The problem with the internet is that it is flat. Society has hierarchies, has always had hierarchies, and the architecture (in the broadest sense) of "RL" societies reflected that.

Internet came out of military and academia and had a flat namespace. No consideraton whatsoever was given to the idea of a 'social model' for it. This was discussed way back in late '90s in a yahoo group that has since disappeared: social models for communication networks.