If there were no bitcoin I know their are investment people can go for but it will be something that the rich and middle class can afford to invest. In bitcoin the rich, poor and middle class can go into it, this is to say bitcoin is for every body.
There are other investments that people could really go into, but there is no investment one can go into without going through a third party, without having some paper work done, without having to leave their house to go out to the office or company they want to invest in, and without having to pass through a little stress. But the truth is that Bitcoin gives investors the avenue to enjoy freedom while they do their investment while sitting at a place. No paper work needs to be done, no third party needs to be involved, and it's not too complex that people cannot easily understand. I agree with your topic OP, and I say thanks to Bitcoin too. Real estate requires a certain amount before you can invest; even some companies require a huge amount before you can invest with them, but Bitcoin gives people the space to invest just any little amount they like to.
In short it opens a lot of opportunities for people who doesn't much money have an investment. If you look back when bitcoin wasn't a thing, the only option for regular people to participate into economic growth is through banks and other institutions, and guess what? That time when I first opened my account, there is a maintaining balance you need to keep and big banks or international banks requires a huge amount of initial deposit before you can start your own savings account.
Thanks to crypto though there're lots of people who lost quite a but of money, there're also those that their lives are changed into something much more liveable. So in conclusion the benefits given by crypto changed the way how we think and it outweighs the negative effects.