The World Wide Web exists to provide a user-friendly, interconnected system for sharing and accessing information over the Internet. It connects documents and other resources via hypertext links, enabling people to navigate from one page to another with a click, regardless of where those resources are hosted. Key purposes and functions (concise overview):

• Information sharing and access: The Web makes text, images, video, and other media accessible to people worldwide through web pages and applications. It serves as a primary platform for education, research, news, entertainment, and commerce.

• Hyperlinked navigation: By using hyperlinks, users can move seamlessly between related resources, creating a non-linear, networked information space. This structure supports discovery and serendipitous exploration.

• Universal accessibility via standards: The Web relies on standard protocols and formats (notably HTTP and HTML) that enable broad compatibility across devices and software, allowing diverse users to access the same information.

• Web applications and services: Beyond static pages, the Web supports dynamic applications (e.g., email, social media, e-commerce, collaborative tools) that run in browsers, extending its utility into many aspects of daily life.

• Global reach with scalable infrastructure: Web content is hosted on servers worldwide and delivered over the Internet, enabling real-time communication, collaboration, and content distribution at scale.

If you’d like, I can tailor this explanation to a specific angle (history, technical underpinnings, societal impact, or future trends) and provide concise examples or readings.