Internet

It's not a single thing:

It's not one big computer or one company's network. It's a complex system made up of countless smaller networks, routers, switches, servers, cables (underground and under the ocean), and wireless connections globally.   

Connecting Networks:

Its primary job is to connect these different networks so that a device on one network (like your laptop at home) can send and receive data from a device on another network (like a web server hosting a website in another country).   

Data Travel:

Information sent over the internet (like loading a webpage or sending an email) is broken down into small pieces called "packets". These packets travel across this vast network of networks, hopping from router to router until they reach their destination, where they are reassembled.   

Standard Rules (Protocols): All these different networks and devices agree to use common rules or "protocols" (like TCP/IP) so they can understand each other and route the packets correctly.  

Decentralized:

There's no single person, company, or government that owns or controls the entire Internet. Different parts are owned and managed by various organizations (like internet service providers, universities, companies), but they all connect together following the agreed-upon standards.   

Important Distinction: The Internet is the physical infrastructure and the network itself. The World Wide Web (WWW) is just one of the many things you can use or do on the Internet (like visiting websites, which uses the HTTP protocol). Other services on the Internet include email, online gaming, file sharing, instant messaging, streaming video, etc.

So, in short, the Internet is the massive global network that enables communication and data exchange between billions of devices worldwide. The World Wide Web is the collection of interconnected web pages that you access through it.