Interstellar Media Distribution
On most colonized planets of Elyrion, internets made up of ground-based cables and satellite constellations allow for communications between any connected devices with latency less than 100 milliseconds. The combination of fast internet and cheap cloud storage means that diverse media environments involving both companies and individuals producing various kinds of content, which can often be shared and engaged with live. Movies can be streamed, newspapers read, forum posts debated, and selfies sent viral with very little effort.
High-bandwidth radio and laser-based communications allow such networks to extend to multiple planets within the same star system. However, speed-of-light delay (~1-10 seconds within planetary orbits, minutes to hours between planets) means that live interaction is not generally possible. While streaming and multiplayer video games do not function, an approximation of planetary internet can be maintained (although frequently only a subset of content will be automatically synchronized unless requested by a local user).
At interstellar scales, this system becomes totally inflatable. While under ideal conditions systems close enough for direct starsong communication can experience latency as low as 15 minutes planet-to-planet, such conditions are rare, and latencies of hours or days are far more common. In addition, the low bandwidth of starsong networks means that only high-value content such as news bulletins is regularly transmitted automatically. Bulk data transit by starship is far cheaper per byte, but in those cases latency of weeks is not uncommon. Therefore, the user-facing internets of Elyrion have tremendous diversity across space, both in the content they provide and the way they are accessed. The dynamics of synchronization across star systems depends strongly on distance and media type, as well as the attitudes of local governments.
Conventional Media
Conventional media refers content created by a business targeted for individual consumption, such as movies, tv shows, video games, and books. While bulk data transport has fairly high upfront costs, media companies are frequently happy to distribute their wares as widely as possible. In general, only the largest companies deal with interstellar distribution directly; most studios contract with dedicated interstellar distributing companies who arrange the actual data transport aboard ships, and either buy the rights to a work out-of-system outright, or charge an upfront fee before distributing revenue to the creators at regular intervals.
These interstellar publishers tend not to deal with smaller creators at all unless they have proven their success in their local system, although in regions where barriers to shipping are low, this bar is relatively easy to clear. Low-data media types, such as books, music albums, and 2d video games, are generally easier to have distributed than more data-intensive ones.
User-centered Media
Forum posts, blog articles, captioned selfies, the hijinks of exotic pets, and similar content produced by individuals and hosted by corporate platforms is rarely transmitted between star systems on a regular basis. "Meme traders," who skim the local nets for the most popular content and transport it to nearby systems with similar online cultures and suitable monetization schemes exist, but rarely operate at significant scale. The most common way for this "casual internet" to be transmitted between systems is aboard the data caches of starships on other business. Independent ships, aether survey vessels, and transports with local entertainment systems represent the bulk of such transmission, and for closely-linked systems, this can result in substantial synchronization of popular accounts, forums, and zines. The personal devices of interstellar passengers play a lesser, but non-negligible role in this process.
Often, when an independent content creator becomes popular enough, their work will be spread by this means between systems. If it takes off in its new digital culture, and the local net permits appropriate monetization, the creator may be able to leverage their success into a contract for regular transport of their work. This mechanism produces new interstellar mini-celebrities with regularity, although for those not already supporting themselves through their work, it is rare for this sort of breakout to translate into long-term profitability or success.
Independent transmission of this sort also frequently produces net celebrities and memes which spread far and wide across the galaxy purely on their innate virality; the original creators, often anonymous and without monetary interest, rarely discover their creation's notoriety.
Technical Materials
Content such as scientific and medical journals, textbooks, and technical software and help forums are frequently synchronized across regions by providers who charge subscriptions for access, typically in addition to any regular fees from the original content provider. In some cases, universities or corporations will pay for the distribution of a work, typically in an effort to boost uptake of a new technology or service. Academic consortium often negotiate special rates for the distribution of scientific writing and software.
Index Distribution
In addition to the distribution of media, interstellar data distributors will typically make available "indexes" of data available in systems served by them or by associated providers, and will distribute these widely and cheaply. These indexes typically contain extensive lists of websites, software, and content with brief descriptions; users can then pay a fee for the data to be shipped. Index distribution is often handled by interstellar publishers, most ships carry some net indexes between systems automatically. This "mail-order" system is often the only way to gain access to all but the most seminal content from distant worlds, and often takes months for request completion.
