There is stuff that many, many people & businesses pay for on the internet. Examples include:

- Internet Providers, often the first 3 months are free
- network software developers, free demos are usually made available
- online gaming is often free at dial-up speed
- movies, free trailers & theater listings
- music, free samples, pay to download
- mail order sites (books, eBay, etc), see product photos, free comparisons with competition
- news periodicals, freebees include abstracts, excerpts
- porn sites & chat rooms, free photos and 30-seconds of non-nude live video chat
- internet advertising firms, businesses get free tracking & statistics, i.e. instant feedback
- website designers, often have their own websites showcasing their expert skills
- social networking sites, free to send a smile to someone, pay to reply
- email providers, free basic pkg, pay for enhancements
- retailers, free online product catalogue, store finders, customer service
- brokerage firms, free simulated investment accounts & online investment tracking
- public transit, free online info and route planning, pay to ride bus
- libraries, free online catalogues, pay to sign out books
- I'm sure there are lots of others

It's all driven by free content. That's how they lure you in. Most are happy with the freebees. Some pay. Some have gotten rich by facilitating people's spending on the internet. PayPal is the best example. There are others.