The Global Internet Is Pulling Apart

The early rise of the internet is usually told as an extension of globalization. New networking technology made instantaneous communication possible, complementing and accelerating international commerce and cultural exchange. As in the rest of the world economy, the U.S. was unusually influential online, exporting not just technology but culture and political norms with it. The alternative story of the rise of the internet was exemplified by China, which limited the reach of western tech companies, maintained strict control over its domestic networks, and started building a parallel internet-centric economy of its own. And contra western reporting suggesting that this was purely an exercise in isolationism and control, in 2025, the international influence of the Chinese internet and tech companies—as evidenced by the growth and semi-seizure of TikTok—is enormous. In that context—and the context of America’s renewed trade war—it shouldn’t be surprising that more countries are taking a second look at digital sovereignty and that the global internet as we knew it is pulling apart.