The Internet is a network of computer networks that provides a broad range of products and services. The Internet enables people to shop, keep in touch with others, pay bills, do research, take classes, enjoy entertainment, plan trips, play games, and even work from almost anywhere they can access an Internet connection. Common Internet services include chatting, e-mail, maps and directions, media downloads, real-time streaming audio and video, social media, and video-conferencing among many others. Although the Internet started as an experimental government computer network, it has evolved into a global communications system that allows people from different parts of the world to interact instantaneously.

Use of the Internet has increased dramatically as user demands for more and different products and services have grown. At the same time, businesses have come to rely more and more on online advertising, communications, and transactions. Some businesses today even exist only online. The Internet has shaken the foundations of traditional media, particularly that of books, magazines, newspapers, and other forms of print, and has also sharply changed how the film, recording, and television industries operate. In fact, change is one of the few constants connected to the Internet as technology continues its brisk evolution, providing people with new, different, and often better ways to communicate and conduct business.

Today the Internet is an inextricable part of the fabric of modern society. In 2019, 90 percent of Americans used the Internet as did 97 percent of all people ages 18 to 29. That year, 72 percent of the population used social media. Social networking apps, such as Facebook and YouTube were the most popular type of app used by U.S. smartphone owners in 2019, according to Statista. Around the world, social media has become the key communications channel for political leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

Nearly all aspects...