(Book review by Christine Riosen, fellow at UVA’s Inbstitute for Advanced Studies in Culture) Most people assume they know what the internet is. But if asked to describe its power, its reach or its history, most of us will lapse into easy metaphor: We call it a “web,” a “virtual public square” or “the cloud,” to name a few common terms. In “The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is,” Justin E.H. Smith, a professor of history and the philosophy of science at the University of Paris, asks how our use of such metaphors informs our understanding—and misunderstanding—of the internet.