What is the internet? Simply put, the internet is a network of computers.

Computers can only understand two things: on and off. Everything that we do on the internet is in binary—a series of 1s and 0s representing on and off—which gives instructions to your computer to do all the amazing things it does.

This means that the very bottom of the internet is a system for sending those 1s and 0s over wires (or spectrum in some cases). Whatever you do on the internet—email, videos, chats—the information is translated into that binary by your devices and then transmitted via packets.

We cover this process and lots more in the first episode of our five-part special to literally explain the internet:

What is a Transport Network? https://blog.telegeography.com/what-is-a-transport-network

What Are Data Centers? https://blog.telegeography.com/what-are-data-centers

What is the Cloud? https://blog.telegeography.com/what-is-the-cloud

What is a WAN? https://blog.telegeography.com/what-is-a-wan