What the internet is
How the internet connects the world, how a message travels, and the difference between the internet and the web.
What is the internet, and how does a message get from your phone to a friend? The internet is a giant network that connects billions of computers and phones all around the world. Because they're connected, they can share messages, pictures, videos and information in seconds.
How a message travels
Let's follow a message you send to a friend. You type a message and press send. Your phone sends it as a radio signal to the nearest mobile mast, or to your Wi-Fi router. From there, it travels across the internet, much of it along cables, including cables under the sea. It reaches the app's big computers, called servers, which pass it on. And it arrives on your friend's phone, often in less than a second.
The internet and the web
People often mix up two words. The internet is the network itself, like the roads that information travels on. The web, or world wide web, is the collection of websites you visit in a browser. It's one of many things that travel on the internet, along with email, chats and video calls.
New word: Website
A website is a collection of pages on the internet, and every website has its own address. For example, Tokanny Faith Foundation dot org is the website of Tokanny Faith Foundation.
What people use the internet for
People use the internet to learn, with courses like this one, videos, and answers to questions. To talk to family and friends with chats, calls and email. To find work, sell things and get paid. And to use services like banking, paying bills and government websites.
Quick check
Quick check. Is the internet the same thing as the web? No. The internet is the network, and the web is the websites that travel on it. Options: Yes, they are exactly the same; No. The web is websites; the internet is the network they travel on.
Recap
The internet is a giant network connecting computers and phones around the world. Messages travel through masts or routers, cables, and servers. The web is the websites you visit in your browser. And every website has its own address.
Key points
- The internet is a giant network that connects billions of computers and phones.
- Your messages travel by radio signal to a mast or router, then through cables and servers to the other person.
- The web is the websites you visit in a browser. It's one of many things that use the internet, along with email, chats and calls.
- A website is a collection of pages with its own address, like tokannyfaithfoundation.org.
Try it: Does it need the internet?
Sort these into things that need the internet and things that work without it.