The Impact of Technology

Chapter 6

While most people are optimistic about the future of commerce on the web this optimism is guarded. No one disputes the utility of the web in its ability to facilitate information gathering and furthering the consumer decision process. But this optimism is clouded with two major issues: (1) the security of transaction data on the web and (2) the privacy of the consumer.

Along with the above mentioned issues, sociologist Sherry Turkle states that the internet may be redefining our identity. She argues that "computers and the Internet are redefining human identity, as people explore the boundaries of their personalities, adopt multiple selves, and form online relationships that can be more intense than real ones." Her research with children in examining the type of adult consumers they will be is intriguing and she reports that today's children with their extensive exposure to the web are developing new forms of thinking and will be more likely to buy, work, and socialize in the virtual world.

Judge, Paul C. (1997), "Is the Net Redefining Our Identity?" Business Week, May, 12, 100-101.