Internet Social Sciences

An emerging interdisciplinary field studying social phenomena on and through the internet—how online communities form, how identity is constructed digitally, how power operates in networked spaces. Internet Social Sciences combine sociology, anthropology, communication studies, and data science to understand human behavior in digital environments. It asks: How do social norms emerge online? What is community in the absence of co-presence? How does the internet amplify or mitigate inequality?

"They studied the TikTok community like anthropologists studying a tribe—rituals, language, hierarchies, conflicts. That's Internet Social Sciences: applying the tools of social science to digital worlds. The internet isn't separate from society; it's society transformed. Understanding it requires new methods, new theories, new questions."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026

Internet Human Sciences

An interdisciplinary field applying humanities perspectives to internet phenomena—studying digital culture, online identity, virtual ethics, and the human experience of networked life. Internet Human Sciences draw on philosophy, history, literary theory, and cultural studies to ask: What does it mean to be human online? How do digital technologies shape our sense of self, community, and meaning? What stories do we tell about the internet, and what stories does the internet tell about us?

"She analyzed Twitter threads as literature—narrative structure, character development, dramatic arcs. That's Internet Human Sciences: treating digital expression as human expression worthy of humanistic study. The internet isn't just data; it's culture, meaning, story. Understanding it requires the humanities as much as the sciences."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026

Internet Cognitive Sciences

An interdisciplinary field studying how the internet affects cognition—attention, memory, reasoning, and decision-making in digital environments. Internet Cognitive Sciences combine psychology, neuroscience, and human-computer interaction to ask: Does the internet change how we think? Is attention fragmenting? Is memory outsourcing to devices changing what we remember? How does online interaction shape social cognition?

"She couldn't remember phone numbers anymore—why remember when the phone remembers? Internet Cognitive Sciences asks: what happens to memory when it's externalized? What happens to attention when it's constantly divided? The internet isn't just a tool; it's an environment, and environments shape cognition."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026

Running the Internet Gauntlet

The most extreme form of digital gauntlet, where a person is targeted across multiple platforms, communities, and media simultaneously. Running the Internet Gauntlet involves being doxxed, harassed, and condemned everywhere—Twitter, Reddit, Discord, YouTube, even in real life. The gauntlet follows you across the entire internet: every platform you visit has people waiting to attack; every post you make attracts abuse; every aspect of your life is exposed and weaponized. Running the Internet Gauntlet is the digital equivalent of being made an outlaw—stripped of all protection, all community, all peace. It can last for years, as screenshots circulate forever and new waves of harassment are triggered by any attempt to re-emerge. Those who survive the internet gauntlet are often permanently changed, unable to participate in online life without fear.

Running the Internet Gauntlet Example: "She made a video that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Soon she was running the internet gauntlet: Twitter threads dissecting her every word, Reddit communities sharing her personal information, Discord servers coordinating harassment campaigns, YouTube videos mocking her. She couldn't go anywhere online without being attacked. She deleted everything, changed her name, disappeared. The internet gauntlet had consumed her life."

by Dumu The Void March 7, 2026