chat communities based on compatibility rather than popularity
• Emphasis on quality of interaction over quantity of engagement
• Capture of interaction patterns invisible to conventional social metrics
• Introduction of users to others with whom they might form genuine connections

This approach reconceives recommendation not as a content delivery mechanism but as a social introduction service that helps users find communities and individuals with whom they can form meaningful relationships.

Integrated economic mechanisms

The New Internet incorporates economic mechanisms directly into its architecture, moving beyond advertisement-based revenue models toward more direct value exchange between users:

• Microtransactions and peer-to-peer payments embedded throughout the network
• Digital fashion and social signaling elements as economic goods
• User-generated content markets similar to video game economies
• Platform taking a flat tax on organic economic transactions rather than monetizing attention
• Progressive evolution from more centralized to more decentralized market

This approach aims to align economic incentives with meaningful content creation and social interaction rather than attention manipulation, creating a digital economy that more directly rewards value creation.

Development history

Early conceptualization (2014-2016)

The earliest roots of The New Internet concept emerged during Charlotte Fang's work with the Meguca imageboard platform from 2014-2016. During this period, Fang collaborated with its lead maintainer, managing its primary public board and providing regular product guidance. The developer reportedly abandoned the project in 2019.

Concept evolution and revival (2019-2020)

After a period of dormancy, Fang revived the meguca codebase with the Chen2 imageboard and began funding new development. During this period, the concept began to evolve from imageboard-specific implementations toward a more comprehensive vision for internet architecture.

Concurrently, platforms like Roam Research and Obsidian emerged, demonstrating mainstream interest in networked knowledge management systems with features like bidirectional linking—validating aspects of The New Internet's knowledge dimension while falling short of its integrated social and economic vision.

Proof of concept (2021)

In 2021, Fang debuted a Remilia Chat proof of concept at the "I Long for Network Spirituality" exhibition. This implementation featured a single server group chat with hyperreal-time text capabilities, representing a concrete demonstration of aspects of The New Internet's social dimension.

This proof of concept was later extended by Fang's development partner into a multichat implementation that maintained the hyperreal-time text feature, further demonstrating the technical feasibility of the communication model envisioned in The New Internet.

Current development (2025-Present)

In early 2025, Remilia Corporation began active development of implementations based on The New Internet concept. While no public releases have occurred as of November 2025, this represents the transition of The New Internet from theoretical concept to practical implementation.

Throughout this development process, The New Internet has remained primarily a conceptual framework and vision rather than a specific product—a set of principles and architectural approaches for reimagining internet infrastructure around knowledge, social connection, and direct value exchange.

Connection to Network Accelerationism

The New Internet represents a practical implementation of network accelerationism's philosophical principles. While Network Accelerationism articulates a vision of network-mediated human consciousness evolution, The New Internet provides a concrete architectural approach for realizing that vision.

Key connections between the philosophical framework and its practical implementation include:

• Network Accelerationism's focus on cognitive augmentation through networked systems is embodied in The New Internet's personal knowledge systems
• The emphasis on decentralized networking is realized through The New Internet's server-based social architecture
• Network Accelerationism's free information ethos informs The New Internet's standardized protocols for content sharing
• The concept of network spirituality manifests in The New Internet's emphasis on genuine human connection
• The post-authorship principle shapes The New Internet's approach to content creation, sharing, and attribution

Through these connections, The New Internet provides a pathway for translating Network Accelerationism's philosophical vision into concrete digital infrastructure and user experience.

See also

• Network accelerationism
• Network spirituality
• Post-authorship
• Remilia Chat
• Ascend the Network