Just as how we work online has evolved significantly since the early days of internet adoption, so has how we entertain ourselves online.
Online entertainment has evolved in several key ways, including the rise of streaming platforms, the advent of social media, the growth of online gaming, and the development of virtual and augmented reality. In recent years, we’ve also seen another evolution poised to change the face of online entertainment: artificial intelligence.
Let’s dive into these evolutions to see where they started, how they impact us today, and what might be in store for the future.
Streaming Services
Video has been part of the internet since its early days, but its speed and quality were nothing compared to what we can find today. YouTube became the first video streaming platform in 2005, and it quickly became popular. In 2007, Netflix became the first on-demand streaming service; by the early 2010s, its popularity started exploding.
Fast forward to 2025, and streaming services are the common and preferred way to consume video and audio content. It’s completely changed how we engage with movies and TV shows, allowing us to watch what we want when we want to. There are now numerous services to choose from, each with original content.
Music, too, has been transformed by streaming services. We no longer need to buy entire albums or even single songs like in the past. Instead, we can stream playlists, full albums, and individual songs whenever we want to listen to them. We have access to an unlimited music library thanks to services like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music, allowing us to explore music without the barrier of price, storage space, or availability at local record stores. This convenience also extends to give us more entertainment options like podcasts.
Social Media
When the internet was first adopted, the primary way people socialised online was through email and instant messaging. Not long after, a new form of online socialising emerged: social media. The first social media platform, SixDegrees.com, allowed people to build profiles, add contacts, and send private messages in a single space. However, it wasn’t until sites like Myspace and Facebook emerged that the concept of social media began to really take off. Facebook became the most popular social media site shortly after it was made public, and it remains a dominant player today. Other social media sites, such as Instagram and TikTok, each with a unique offering, also emerged and remain popular.
The prevalence of social media alongside video streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch has led to user-generated content and influencers. Anyone can use their personal social accounts to entertain the masses. It’s created a wide variety of entertaining content and given public platforms to those who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to share their stories or opinions.
While social media has provided diversity in content, it is not without negative effects. The increased use of social media has been linked to concerns ranging from poor mental health, like depression, anxiety, and addiction, to misinformation and physical health impacts. Finding a balance between the positive and negative impacts is proving to be a difficult task for many people.
Online Gaming
Online gaming began with simple text-based multiplayer games and arcade games. It has since become more immersive, complex, and social as internet speeds and gaming technology have improved. People now have an endless selection of games, from classic arcade games to strategy-based multiplayer games like World of Warcraft. Many games, such as Minecraft or Roblox, allow people to explore their creativity by building their own worlds or realities while socialising with friends.
Online gaming has a competitive landscape, with esports now included in the Olympics. It’s also a huge source of entertainment, whether people play themselves or watch live streams on Twitch or YouTube. Alongside the growth of esports and sports betting, online casinos have also rapidly grown in popularity, offering gamers a vast range of options. For example, casinos.com is listing pay-by-phone casinos, making it easy for players to find the platform that is best for them.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
The developments of virtual and augmented reality technologies bring people new levels of immersive entertainment, whether attending a live concert from home or playing a fully immersive game. The most notable example of augmented reality online was the release of Pokémon GO in 2016. It delivered a game where people could find and collect Pokémon superimposed on the real world. Online retailers have also adopted augmented reality to allow us to virtually see products in our homes before purchasing them.
Artificial Intelligence
The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) impacts each of the evolutions explored here. Across streaming platforms, AI algorithms suggest movies, shows, and music we’ll likely enjoy based on our viewing or listening habits. On social media, AI helps to create a tailored, personalised experience where our feeds are filled with content that aligns with our interests and values. In online gaming, AI makes the game more responsive to players, such as by making NPCs (non-player characters) respond to our actions instead of being a single pre-determined behaviour.
AI can now also be used to produce content in various forms, including text, images, videos, music, and speaking. While this is a recent innovation, it is already impacting online entertainment, with people using it to produce content for social media, podcasts, videos, and many other online applications. It also holds the potential to streamline the production of movies, shows, and music, which will significantly change how these industries operate. It’s hard to say with certainty what generative AI will do to online entertainment, but undoubtedly, it will dramatically impact its evolution.
What Does the Future Hold?
Online entertainment will no doubt continue to evolve and be a part of our lives. The continued use of AI will help shape personalised online experiences, while changing regulations around online privacy, data collection, and other concerns in the online sphere will aim to balance the positive and negative effects of this evolution.
Chase Ortiz is part of the team at PaigeSimple, where he takes care of all the advertising requests. With a sharp eye for detail, Chase makes sure every advertising opportunity is handled smoothly, helping the site grow and reach more people. His ability to manage these tasks efficiently makes him an important part of the team.