What is Internet? Definition, Uses, Working, Advantages and Disadvantages
Last Updated : 21 Apr, 2025
The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers and devices that allows users to access and share information and devices, allowing them to communicate and exchange data. It enables users to access a wide range of services, such as websites, emails, social media, online applications, and cloud storage. Through standardized communication protocols, the Internet facilitates the sharing of information, resources and media across vast distances, making it an essential tool for education, business, entertainment and personal communication worldwide.
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InternetHistory of the Internet
The Internet came in the year 1960 with the creation of the first working model called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency). It allowed multiple computers to work on a single network which was their biggest achievement at that time. ARPANET uses packet switching to communicate multiple computer systems under a single network. In October 1969, using ARPANET first message was transferred from one computer to another. After that technology continues to grow.
How is the Internet Set Up?
The internet is set up with the help of physical optical fiber data transmission cables or copper wires and various other networking mediums like LAN, WAN, MAN, etc. For accessing the Internet even the 2G, 3G and 4G services and the Wifi require these physical cable setups to access the Internet.
The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), based in the USA, manages critical aspects of the Internet, including IP addresses, the Domain Name System (DNS) and protocols that ensure the smooth functioning and global connectivity of the Internet.
How Does the Internet Work?
- The actual working of the internet takes place with the help of clients and servers.
- Here, the client is a laptop that is directly connected to the internet.
- Servers are computers connected indirectly to the Internet and they store all the websites in those large computers.
- These servers are connected to the internet with the help of ISP (Internet Service Providers) and are identified with an IP address.
- Each website has its Domain Name, as it is difficult for a person to remember long numbers or strings (IP addresses).
- When you search for a domain name in the browser's search bar, the request is sent to the server.
- The server tries to find the IP address from the domain name because it cannot understand the domain name directly.
- After getting the IP address, the server will try to search the IP address of the domain name in a huge phone directory, known in networking as a DNS server (Domain Name Server).
- Example: Just like if we have the name of a person, we can easily find their Aadhaar number from a long directory — it works the same way with domain names and IP addresses.
- Once the IP address is found, the browser will pass on the request to the respective server.
- The server then processes the request and displays the content of the website that the client wants.
- If you are using a wireless medium of internet like 3G, 4G, or other mobile data, then data flows from optical cables to towers. From towers, signals reach your cell phones and PCs through electromagnetic waves.
- If you are using routers, then Optical fiber connects to your router and converts light-induced signals to electrical signals. Using ethernet cables, the internet reaches your computers, delivering the required information.
For more, you can refer to How Does the Internet Work?
What is an IP Address?
IP Address stands for Internet Protocol Address. Every PC/Local machine is having an IP address and that IP address is provided by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These are some sets of rules which govern the flow of data whenever a device is connected to the Internet. It differentiates computers, websites and routers. Just like human identification cards like Aadhaar cards, Pan cards or any other unique identification documents. Every laptop and desktop has its own unique IP address for identification. It's an important part of Internet technology. An IP address is displayed as a set of four-digit like 192.154.3.29. Here each number on the set ranges from 0 to 255. Hence, the total IP address range from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.
You can check the IP address of your Laptop or desktop by clicking on the Windows start menu -> then right-click and go to network -> in that go to status and then Properties you can see the IP address. There are four different types of IP addresses are available:
- Static IP Address
- Dynamic IP Address
- Private IP Address
- Public IP Address
World Wide Web (WWW)
The world wide web is a collection of all the web pages and web documents that you can see on the Internet by searching their URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) on the Internet. For example, www.geeksforgeeks.org is the URL of the GFG website and all the content of this site like webpages and all the web documents are stored on the world wide Web. Or in other words, the world wide web is an information retrieval service of the web. It provides users with a huge array of documents that are connected to each other by means of hypertext or hypermedia links. Here, hyperlinks are known as electronic connections that link the related data so that users can easily access the related information hypertext allows the user to pick a word or phrase from text and using this keyword or word or phrase can access other documents that contain additional information related to that word or keyword or phrase. World wide web is a project which is created by Timothy Berner’s Lee in 1989, for researchers to work together effectively at CERN. It is an organization, named World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which was developed for further development in the web.
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WWW ImageDifference Between World Wide Web and the Internet
The key difference between the World Wide Web and the Internet are:
| World Wide Web | Internet |
|---|
All the web pages and web documents are stored there on the World wide web and to find all that stuff you will have a specific URL for each website. | The Internet is a global network of computers that is accessed by the World wide web. |
The world wide web is a service. | The Internet is an infrastructure. |
The world wide web is a subset of the Internet. | The Internet is the superset of the world wide web. |
The world wide web is software-oriented. | The Internet is hardware-oriented. |
The world wide web uses HTTP. | The Internet uses IP Addresses. |
The world wide web can be considered as a book from the different topics inside a Library. | The Internet can be considered a Library. |
Examples: Websites, e-commerce, blogs | Example: The network connecting all online services |
Uses of the Internet
Some of the important usages of the internet are:
- E-Commerce & Online Shopping: Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra allow users to buy products with ease, providing a seamless shopping experience, home delivery and multiple payment options.
- Digital Payments & Cashless Transactions: UPI-based platforms (e.g., Paytm, Google Pay) enable users to make instant payments, bank transfers and bill payments, driving the growth of the cashless economy.
- Remote Education & Online Learning: Educational platforms like Coursera, Khan Academy and YouTube offer a wide range of online courses, making quality education accessible to people worldwide.
- Social Connectivity: Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn allow people to stay connected, share content, network professionally and create online communities.
- Streaming & Entertainment: Services like Netflix, Spotify and YouTube provide on-demand access to movies, music, TV shows and online gaming, offering endless entertainment options.
- Telemedicine & Health Services: Online consultations, fitness apps and digital health tracking allow individuals to monitor their well-being and consult healthcare professionals remotely.
- Online Banking & Financial Services: Internet banking enables users to transfer funds, pay bills and manage finances without visiting a bank. Cryptocurrencies are also becoming more mainstream through online platforms.
- News & Information Access: The Internet serves as a hub for real-time news, articles, blogs and live updates from around the world, making it easier to stay informed on global events.
- Travel Planning & Navigation: Travel websites and navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze help users plan trips, book accommodations and navigate through traffic efficiently.
- Remote Work & Collaboration: Cloud-based tools such as Google Drive, Slack and Zoom enable teams to collaborate, store files and work remotely, improving productivity and communication across distances.
Security and the Internet
Very huge amount of data is managed across the Internet almost the time, which leads to the risk of data breaching and many other security issues. Both Hackers and Crackers can lead to disrupting the network and can steal important information like Login Credentials, Banking Credentials, etc.
Steps to Protect the Online Privacy
- Install Antivirus or Antimalware.
- Create random and difficult passwords, so that it becomes difficult to guess.
- Use a private browsing window or VPN for using the Internet.
- Try to use HTTPS only for better protection.
- Try to make your Social Media Account Private.
- If you are not using any application, which requires GPS, then you can turn GPS off.
- Do not simply close the tab, first log out from that account, then close the tab.
- Try to avoid accessing public WIFI or hotspots.
- Try to avoid opening or downloading content from unknown sources.
There is an element of the Internet called the Dark Web, which is not accessible from standard browsers. To keep safe our data, we can use Tor and I2P, which helps in keeping our data anonymous, that helps in protecting user security and helps in reducing cybercrime.
Social Impact of the Internet
The social impact of the Internet can be seen in both ways. Some say it has a positive impact as it helps in gaining civic engagement, etc. whereas some say it has a negative impact as it increased the risk of getting fooled by someone over the internet, getting withdrawal from society, etc.
Whatever the impact of Social Media, one thing is that it changed the way of connecting and interacting with others in society. The number of people increasing day by day on social media platforms which helps in constructing new relationships over social media, new communities are made on social media in the interest of the people. Social Media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc are the most used social media platform for both individual and business purposes where we can communicate with them and perform our tasks.
Advantages of the Internet
- Online Banking and Transaction: The Internet allows us to transfer money online through the net banking system. Money can be credited or debited from one account to the other.
- Education, Online Jobs, Freelancing: Through the Internet, we are able to get more jobs via online platforms like Linkedin and to reach more job providers. Freelancing on the other hand has helped the youth to earn a side income and the best part is all this can be done via the INTERNET.
- Entertainment: There are numerous options for entertainment online we can listen to music, play games can watch movies and web series and listen to podcasts, youtube itself is a hub of knowledge as well as entertainment.
- New Job Roles: The Internet has given us access to social media and digital products so we are having numerous new job opportunities like digital marketing and social media marketing online businesses are earning huge amounts of money just because the Internet is the medium to help us to do so.
- Best Communication Medium: The communication barrier has been removed from the Internet. You can send messages via email, Whatsapp and Facebook. Voice chatting and video conferencing are also available to help you to do important meetings online.
- Comfort to humans: Without putting any physical effort you can do so many things like shopping online it can be anything from stationeries to clothes, books to personal items, etc. You can books train and plane tickets online.
- GPS Tracking and google maps: Yet another advantage of the internet is that you are able to find any road in any direction and areas with less traffic with the help of GPS on your mobile.
Disadvantages of the Internet
- Time Wastage: Wasting too much time on the internet surfing social media apps and doing nothing decreases your productivity rather than wasting time on scrolling social media apps one should utilize that time in doing something skillful and even more productive.
- Bad Impacts on Health: Spending too much time on the internet causes bad impacts on your health physical body needs some outdoor games exercise and many more things. Looking at the screen for a longer duration causes serious impacts on the eyes.
- Cyber Crimes: Cyberbullying, spam, viruses, hacking and stealing data are some of the crimes which are on the verge these days. Your system which contains all the confidential data can be easily hacked by cybercriminals.
- Effects on Children: Small children are heavily addicted to the Internet watching movies and games all the time is not good for their overall personality as well as social development.
- Bullying and Spreading Negativity: The Internet has given a free tool in the form of social media apps to all those people who always try to spread negativity with very revolting and shameful messages and try to bully each other which is wrong.
For more, you can refer to the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet.
Conclusion
The Internet is a powerful global network that connects people, devices and information, transforming how we communicate, work, shop, learn and entertain ourselves. It provides countless benefits, such as easy access to knowledge, fast communication and convenience in everyday tasks. However, it also has its downsides, including privacy concerns, security risks and potential addiction.
Overall, the Internet is an essential tool in modern life, offering both opportunities and challenges. Understanding how it works and being mindful of its impact can help us make the most of its advantages while minimizing its risks.
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