Surfing the internet. Abstract computer artwork of a surfer riding a path of binary digits out of a tunnel. Surfing is a term used to describe the process of gathering and sending information through the internet. The internet is a global network of computers which can send and receive information between each other. Information passes between computers in the form of a sequence of binary digits (0s and 1s). The internet consists of many linked areas, such as electronic mail (e- mail) and the World Wide Web.