Is Atheism on the rise?

[robvalue]

Yup For sure.

Remember that whether someone is an atheist or not is a description, and doesn't depend on how they describe themselves. So there are very likely large numbers of atheists who are unwilling or unable to "come out" about it, all over the world. Especially in highly oppressive religous countries.

I certainly agree the internet has been a death blow. Insular, ignorant environments are harder to maintain. And it's becoming more apparent that atheists are ordinary people and not the ridiculous strawmen they are often presented as in religous propaganda.