system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does connecting to the Internet work?

Like could I possibly build something that would give me Internet access without paying for wi-fi or data?
gpt
No, you couldn't build something yourself.

The Internet works because lots of computers all talk to each other. When you connect to the Internet, you are talking to a computer. It talks to other computers, and they talk to other computers, and by all talking to each other, they get messages from your computer to where they need to get to.

To connect, then, you need get your computer to talk to another computer.

But you wouldn't be able to (legally/legitimately) get a computer to talk to your computer without paying the owner of that computer.