The internet is the set of computer networks that, spread across all regions of the planet, manage to exchange data and messages using a common protocol.
This shared internet protocol is able to unite several private users, entities of research, cultural bodies, military institutes, libraries and companies of all types in the same access.
It is then formed by common computers and other special ones, called servers, which are machines with great processing power and fast connections. Servers are controlled by universities, companies and government agencies.
The internet brings a wide range of information resources and services, such as the interrelated hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW), peer-to-peer networks (peer-to-peer) and e-mail support infrastructure (e-mails).
The internet also has an unparalleled reach and scope, and it can also help electronic and printed, since information can be accessed from anywhere in the world and at any time, by a single people.
Currently it is possible to find computers connected to the Internet in almost every place (companies, homes, schools, universities, clubs, churches, etc) of everyday life. People who already use this means of communication experience more and more changes in their way of life through the internet.
Its name has an English origin, where the term inter means "international" and net means "network", ie "international network".
See more about web and WWW.
Internet history
Even though the internet has a relatively short lifespan and history, it reveals itself as a big factor in communication, social integration and storage of data and information of all kinds, in addition to the globalization of products.
The origin of the internet dates back to the 1960s, when the United States commissioned research to build a robust and flawless form of communication over computer networks.
While this work, along with projects in the UK and France, led to the creation of important precursor networks, it did not actually create the internet.
However, it officially appeared in 1993, where it is no longer used only by governments and of an academic nature, and is now present in various segments of companies, residences, etc. Connections to access the internet have also evolved a lot over the years, making it faster and more practical.
In the period between the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, there was a rapid growth in the use of the internet, due to the technological innovations that were created from it.
The vast majority of these innovations increasingly allow the exchange of information and instant messages at a speed of seconds.
See also the meaning of internet of things.