Per my considerations, the Fractal Aether resembles another term for consciousness. I find this discussion of the linked paper strongly parallels specific properties I have found pertinent to attributes of consciousness, particularly as it refers to certain features of the universe, such as the emergence of spacetime in non-gravitationally bound regions, vacuum pressure, quantum entanglement, the speed of light, gravity, dark energy and matter, and more. Particularly I am struck by the following discussion from the OP:

"Instead of being a physical substance like air or water, it is imagined as:

A network of connected nodes
Each node represents a tiny piece of physical information
The connections represent correlations between those pieces
The network is self-similar, meaning it looks statistically similar at many scales

Think of something closer to a neural network or fractal pattern than a material fluid."

There is much here I haven't yet grasped, and approach the linked paper with great anticipation that my own speculations will find substantial foundation in fractal propagation via collective communication.

Thanks!