Almost every industry has been transformed in some way by the internet, but not all changes are created equal. Some industries have merely opened themselves up for additional methods of contact, whereas others have evolved significantly, effectively creating something where nothing existed before. In this article, we want to look at four examples of this, to see just how far the internet has taken us. 

Finance

For even casual users, the advent of internet banking has been an enormously helpful development. No longer having to manage with frustrating phone calls or inconvenient physical trips has made a world of difference, but this improvement was only the beginning.

The largest change to come from the world of internet finance is only around ten years old. When cryptocurrency Bitcoin first arrived in 2009, it held tremendous promise, but also lacked speculator confidence. Over time, this cryptocurrency and others like Ethereum have proved to be game-changers in international finance, proving themselves and making many early adopters into millionaires. Increasingly accepted by mainstream outlets as detailed by buybitcoinworldwide.com, there's no telling what the future in cryptocurrency could hold.

"Nobody gets me Bitcoins!" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by zcopley

Online Casinos

One of the longest-standing industries built on the internet, online casino games date back as far as 1996. Surviving the turmoil which left many online businesses devastated, online casino games didn't just endure, they thrived. Today, online casino games are immense experiences, often offering far more variety than even the biggest brick-and-mortar establishments ever could. 

For an example of this, consider the current state of the comeongames.com casino. With hundreds of slots, card, jackpot, and table games, players on this casino are offered choice on a level that only the internet could make possible. Combined with convenient access through desktop, mobiles, and laptops, and the success of this branch of the industry is unsurprising. 

Video Gaming

Video games were one of the first forms of entertainment to get involved with the internet, but early slow speeds limited worthwhile integration. With the ubiquity of high-speed internet in recent years, this completely changed, and the internet became an almost inseparable part of the gaming experience.

From the domination of online games to a change in sales infrastructure from the digital sales systems listed at pcmag.com, the entire state of gaming has shifted massively. In some cases, this has gone so far as to shut down traditional offline stores, with only a few downsized efforts like Game Stop clinging on. 

"Gamescom 2011: World of WarCraft" (CC BY 2.0) by wuestenigel

Television Streaming

Formerly relegated to radio waves, satellite, and cable, the internet was such a transformative arrival for television that it has been rendering many older options near obsolete. Most commonly illustrated by the early success of Netflix, on-demand streaming has become so easy and convenient that millions of users are abandoning other options to entirely focus on this new form of delivery.

It's not just convenience playing a leading role here either, as the enormous range of what is on offer, shown by websites like unogs.com puts practically any other option to shame. Far cheaper than most other paid methods, television has been an instance where existing businesses within this realm need to evolve or perish.

"Cutting the Cord - Cord Cutting from Cab" (CC BY 2.0) by mikemacmarketing

These are hardly the only industries to be reshaped by the internet, but for most users, they demonstrate the most well-known avenues. It's also important to note that, as far as these have come, they're still for anything approaching a resting point. While the shifting state of technology makes it impossible to guess what's next, there is little doubt that these industries will continue to play a central role.