How does the internet actually transfer information across the globe?

The internet is like a giant message-passing game that lets people talk to each other across the world.

Imagine you're sending a letter to your friend who lives far away. You write it, put it in an envelope, and give it to someone who will carry it to your friend. The internet does something similar but much faster, instead of one person carrying the letter, millions of tiny helpers work together.

When you send a message online, like typing a text or posting a picture, it gets split into tiny pieces called packets. These packets are like small notes that travel through different roads, some go through fiber-optic cables under the ocean, others through wires in your house, and sometimes even through satellites high up in space.

Each packet knows where it needs to go, kind of like how a GPS helps you find your way home. When all the packets arrive at their destination, they get put back together, just like when you open an envelope and read your friend's letter.