The internet is a global network of interconnected computers and other electronic devices that communicate with each other using the transmission control protocol (TCP) standard to enable the fast exchange of information and files, along with other types of services. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The internet emerged in the United States in the 1970s but did not become visible to the general public until the early 1990s. By 2020, approximately 4.5 billion people, or more than half of the world’s population, were estimated to have access to the internet.

The internet provides a capability so powerful and general that it can be used for almost any purpose that depends on information, and it is accessible by every individual who connects to one of its constituent networks. It supports human communication via social media, electronic mail (e-mail), “chat rooms,” newsgroups, and audio and video transmission and allows people to work collaboratively at many different locations. It supports access to digital information by many applications, including the World Wide Web.

The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of different websites you can access through the internet. A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources. Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper articles or television programs—or they can be interactive in a way thats unique to computers.

In general, the internet can be used to communicate across large or small distances, share information from any place in the world, and access information or answers to almost any question in moments. Some specific examples of how the internet is used include social media and content sharing, e-mail and other forms of communication, such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Internet telephony, instant messaging, video conferencing, and e-commerce, or online shopping.

In summary, the internet is a global network of interconnected computers and other electronic devices that allows people to communicate, collaborate, and access information and services from anywhere in the world.