What Is The Internet?

I have added multiple photos here because when I think about what the internet is, I just seem to have hundreds of images coming to my mind; different types of people on any device they own, social media flashing everywhere and the extents that it can reach, software developments being made, etc.

Frankly it is overwhelming.

This picture is to show the aspects of the internet that I don’t even understand. The many ‘behind the scenes’ set up, software, manipulation, viruses… There is so much to my daily use of the internet that I don’t even think of in the process or have any grasp of knowledge on.

I added this one to emphasize my utter disturbance at how young parents allow their children to access the internet and how they choose to compensate consoling a child’s breakdown through a game or a video on a phone. It genuinely brings negative feelings (and probably a harsh facial expression) to my body when I see children completely tuned in to some sort of technology. I recently went out to eat and a couple was chatting while their child had in headphones connected to an iPad at a table. That is not the childhood I remember or want for my kids.

This is just to show the opposite side of the previous picture; more mature ages with their use of technology. And how you can bring it anywhere!

Again, this is just to emphasize how the internet is everywhere and so easy to access. As I mentioned before, I just feel as though I have so many photos flash through my head when I think about the internet.

I don’t think I could answer the question “What is the internet?” for two reasons:

I don’t think I am knowledgeable enough to answer that question.

And I don’t think one single answer could justify the depths of the internet.

As for how many internets there are, I feel like there are so many! I think the best way I could describe it is how there are Reddit pages, then subreddit pages, and these get more and more specific to the topic each page is covering. I believe that we could consider each internet page that is dedicated to an age group, or an interest, is another version of the internet. It is becoming this entire umbrella with every topic you’d want to research within reach. It’s as if you’re under this umbrella, sitting beneath the topic chosen in your recent internet search, and every rain drop around you holds a related topic that you just have to reach out to to grab.

I can’t even understand the concept of seeing the internet as one thing with a lot of power (versus me saying there are many different versions) so if you see it that way, please let me know your views!