The (real) shape of Internet

The (real) shape of the Internet

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Depending on the drawing outcomes and the knowledge level of participants, the presentation might need to be adapted (sharing more or less information).

The following image series gives an introduction to what the internet really looks like, beyond the usual diagrams and icons we often see.

Figure 1: Google image search results to "what is the internet?". We see that the Internet is mostly represented as a vague graph, with an airy / shiny / futuristic appearance.

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If the internet feels hard to understand, that’s because it’s mostly hidden. Hidden because it’s on purpose, not just because it’s complicated. First, because everyone has been telling us that the internet is “immaterial”, “virtual”, “remote”. Exactly like when we search online: clouds, airy drawing, graphs, etc.

Figure 2: The shape of Internet, art project by Noah Veltman. The artist points out with humour how the Internet is often represented as a "bean" or a "cloud".

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An artist called Noah Veltman summarizes this very well in this drawing collection: the Internet is apparently a “bean” or a “cloud”. But although the internet is a network (that part is true), it definitely is not “light” or “clean”, but rather it’s heavy and dirty. Let’s see why.

Figure 3: This illustration represents the internet as a network of different infrastructures: 1. Servers, 2. Clients devices, 3. Routing servers, 4. Power plants, antennas etc .Illustation by Marie Verdeil - License CC-BY-SA-NC

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What the web really looks like: A/ Abstractly—like an this illustration— it’s a network of computer networks. Different types of computers: 1-Servers, to serve contents 2-Clients: computers retrieving content (phones, laptops, game consoles, TVs, but also bankcard machines, smart fridge, surveillance cameras, road radars, etc.)3-DNS (aka Domain name servers): to point clients to servers, but also switches, exchange points, etc. 4-All the infrastructures that supports those connections: power plants cables, antennas, etc.

Figure 4: Image of inside a data-center. This is where your data lives. Probably about 1 in 10 people from America who view this photo visited a site that was hosted here at some point. This was originally the Prodigy and later the SBC Yahoo!; and currently one of the ATandT Yahoo! data centers. By smag, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

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All of this infrastructures: it’s very tangible, and it’s around us. Most of these computers/servers : they live in data centers. Datacenters are buildings housing computers, equipped with cooling systems, energy systems, etc.

Figure 5: Datacenters are not only in The US. We find many in Europe and in the Netherlands, which is a vital knot in the Internet's European network. Agriport Agriport Data centers in the Netherlands, north of Amsterdam. Creative Commons License.

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These data centers: not only in the US. Everywhere and more and more, especially since AI is becoming so important. Image above is from the Datacenter cluster north of Amsterdam, in Agriport. Neighbors to industrial farms, producing tomatoes and peppers all year long. Datacenters are as big and impactful as any other factory.

Figure 6: Rack servers in a Data center. "Data Center" — Just some servers in a data center. Sean Ellis, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Inside: looks like that: rack servers (shelves full of computers), all connected together to add up their power/speed. Those computational processes produce a lot of heat.

Figure 7: Internet isn't limited to data centers. It's also a network of huge cables, running around the globe, through land and ocean. Internet underwater cable near Cuba - via https://www.cadenagramonte.cu/noticia/en/41724/underwater-cable-trippled-internet-connecting-capacity-in-cuba

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All these computers in datacenters need to be connected to our devices at home/office. Internet is also a bunch of huge cables that allow light-speed data travel under the ocean.

Figure 8: Each cable corresponds to 1 router in a nearby apartment.Internet exchange point cabinet in Paris, France, CC-BY-SA Marie Verdeil

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These cables are also in our cities. This is an internet exchange point cabinet in Paris, France. Each cable corresponds to 1 router, probably each in one apartment. Think how many there is just in your street/neighbourhood. Looking like this the internet feels all of a sudden very fragile too.

Figure 9: On top of cables, there is a growing network of antennas. 5G antenna in Köln, Germany.Superbass, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Internet is also a bunch of satellites and antennas to allow connections everywhere, by all types of devices. This infrastructure is also growing with the rise of wireless devices (autonmous cars, smart CCTV, etc.) Image: 5G antenna in Köln, Germany.

Figure 10: Let's not forget that internet and electricity aren't available everywhere at all times. "Dodgy electrics!" Open meters and cables Havana back street by Andy D'Agornen, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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Although Internet looks mostly like the previous images for us in the Global North, it’s not necessarily the same everywhere. In Cuba, Internet is still not always available, heavily censored and low-bandwidth. There are a lot of self-made connections and DIY antennas, like the power meters on the picture above.

Figure 11: Internet also requires energy. Windturbines under construction in the UK. © Julian Paren (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/7805892 Global Energy facilities at Nigg, taken Sunday, 23 June, 2024

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All of these data-centers, satellites, antennas, exchange points, phones, laptops and other devices: need to be powered, by real (not virtual) energy. Sometimes it’s wind-turbines like in Agriport (although it monopolizes this green energy source, taking it away from nearby villages). Sometimes, it’s powered by fossil-fuel directly: coal electric plants, etc.In any case: it’s a massive and growing energy consumption footprint. Especially since it’s always ON!

Figure 12: More than energy, the internet is made of materials, mostly metals mined from the earth. While Congo is very rich in mineral resources, these deposits require extensive manual labor to extract, often under life-threatening conditions. Mining of cobalt is tied to human rights abuses, such as unsafe work-sites, child labor, and forced Congolese labor, in addition to environmental degradation. — By The International Institute for Environment and Development - Flickr, CC BY 2.5

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Last but not least, let’s not forget: All those computers, cables, antennas, etc. are made of very physical materials. Materials hard to get, like metals that we extract all over the globe, often in violation to human rights (Like in Congo, see image but also in Chile, Australia, Indonesia) but also with a huge pollution.

Now that we have a better images of the different types of infrastructure that compose the Internet, we ask ourselves: what precisely is a server?