The Internet in a Paragraph (w/ usage world stats)

Been reading a book by Paul Virilio called "Open Sky" and this paragraph stuck out personally (1997, pg. 76):

We are thus seeing the commercialization of multiple-user software enabling simultaneous use by a set of subscribers to computer networks such as the internet, the Wold Wide Web of computer networks launched nearly fifteen years ago by the Pentagon.

So, I thought then about the ten year anniversary of the book, to 25 years and wondered about any sort of world stat on total people -- found this site which says over 1.2 billion people and then found broken down stats within the site claiming China is first with Europe over 100 million people behind in second.

That site also has an area called "internet penetration" and I was curious (please spare me the sexual one-liners) as to what that meant? Hackers? The number one was North America.

Anyone interested in this book, it's a good read. Back cover: "Bleak in its analysis of the social destruction wrought by modern technologies of communication and surveillance, but passionately political..."

Here's an Amazon link, where it's about $6 used.

Lastly, a thread I started w/ an article about the fragile nature of the internet's infrastructure. www.belowtopsecret.com...