What is the Internet? Reviewing the Basics What Is the Internet The Internet, sometimes called "the Net," for short, is a global network consisting of many networks which allow a user with a computer or similar device to interact with other computers. It's an autonomous, public, cooperative medium that's routinely accessed by millions of users to collect information, conduct transactions, or communicate with each other. The Internet connects millions of computers, mobile devices, servers, and websites around the world, letting users send and receive all manner of files (audio, text, video, image) and access resources such as apps and cloud services . How the Internet Works To function, the Internet relies on our existing public telecommunication networks. The Internet consists of two major parts: the network protocols and the hardware. The hardware is the easy part; it includes smartphones, computers, or whatever other device users employ to access the Internet, al...