One way to think about the Internet: new options are created every day, and they succeed or fail (evolve) based on the environment -- that is to say, us, the  direct or indirect Internet users. Successful new options draw in more of  us,  to the point where we too evolve. 

Compared with other animals, proto-humans at some point developed culture, which allowed changes far faster than normal gene-based evolution. We came up with fire; tool-making; art; languages; domesticated animals; the planting of crops; clothing; the horse halter; metal working; cities; pictographic, ideographic and phonetic writing and on and on. 

That leads to the question: which of the epoch-making inventions of the past  is most analogous to the Internet: Cities? Language? Writing? The printing press? Donn Downing, who is planning to take the course, made an excellent video some time ago, in which he argues for the printing press. The video is well worth watching, if not without controversy.