The article analyses the development of successive phases of the global network: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0. The objective of the paper is to establish to what extent the consecutive stages of the Internet development affect both the way it is understood and the way its users are perceived. In the introductory remarks, the origins of the Internet are presented. The main body of the text revolves around particular stages of its development, focusing on features representative for each generation resulting from the advancement of Internet technologies. The problem of artificial intelligence in the context of the Internet changes is also addressed. The last section of the article includes concluding remarks. To discuss the issue, the article employs analytical – synthetic methodology.