The article focuses on the Internet as a new public space. Though more than this, the Internet is also such a space, and this can be considered one of the most significant innovative dimensions of this medium. The first section presents the general framework for the analysis (evolutionary media theory), arguing that the development of any specific medium is closely connected to the developments in the overall media structure (co-evolution, not convergence). The second section focuses on major differences in the development of the Internet, both in a global perspective (high and low penetration, access forms) and between countries with a high penetration. Three models of cultural selection are identified: an American, an Asian and a North European model. The third section examines the reciprocal relations between the innovation of Internet technology and the development of public space in countries with general access to the Internet.