The World Wide Web turns 20 – how it's changed the world forever

News is another industry that has been profoundly affected. Before the advent of the web, the newspaper industry had it all its own way: it broke the news, outsiders were shut out and feedback was limited to the occasional letter.

Now sites like Blogger, Wordpress and, of course, Twitter make mass publication a viable option for all, while the newspaper industry has to rely on new advertising revenues like paywalls to make money as free news becomes the norm.

The impact on more traditional businesses has been huge too, as Phillip Everson, acting chief information officer and technology partner at Deloitte, explained.

"The web has revolutionised businesses and fundamentally changed lots of sectors, such as the music industry, and it will continue to have impacts on areas such as film, where streaming is going to become more common," he told V3.

"There are some industries, though, where it's not touched at all and where there is still a lot of growth to come."

Everson explained that it is only a matter of time before the web makes its presence felt in all areas as the next generation of business leaders reach the top jobs in areas such as sales, marketing and even government.

"As more tech-savvy executives reach the top positions in companies, they will drive further deployment of web services, such as sales managers using web sites to host information on products and real-time stock updates," he said.

"It's inevitable governments will also make more use of the web, but they have to be careful not to create second class citizens that don't have access to the web and therefore can't access key services."

The web has not only changed existing businesses, though. It has helped to create brand new ones that have taken entire sectors by storm - firms such as Amazon which have thrived at the expense of high street stores like Woolworths and HMV.