(Chinese Version)

What is Internet+? If you still have no clue, then you are totally out. Internet+ is not only changing the way we do business, but also the way we live.

In case you still don’t know what Internet+ is, I will give a brief introduction first:

Basically, Internet+ means the combination of Internet and traditional industries. However, they are not simply combined together, but interweaved together via Internet technologies and platforms. For sure, Internet+ will open another aspect of imagination.

Internet will even become another kind of productivity, similar to electricity, and increase efficiency in traditional industries. I have once talked about possible trends of Internet+ in To Get Started, The Eight Trends of Internet+ in China, and I am going to talk about the possible influence and challenge of Internet+ in five major traditional industries in this article.

1. Internet finance

Crowdfunding, P2P lending, third-party payment, digital cash, big data finance, Internet financial institutions and online financial platforms… all these things are the fruit of Internet finance.

Internet finance service can be a threat since it is absorbing the market share from traditional banks. For example, after Alipay Wallet launched Yu’E Bao service, many people, including me, withdrew our money from banks and put it into Yu’E Bao. Although the interest rate on Yu’E Bao is not high, everybody seems to want to have a try of Internet finance services.

Internet finance service can also be a boon for traditional industries.

However, people will have to first understand the varieties of Internet finance services before they make full use of Internet finance services. For example, it is said that there are two kinds of crowdfunding: while most people are merely raising money via crowdfunding, more experienced people are actually gathering talents and ideas via crowdfunding.

2. The Internet of Vehicles

The Internet of Vehicles, by its definition, is the network among vehicles, traffic, passengers and drivers. In China, such service providers include DiDi Taxi, PO Taxi and e-Driving agent, etc.

On the one hand, these services can provide drivers with accident warning, electronic road signs, traffic lights information, slippery road warning, etc., so that drivers can drive more safely on the road.

On the other hand, The Internet of Vehicles will help drivers plan their route, avoid traffic jams, help traffic police collect tolls, monitor traffic, and help passengers hail taxis, share rides, book restaurants, and even network with each other, which will make life a lot easier than before.

3. Online medical service

There are a variety of online Internet services, such as health tips, medical information searching, e-appointment, e-health report, risk assessment for diseases, online disease counselling, e-prescribing, distance group consultation, distance therapy, etc…

As the medical service reform is gathering momentum, online medical service is also booming. In the near future, we will see more and more health management apps and even a cloud-hospital.

By the way, I’m a big fan of dentist e-appointment. It’s really convenient.

Not only traditional medical service providers, like hospitals, drugstores, are taking the advantage of the Internet, many Internet companies are also eyeing on this market and cashing in a lot of money in this sector. Some examples include Dyx.cn, Spring Rain, Huakang Mobile Healthcare and Mobile Drugstore.

4. The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity to enable it to achieve greater value and service by exchanging data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices. Each thing is identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure.

In the era of the IoT, concrete and grid will be connected to chips and Internet. Some insiders even regard the Internet of Things, along with smart grid, as components of smart earth.

Moreover, in this new era, positioning technology will monitor the traffic, environment, farmland and forest, land use, city development, illegal construction projects, etc. By combining positioning technology with big data analysis technology, administrators will be able to better run the city.

5. Online education

Internet is changing all major traditional industries, and education industry is no exception. Whether we like it or not, the education industry is, indeed, undergoing great changes.

Educational resources are becoming more open. With the help of Internet, anybody can get access to college classes and study without attending a real university. It is Internet that makes college educational resources more open to the public.

At the same time, studying becomes easier. With the spread of smear phones, people can study almost anytime, anywhere, such as on the subway, bus, at the hospital, etc., and while waiting in the queue at the supermarket, etc. People no longer have to study in the classrooms, instead, they can just grab their phones and watch a short video to learn how to arrange flowers and cook.

Moreover, educational models are also changing a lot. In some universities, professors are combing online classes with “offline” lectures, and putting reading materials online for students to review.

Due to a variety of reasons, online education in China is still at a primary level, and most online education services are still free.

Bill Gates predicted once: “It is probable that in the future people can find whatever classes they want online”. However, his prediction is becoming a reality.

This is, indeed, the age of Internet+. In the near future, Internet+ will definitely become an indispensable part of our life.

(The article is published and edited with authorization from the author @Su Jin, please note source and hyperlink when reproduce.)

Translated by Levin Feng (Senior Translator at ECHO),working for TMTpost.