My usage of the internet really isn't that much different from my usage of the automobile. I don't know why you think it's a proper noun. It's just the name of the thing.
Seek ye not consistency in the rules of the English language; that way lies madness.
Whereas in the speculative future, people are unlikely to say they live on the Mars (etc).
Ming the Merciless sidestepped the issue by labeling his buttons in capital letters. [1]
[1] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9E0myUALKw/UIRPUfNFiBI/AAAAAAAABE...