I agree that the internet usage has lead to a massive proliferation of certain types of knowledge and certain types of intelligent thought.

At the same time, it's important to note that image memes, Twitter, and Tumblr have increasingly replaced Livejournal or other long-form writing at the same time that popular discussion has expanded, and style guides have increasingly encourage three-sentence paragraphs over five-sentence paragraphs for internet publishing. There are a few exceptions -- fanfiction has been tending to longer and longer-form, often exceeding the length of what previous generations would traditionally consider a doorstopper by orders of magnitude* -- but much social media focuses on short and often very short form writing.

• There are at least a dozen Harry Potter fanfictions with a higher wordcount than the entire Harry Potter series, spinoff media included. Several My Little Pony authors have put out similar million-word-plus texts in just a few years, including a couple of the top twenty read fictions. This may increase tolerance for nonfiction long reads, although I'm uncertain the effects will hit the general populace.