How does the internet's core infrastructure actually function?

The internet is like a huge playground where all your toys can talk to each other from across the room, or even from another city.

Imagine you have a toy phone, and your friend has one too. When you press a button, it sends a message through wires (or sometimes invisible signals) that go all around the world until they reach your friend’s phone. That's basically what happens with the internet, big computers sending messages to each other.

The internet is made up of lots of roads and highways, we call these routers and cables. When you click a link on your tablet, it sends a message through these roads, like cars in a traffic jam, until it reaches the website you wanted to visit.

Sometimes messages take different paths depending on how busy the roads are, just like when you choose a shorter way home if the main street is crowded!

Every time you send a message, it's like typing in a group chat with billions of other people. Some messages go fast, some take longer, but they all get there eventually. And that’s how your favorite games and videos work too!