Internetets

Internetets is a possessive form used in several Scandinavian languages to refer to something belonging to or associated with the Internet. It is formed from the definite noun form for “the Internet” (internetet, internettet, etc.) and the possessive suffix -s, yielding a phrase equivalent to “the Internet’s” in English.

In linguistic terms, internetet is the definite singular noun for the Internet, and internetets marks the genitive case. The exact spelling varies by language: Norwegian Bokmål and Danish typically use internettet with a possessive form internettets; Swedish often uses internetet as the definite form, followed by -s to create internetets. Capitalization can differ by style guide, but the grammatical function remains the same: attributing ownership or association to the Internet.

Usage tends to appear in formal or technical writing when discussing features, governance, infrastructure, or impact that are attributed to the Internet itself rather than to a specific organization or country. Examples include phrases like internetets infrastruktur (the Internet’s infrastructure) or internetets rolle i samfunnet (the Internet’s role in society). It does not denote a separate concept, but rather a grammatical construction used to talk about aspects belonging to the Internet as a system.

Beyond grammar, internetets can appear in translations and bilingual texts where the target language requires a genitive form of the definite noun. It is not a standalone entity or concept in itself; rather, it is a morphological tool for expressing possession related to the Internet.