The development of the internet from a thing you would turn on the computer to access to something that is consistently surrounding our every waking moment is one of the most consequential innovations that have happened to the entire world.
Before its advent, accessing information was more difficult. Now, with any sort of data one could desire being spread around the world in seconds, canny entrepreneurs have discovered how to leverage it to overhaul many traditional business operations. We call these new methods industry disruptions!
Technological Advancements in the Transport Industry
The internet has changed a lot of things in the way transport logistics is handled all over the world. For instance, if one would need to go on a flight 20 years ago, one would need to visit a travel agent to get tickets to fly to wherever they are going to. But in this age, you don’t need to visit a third party. All you need to do is book a flight directly from the airline online.
This ease of use has also been witnessed in the area of land transportation. A long time ago in a lot of cities across the world, one would need to go to a booking office, consult a phonebook or stand by the roadside to get a taxi. Today, new transport companies have created a simple system wherein all you need to do to arrange a taxi is to download an app from the taxi company to order a taxi to pick you up from your location. The next step which really cuts costs for these companies is that they do now possess a fleet of cars or drivers. Instead, people interested in earning some extra money can sign up to be a driver through the same method and be assigned clients to pick up and deliver for the share of their fare. Good examples of companies that operate on this model are Uber, Bolt, and Ola cabs.
This advancement has also impacted transport by rail and buses. You do not need to join the long queue at a ticket office, all you need to do is to book your ticket online and show up on time. Just like every other facet of life, the internet has brought reasonable changes to the transportation sector.
How the Internet has changed the Housing Industry
The internet has also greatly impacted the housing sector. Before now, every individual had a far more limited choice when it came to choosing new housing. Most times, it would require reliance upon a local real estate agent and his personal contacts. But in today’s world, via the internet, real estate companies have been listing properties on websites where potential leads can come in and check the value of the house they want. Not only that, but companies such as Airbnb has put owners of accommodation directly in touch with potential renters for both long- and short-term stays. This disruption has massively impacted both real estate companies and the hotel industry.
Effect on the Restaurant and Catering Industry
Hungry and nothing at home? Before, you had to either walk to a restaurant to make a pickup or order from the local businesses that managed to fit their menu and telephone number into your mailbox. In this era, getting food to your house has become the easiest thing to do. All you need to do is to log into the restaurant website, make your order, and wait for your food to be delivered. Your food would be delivered to your doorstep just by the simple action you performed on the internet. In 2020 delivery companies have blossomed from this simple model. Companies like Wolt, Bolt Food and Uber Eats have thrived delivering not just food, but also groceries and pharmaceuticals to people’s homes. This delivery model is very close to those used by online taxi operations. Both potential clients and deliverymen can download the necessary apps and use the receive the required information to carry out the transaction as rapidly as possible.
How the Internet has impacted Casinos
Gambling has always been an avenue of entertainment around the entire world. In the past, interested players could only access casino games and make bets by visiting a real-life physical building with lights, tables, croupiers and waitresses. In this scenario, people could not play whenever or as much as they liked because they would not have the time to arrange a trip to these land-based casinos, assuming they were even available or legal in their respective areas.
Now, because of the internet, people can enjoy casino games and make bets from the comfort of their homes, offices or wherever they are. A mobile device with a connection to the internet means that one can quickly value the different online casinos available as well as any special offers and bonuses on offer on online casino comparison websites such as this example, select an online casino and join it to immediately begin making wagers.
With no need to physically be anywhere, online casinos and betting sites are quickly rising in popularity and have been getting a high level of patronage. Some good examples of online casinos include BetWay, LeoVegas and William Hill.
Internet Associated with the Movie Industry
One of the most widespread forms of recreation for people around the world is sitting down and watching movies. Cinemas, video sales and movie rentals were huge industries that grew out of this pastime – although they were never the most efficient. Selection was limited to what was screening or currently available, cinemas may require a commute of several miles, and video platforms kept changing; VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray…
With the advent of the internet, watching movies has become easier than ever. All you need to do is select and subscribe to a platform, make sure you have a good internet connection, and then sit back and enjoy whichever film or series episode you feel like watching – from something current to an old classic from 50 years ago. The internet presents you with the opportunity of having the movies in your archive for as long as you want, unlike the physical mode of watching movies where the videotape or DVD takes physical storage space and may get lost or damaged as time goes on.
One of the most popular platforms available is Netflix. An online movie hub where movie content producers put up their content for the purpose of consumption. It is fast becoming the toast of the entire world, as everyone is now enjoying accessing entertainment at home through the internet rather than going out to malls and cineplexes. This is the reason why the latter remains one of the most practical advancements the world has been able to achieve.
These industry disrupters all do something different. What they do have in common is that they have all made life more easy and comfortable for their users, with people having the luxury of enjoying simple systems with instant gratification, while saving the companies a lot of expenditure by creating short cuts to cut down on their assets and workforce. There is a popular adage that says that the world’s largest taxi company owns no vehicles, the world’s most popular media owner creates no content, the most valuable retailer has no inventory and the world’s largest accommodation provider owns no real estate. As time goes by, ways to leverage the power of instant data across the internet will become more ingenious, with more people creating more platforms that would break barriers across the globe.
