From film to digital video
Home video started on film, then moved to tape — VHS-C, Hi8, and eventually MiniDV camcorders through the 1990s. These recorded to physical tape, which you then had to actually digitize to edit or share. Digital camcorders that recorded straight to memory cards started replacing tape-based models through the 2000s, making footage instantly transferable to a computer.
DSLRs learn to shoot video
A turning point: Canon's EOS 5D Mark II (2008) was one of the first DSLRs with real HD video capability, and independent filmmakers and journalists noticed immediately — a camera built for photos, with a large sensor and interchangeable lenses, could shoot video that looked far better than a dedicated camcorder. That began a shift where "camera" and "video camera" stopped being separate categories, especially once mirrorless cameras (no mirror mechanism, smaller bodies) took over from DSLRs through the 2010s and pushed video quality further.
Webcams and going live
Simple webcams had existed since the 1990s for video calls, but live video broadcasting to an audience is newer. Justin.tv (2007) started as one person livestreaming his life; the gaming-focused portion of it spun off into Twitch (2011), which turned "watching someone play a game live" into a mainstream habit. YouTube added live streaming more broadly. This created real demand for better webcams and simple streaming-capable cameras, separate from the photography market.
Action cameras
GoPro popularized small, rugged, wide-angle cameras built to be mounted on a helmet, a surfboard, a drone — places a traditional camera couldn't go. It created its own category, later joined by competitors and by drones with built-in cameras.
Where things stand now
Smartphone cameras have closed much of the quality gap with dedicated cameras for casual use, computationally correcting for their small sensors. Dedicated cameras remain ahead for low light, background blur, and lens flexibility — which is why the creator economy (YouTube, Twitch, TikTok) still drives real demand for mirrorless cameras and good webcams specifically built for streaming.