Most major websites are American owned, if not at least written in English. Facebook, Twitter, Google, Reddit — all are American companies that cater primarily to American audiences, even though all these websites have a worldwide user base.

But will the internet always be American dominated?

Some thinkers say no. For instance, Google recently restructured itself under the parent company Alphabet. This move not only allows the company to expand its field of vision to include things like driverless cars, but it also may allow the company to transcend its national identity and truly assert itself as a global force independent of American law and society.

Asking if the internet will always be American begs the long-held question of whether the internet will always be in English. Since most internet users are Americans or people doing business with America and most major social platforms are American companies, the answer for now is yes.

But English does not have to the language of the internet. As soon as English-speaking companies lose their control over the internet, the language of the web will become uncertain. Even now, foreign governments are becoming more mistrustful of American dominance over the internet. Some authoritarian countries like North Korea and Iran ban or limit the usage of American sites. However, it’s possible that in the future, especially with the new rise of nationalism in Europe that people will voluntarily shy away from American sites in favor of their own.

As the world becomes increasingly global and disordered, the exact identity of who controls the internet becomes more blurry.