What is the Internet?

The Internet

The internet is the interconnection of computer networks or billions of computers and devices all connected by wires or wireless signals. The internet allows us to access information and communicate with others anywhere in the world. In order to access the internet, your computer must be online, which is a term that means connected to the internet. Once online, you can research interesting things, shop, pay bills, bank, connect with others via social media, send and receive emails, take classes, earn a degree, watch tv shows and movies, and much much more!

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web, or just web, is the mass of HTML (the programming language of web-pages) pages and images that travel through the internet’s hardware. The web is accessed through the internet. Although the web and internet are technically two different things, the terms are used interchangeably by most people.

A Web Browser

Once you are connected to the internet, you will need to use a web browser to navigate to and view websites. A browser is a software package or mobile app that lets you view web pages, graphics, and online content by converting computer code into readable and viewable content. A browser software package should have been included on your computer and mobile device at the time of purchase, and additional browsers can be downloaded from the internet. Some of the most popular include Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari (for Apple).

Important Takeaways:

• The internet is the interconnection of computer networks.
• The world wide web consists of webpages you can access through the internet.
• A browser is the software you use or the app you click on to navigate to the webpage.