Information and Electronic Commerce: Is It for Everyone?

by Maribel Andrade
(Biochemistry/Chemistry major)

The communication revolution, industrial revolution and now the electronic revolution have all made life easier for us. Electronic commerce is a small ingredient that has helped this electronic revolution get started, but does it really accommodate the entire population? Electronic commerce itself has had a major impact here in the U.S. with both its people and its economy. It has made us look at trading in a different way, besides traditional trading of concrete materials, "[it involves world trade] of entertainment, information services, technical information… now accounting well over $40 billion of U.S. exports alone" (Framework, pg. 3). E-commerce makes transferring information fast, easy, and cheap, but it also has its downfalls, and not everyone can be satisfied. Personal privacy is now becoming obsolete, small businesses can now be managed by one person leading to the loss of potential jobs, and countries that are not as technologically advanced miss out in all the action.

"Unfortunately, collection, re-use, and instantaneous transmission of information-can, if not managed carefully, diminish personal privacy" (Framework, pg. 16). E-commerce is a business itself that lets us know more information about the providers, consumers, and people in general. This could be a great if you have a business and want everyone to know who you are and what you sell. Others can, however, take your information and use it for the wrong purpose, invading your privacy and exposing it. A great example is essays over the Internet. Other people take these and sell them to other students. This invades your property and does not help anyone. The student who wrote it probably did not see any of the money and the student who bought a copy did not learn about the subject. However, if you still want to market yourself electronically, you will have to sacrifice your privacy in one way or another.

E-commerce has helped small businesses to flourish. "Approximately 85% of existing businesses are categorized as small businesses, and approximately 85% of these are owned and operated by a single individual" (Electronic, pg. 120). This can ultimately lead to a loss of potential jobs. E-commerce facilitates business transactions so much that you no longer need a lot of people doing other work for you. Before a single individual could not handle a business, they would have to hire someone else to do different tasks. Now a single individual can make all the money, and all the others have lost a job. Many of these people will then find that if other businesses also use this new fast and easy way, their jobs will no longer be in demand and they will have to go back to school to continue on with their lives.

What about all the other countries without many technological advantages? "Many countries maintain trade barriers to imported information technology, making it hard for both merchants and customers to purchase the computers and information systems needed to participate in electronic commerce" (Framework, pg. 22). In the future, these countries run a risk of losing their businesses all together. About 95% of the world population have never even heard a telephone line. Since e-commerce is run through the Internet, this a means that less than 5% of the world population has had such an impact on this planet that they have started their own Electronic Revolution with out including the rest of us. These countries have survived so far but if most of their export business is being lost to other people with faster access, how will these countries continue to survive?

E-commerce is a fast and easy way to send and receive information. However, it's not for everyone. Everyone entering the business has to decide for themselves how much of their own privacy are they willing to expose. Different employees have to realize that if their businesses start to use e-commerce as a fast and easy source to run their business, they might have to find another job. All the other electronically deficient countries must now see that the world is starting a new revolution that they are not a part of. In the future, they might lose out business opportunities. E-commerce is only for those who have the technology to run their business through the Internet. This means that it is obviously not available for everyone.