This is degenerating into semantics pedantry. If you don't like me calling this technology "Bitcoin protocol," fine, call it whatever. The point is you didn't invest in the technology any more than AOL invested in TCP/IP.
Bitcoin relies on this technology, just like AOL relied on TCP/IP, but that's it.
No, Bitcoin is the technology. It relies on no other protocol for transfer of value than its own.
AOL is not a technology, it is a service or a platform built on top of the TCP/IP technology, like Coinbase is built on top of the Bitcoin technology
Are you intentionally being obtuse?