For those who care about such things: The Associated Press Style gods will no longer consider the world “Internet” to be a capitalized, proper noun starting June 1 with the launch of the 2016 edition of the venerable AP Stylebook.
We will lowercase internet effective June 1, when the 2016 Stylebook launches. #ACES2016 pic.twitter.com/vv53323GL6
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) April 2, 2016
The divisive decision was announced Saturday on Twitter during the annual American Copy Editors Society convention in Portland. (Wisely, they waited until the day after April Fool’s Day to let the cat out of the bag.)
Also, we will lowercase web in all instances – web page, the web, web browser – effective June 1. #ACES2016
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) April 2, 2016
Many will see the change as simply adapting to natural shifts in common usage, while others will scream sacrilege. Others will just sniff and tease AP for thinking it remains relevant, or for using “lowercase” as a verb (although I don’t know a copy editor who hasn’t done so, and I know a lot of copy editors).
And the world keeps turning.