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

An Amazon spokesperson, obviously keen to sing the praises of the web, explained to V3 that the company has thrived by offering "an increase in the selection that customers can choose from, a high level of convenience and low prices".

While Amazon represents an example of a business out-competing those in an existing industry, the web has also given rise to firms that could never have existed before, such as Salesforce and Facebook.

What's driving all these businesses forward now is the mobile web. As tablets and smartphones provide access to information on the go, this has led to the creation of mobile-centric services from new start-ups.

Foursquare is a prime example. The site lets users check into any location on their mobile device so that friends on the application, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, can see where they are and what they're up to at any given time.

As Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai explained to V3, the site has catapulted to success on the back of the mobile internet as people demand access to online services and web sites at all times.

"I think the biggest shift, and the one that means the most to Foursquare, which was born around the tail end of this 20-year period, is that the web has become increasingly mobile," he said.

"We want ever faster, ever more ubiquitous ways to access the web, and mobile is that last field."

With a further one billion connections expected to be made in the coming years on the mobile web, this could well have a major impact on the web's future.