How The Internet Works

Table Of Contents

• My story
• Introduction
• Networking started with telephones
• The internet begins here
• The four layers that make the internet work
• A closer look at the web
• Stay safe online
• Get a job on the internet

My story

Hello, I’m Dominic. A few years ago, my dad bought a new computer. I went to his house to check it out – he must have spent a fortune! I asked Pops what he needed such a nice computer for, and he told me he was worried we would grow apart as I got older and branched out on my own. His new computer would make sure we remained close because we could communicate from anywhere at any time.

I want to keep in touch with Pops, too. But in the real world, I knew that he had no idea about how to send and receive messages over the internet or even how to use websites! He was excited to get started, but I knew that first he needed to understand just how the internet works. Over the past few years, I’ve been really curious myself about internet technology and have studied a lot about it to prepare for my future careers. I knew I could help him out.

I asked my Pops what he knew about the internet, and he admitted it was not much. I wanted to explain to him how the internet works using examples from his own life to make a complicated topic easier to understand. I knew that if I used real-world examples of things Pops did understand, he could slowly build his knowledge. This would help him do more than just message me, and it would also keep him safe as he spread his wings.

I sat and talked to Pops for hours about how the internet works. For once in my life, I got to teach him a few new things. I compared the internet to many things Pops had encountered in his own life – mailing a letter, driving on a highway, and even using an old-school phone. My dad really got to understand the way the internet works. He and I are closer than ever and he’s doing things I never imagined.

Based on how well my first student performed, I’ve gone on to teach others about how the internet works, all using the same basic way I got Pops to first understand the internet. I’m glad you’ve joined me to learn how the internet works. You may be a few steps ahead of where my dad started, or like him, you may not have much experience yet. Either way, we’re going to jump in and have fun.

Introduction

With the help of the internet, knowledge of all kinds is now accessible with just a few clicks. We’ve gone from storing information in physical libraries to storing information on computers all over the world that anyone can access from anywhere at any time.

Before the internet, if you wanted information, you had to go to the library. You would spend hours looking up reference cards and locating books on shelves, hoping to find the information you were looking for. Then, you had to pay to photocopy those pages from the book and take the information home, to school or to work so that you could get the job done. Reports were physically handed to teachers at school or supervisors at work. Sharing reports was done by making more copies. Before the internet, people had filing cabinets full of paper!

This is no longer the case, or at least, it is less the case. Now, thanks to the internet, acquiring and sharing information is so much easier and faster, as long as you have a computer or a cell phone. If you don’t have either, many libraries have networked computers for public use.

Imagine the impact the internet has had on learning and working! If you need to write a report for your supervisor on a topic you know nothing about, you can research from your computer using the internet. If your supervisor tells you the entire company needs a copy of your report, just attach your document to a group email, hit “send,” and your report travels across the network to all your coworkers.

It’s possible to do all this without really understanding how the internet works. But, with some foundational knowledge, you can move towards being a power user of the internet. You can stay safe and really spread your wings with confidence, just like my Pops did. With the right knowledge, you can even get a good job in information technology.

In this guide, we will explore history and technology to describe how the internet really works. We’ll learn about information security and what types of careers are centered around the internet. By the end of this guide, you will understand why the internet was developed the way it was, the fundamental concepts that power the internet, how the internet has evolved, and how you can make use of the internet at work and in your personal life.