What is the Internet?
The Internet is a global network of computers that are connected together so that information can be shared between them, serving billions of users worldwide.
As well as carrying information, the Internet has enabled electronic mail (emails) and supports the World Wide Web (www). The information stored on the ‘Web’ is accessed through web pages which are like pages in a book, containing images and text. These pages can be viewed through a computer programme, such as a web browser. A web browser is our window into this library-like ‘cyberspace’. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari are popular web browsers that are used to view web pages.
An information superhighway
The Internet has changed the way in which modern society communicates and shares information in all areas of our lives whether we are aware of it or not. Each second of every day, billions upon billions of bits of digital information are created, deleted, updated and processed. Connected by wire, cable, satellite and wireless fidelity, these ‘pathways’ form an information superhighway.
As technology has evolved and it has become easier for businesses, governments and the public alike to connect to this superhighway, the Internet has become a convenient and efficient medium to do business, make friends and live lives. Internet chat rooms, forums, message boards and blogs, intranets, extranets, social networking sites and Web 2.0 are just some of the tools which provide a means of communicating with others, often in ‘real-time’, irrespective of what time it is or where in the world people are. Surfing the Web has become an intrinsic part of life in the 21st century with access at the click of a mouse.
How does it work?
The easiest way to visualise how the Web works is to imagine the Web as a vast network of independent libraries. Each ‘library’ houses its own collection of books (websites) and digital resources. To locate the information you require, you will need a web address which can either be the name of the book (the website) itself or a specific page (web page) inside a particular book. A web address begins www, for example www.rewritetomorrow.eu.com, or with http://www.
When you type in a web address (also known as a uniform resource locator or URL) into a web browser, this is a request to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to start looking for a specific website or web page (the resource). The ISP is your gateway into the Internet and they will begin by looking at their records to see if they are hosting the website or web page you are after. If not, they will pass your request on to another host and they in turn will look at their records. This process continues and your request will hop from one host to another until either the resource is located or it is declared unavailable. This normally takes seconds.
Internet authorities and registrars help manage and govern the space so there is a semblance of order and control. Search engines, such as Google, help to catalogue online resources in return for advertising revenue. They allow people to search the entire Internet for particular information or digital resources. By typing a word or a collection of words into the Search bar, you can then access addresses or ‘hits’ that are found.
