The defining feature of Internapolicity is the commodification of belief. In a pre-internet age, political engagement was often local, tangible, and occasionally boring. It involved town halls, pamphlets, and voting. Today, Internapolicity demands a 24/7 performance.
The traditional Westphalian model of sovereignty, where a single state exerts exclusive policy authority over a defined territory, is increasingly inadequate for describing contemporary governance. This paper introduces the concept of —a portmanteau of internal , policy , and polity —to describe a new mode of regulation where policy is generated internally within non-state entities (e.g., digital platforms, transnational corporations, algorithmic systems) yet produces external, binding effects on physical populations. We argue that Internapolicity manifests through three core mechanisms: algorithmic norm-setting, contractual citizenship, and jurisdictional layering. Using case studies from content moderation (Facebook’s Oversight Board), decentralized finance (DeFi protocols), and smart city infrastructure, this paper demonstrates that Internapolicity is not a failure of state law but a parallel system of co-governance. We conclude by proposing a research agenda for democratic accountability within internapolitan systems. internapolicity
The governance model shifts from reactive policy-making to predictive algorithms. Civic dashboards monitor everything from structural stress on bridges to the air quality indices of individual alleys. When anomalies are detected within a specific network segment, maintenance drones are deployed before a physical failure occurs. 3. Challenges and Structural Vulnerabilities Today, Internapolicity demands a 24/7 performance