Before we had the ESP32 type products that are now popular, using a Pi was often one of the only easy ways to make simple internet connected devices at home. I remember making smart lights and home sensors, speakers, clocks and all sorts of things using the Pi Zero W. It was cheap, small and easy to get up and running.
I and many other people very much used it like a microcontroller.
I and many other people very much used it like a microcontroller.