the proper metaphor for the internet

my mind is wandering from my paper, and from a long day of work. in a moment of weakness, i picked up the most recent copy of the atlantic that came today.

the cover story is called "is google making us stoopid?" it's about how the internet has changed the way we read, and therefore, how we think overall. the author talks about the inability to concentrate on longer books or blog posts--anything requiring a lot of mental focus, really. i can relate. this blog post and my failure/inability to focus on my paper at the moment i type this is a result of the same phenomenon.

it led me to post a question i've been meaning to put up here for a while: what is the most fitting description of what the internet is? is it an undercurrent of data, that pushes information along; or is it more like an overlay, augmenting the world and describing it in minute detail? is it both? or is it something else?

let me know your thoughts in the comments.

UPDATE: removed bad first title i chose.