What is bitcoin?

When I first got involved with crypto, bitcoin/eth specifically there was a community around it that saw it as a way to become the "money of the internet" and bleed into the real world.

Years ago there were pizza shops, bars, and convenience stores that took #BTC as a valid means of payment. That was 2010.

Since then, they've stopped and when I tried to actually USE the bitcoin that I had in my wallet to buy purely internet "things", like hosting, domains, etc, it was exceedingly hard to find anyone that would take it.

Why does bitcoin exist?

So my question today is from a place of curiosity, why does bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies exist? What utility do they serve?

I still participate in the #hive ecosystem because $hive and $hbd have utility, they exist to mediate this blockchain. Sure, I can't USE them to buy much here, but at least there is a floor to the value, that is what it takes to maintain the network.

But what utility does bitcoin serve? As FIAT of the internet?

Help me understand. Maybe I will "buy the dip", but probably not.