over the Internet

This might be a simple question, but what do you think "over" means here?

mo1-27)There seems to be a difference in how males and females make use of instant messaging—a way of interpersonal communication system used for sending and receiving written text over the Internet. Researcher Naomi Baron of American University found that instant messages from males

By means of. Utilizing. Via.

I send information about my company over the net.
He told me loved me over the phone.
Can we talk over Skype? (Note, also "Can we talk on Skype?")