Negative Effects of the Internet on Non-Western Societies: Why Google Is Bad for Business - Essay Example

? Negative effects of the internet on non-western societies: Why Google is bad for business and culture 2 August Google, as a synecdoche for the Internet, is a subject of both praise and criticism from social and political scientists. The Internet, after all, is not value-free in its content and effects on western and non-western societies. On the one hand, the Internet provides a democratic space, where people from different social class, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion can interact and learn more about each other and the world. On the other hand, some critics of the Internet believe that it encroaches on traditional values and practices. This essay focuses on the negative effects of the internet. It aims to discuss the negative effects of the internet on non-western societies, specifically on their business and culture. After doing secondary research on this topic, the Internet can have harmful effects on business because it is used as a tool for different cybercrimes and it can easily violate user privacy and confidentiality; moreover, the Internet also harms cultural values and practices by promoting unhealthy sexual beliefs and practices, converting actual political participation into superficial spectatorship politics and breaking down traditional socialisation relations and conduct. The Internet can enhance access to economies of scale, but because of its ability to reach an almost infinite number of organisations and consumers, criminals have also used it as a tool for their crimes. Internet crimes, also called cybercrimes, have become increasingly prevalent because of the widespread adoption of the Internet, the existence of unsecured websites, and lack of security measures on the part of online consumers. Hacking, for instance, can be used to steal financial and personal information. Hackers can and have used the Internet to steal credit card information and use that to make unauthorised purchases online. Internet fraud is one of the most alarming criminal activities. The U.S. Department of Justice (2000) defines internet fraud as: any type of fraud scheme that uses one or more components of the Internet - such as chat rooms, e-mail, message boards, or Websites - to present fraudulent solicitation to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions, or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme. (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.12). In Africa, Nigeria has gained bad reputation because of Nigerian fraudsters working online. In the article ‘Effects of the electronic Nigerian money fraud on the brand equity of Nigeria and Africa,’ Viosca Jr, Bergiel and Balsmeier (2004) study the effect of Nigerian money fraud on Nigeria’s and Africa’s brand equity. Kotler and Armstrong (2004) define brand equity as something that stands for ‘consumers’ perception and feeling about a product and its performance’ (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.13). Countries and regions can also have brand equity because of the feelings and perceptions that consumers attach to them (Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.14). Viosca Jr, Bergiel and Balsmeier (2004) learned that because of Nigerian fraudsters, some foreigners see the county as a haven for criminals and unreliable as business partners and customers. Nwankwo (2003) stresses that: ‘Economic crimes have impacted negatively on the international image of Nigeria, giving it the toga of a crime-ridden nation according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’ (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.14). Another article is concerned of the rise of West African criminal networks in ‘Are There Emerging West African Criminal Networks? The Case of Ghana,’ by Aning (2007). This article reveals that these criminal networks are using the Internet to conduct computer and Internet fraud. These journals reveal that many criminals in non-Western societies are exploiting the Internet as a tool for operating fraud and other crimes. As a result, businesses are losing credibility and revenues in the millions, while consumers also suffer the financial and psychological effects of being victims of these crimes. White collar criminals also utilise the Internet for their illegal activities, which breach company and user privacy and confidentiality rights. In the journal article ‘Introduction: White-Collar and Corporate Crime in Asia,’ Pontell and Geis (2010) explore the diverse issues of cybercrime in Asian corporate settings. In China, statistics demonstrate that more than 800 individuals are charged with embezzling more than 70 billion yuan ($8.75 billion), and that they have left China in 2006 (Pontell & Geis 2010, p.85). Furthermore, many of these individuals worked in the government and some reached management positions already (Pontell & Geis 2010, p.85). In South Korea, executives of large companies have been convicted of embezzlement, accounting fraud, and breach of duty, and yet, because of their power, they either did not receive any conviction, or their sentences have been reduced (Pontell & Geis 2010, p.86). The Internet can also be used to flout consumer and firm privacy rights. Bandyopadhyay (2011), in ‘Online Privacy Concerns of Indian Consumers,’ examines privacy concerns in India. She learns that online consumers are concerned of how much of their personal information is stored and for what purposes. Her study reveals that consumers want greater power in the collection and use of their private information. They do not trust companies that cannot assure the security of their information. In reality, however, some companies sell their consumers’ information to other firms for profit. Because of these practices, several governments already crack down on firms that sell and share consumer information without the express permission of their clients. Aside from fraud, other visible effects of the Internet are the proliferation of pornography and piracy, and the role of the Internet in terrorism. In ‘Globalization, the Economy of Desire, and Cybersexual Activity among Ghanaian Youth,’ Tettey (2006) studies the impact of globalisation and the Internet on sexual activities of Ghanian youth. He notes that because of the Internet, users who can and are willing to pay can easily target women from poor non-Western countries. These women see sex trade as an opportunity to relieve their socio-economic problems. Piracy is also a common problem in non-Western societies, especially since some consumers cannot pay for original copies. For instance, they download copyrighted media material online. Some criminals go as far as copying and selling pirated materials through the Internet. Pierson (2010) reports that Cybersitter, also called Solid Oak Software Inc., alleges that the Chinese government and some Chinese technology firms worked together to steal and distribute its Internet filtering technology. Besides these crimes, scholars are concerned of Internet use among terrorists. In ‘The Dark Side of WEB 2.0: Criminals, Terrorists, the State and Cyber Security,’ Stohl, Myers and Danis, (2008) report about concerns of China and Chinese organisations hacking into Western databases. The West has rising suspicion on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which largely invested on information warfare capacities, and the former charges the latter for using its technology to “hack into U.S., U,K., French, Australian, New Zealand and German government websites” (p.47). The terrorist group, al-Qaeda, is also known to use the Internet to hack government websites (Stohl, Myers & Danis 2008, p.47). These are valid concerns, because even with security infrastructures, skilled hackers from terrorist cells can hack into websites and procure vital confidential information that they can use to harm others. The Internet affects the culture of non-western societies too, specifically their sexual beliefs and practices. In the book The Social Context of Adult Learning in Africa, Indabawa and Mpofu (2006) are concerned of how the Internet changes the sexual ideas and conduct of young Africans. Sexually promiscuous behaviours are considered as taboo in Africa, but because of the Internet, people can easily access pornographic sites, including child pornography. Indabawa and Mpofu (2006) complain that Internet cafes have become “sexual cinemas,” and they think that access to sexual material have led to higher HIV/AIDS cases and teenage pregnancies in Africa (p.137). This book shows that without government control and parental interventions, the Internet can create liberal sexual beliefs and practices that undermine conservative social values and harm vulnerable groups, such as the youth. Because of the Internet, socialisation practices also change in a negative way, especially when the youth form the bulk of their social relationships online. Wheeler (2006) interviews Kuwaitis and presents findings in her book, The Internet in the Middle East: Global Expectations and Local Imagination in Kuwait. She learns that many young Kuwaitis believe that their peers use the Internet to learn more about and to interact with the opposite sex. This motivation is a product of a conservative Muslim culture that prohibits heterosexual interactions among strangers. One of the interviewees is nineteen-year-old Sabiha. She echoes the sentiments of her friends, who believe that Kuwaiti youth use the Internet to communicate with the opposite sex. She understands that this technology helps girls and boys learn more about each other without physical contact; however, she is concerned of the “major problem” called cyberdating (Wheeler, 2006, p.149). Some of the repercussions of cyberdating for her are poor sense of responsibilities for social relationships and trust issues, especially when girls and boys alike have more than one boyfriend/girlfriend online (Wheeler, 2006, p.149). Apparently, the Internet is reshaping social behaviours, by potentially promoting short-term relations. The Internet also encourages spectator politics, which undercut the role of active participation through actual organisation and mobilisation efforts. In The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom, Morozov (2011) thinks that though the Internet has been used for recent political mobilisations, it also promotes “slack” attitudes towards pressing social, economic, and political issues. He cites Rami Khouri, editor-in-chief of a Lebanon newspaper, who says: Blogging, reading politically racy Websites, or passing around provocative text messages by cellphone is…satisfying for many youth. Such activities, though, essentially shift the individual from the real of participant to the realm of spectator, and transform what would otherwise be an act of political activism, mobilizing, demonstrating or voting into an act of passive, harmless personal entertainment. (cited in Morozov 2011, p.202). Morozov (2011) agrees with Khouri that there is a gap between armchair politics and actual political participation and empowerment. For him, the Internet is not always an effective form of political expression and a channel for political organising and mobilising. He believes that older and proven forms of organising are better in achieving social changes and social justice than social networking sites. The Internet can provide positive social, economic, and political benefits to non-Western communities, but this essay focuses on its downsides. On the business side, some criminals have used the Internet to steal from and defraud other people. The Internet also makes possible the easy violation of privacy and confidentiality rights. Damages to non-Western cultures can also be products of Internet use. Several harmful effects are the introduction and promotion of loose sexual beliefs and practices and the proliferation of short-term relationships. The Internet may not always result to political empowerment too, when it only encourages political spectatorship. Hence, Google is not always good for society. For non-Western societies, it can represent an affront to positive traditional norms and conduct and a threat to the integrity of their social and financial fabrics. Reference List Aning, K 2007, ‘Are there emerging West African criminal networks? the case of Ghana,’ Global Crime, vol. 8, no. 3, pp.193-212, (online International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center). Bandyopadhyay, S 2011, ‘Online privacy concerns of Indian consumers,’ International Business & Economics Research Journal, vol. 10, no. 2, pp.93-100, (online Business Source Complete). Indabawa, SA & Mpofu, S 2006, The social context of adult learning in Africa, UNESCO Institute for Education, Botswana. Morozov, E 2011, The net delusion: the dark side of internet freedom, PublicAffairs, New York. Pierson, D 2010, ‘U.S. software maker alleges piracy in China; Cybersitter claims in a $2.2-billion suit that firms stole its code for an Internet filter,’ Los Angeles Times (CA), January 7. Pontell, H & Geis, G 2010, ‘Introduction: white-collar and corporate crime in Asia,’ Asian Journal of Criminology, vol. 5, no. 2, pp.83-88, (online Academic Search Complete). Stohl, M, Myers, P & Danis, M 2008, ‘The dark side of WEB 2.0: criminals, terrorists, the state and cyber security,’ Harvard Asia Pacific Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp.47-50, (online Academic Search Complete). Tettey, WJ 2006, ‘Globalization, the economy of desire, and cybersexual activity among Ghanaian youth,’ Studies in Political Economy: A Socialist Review, no.77, pp.33-55, (online Political Science Complete). Tygar, ID 2003, ‘Technological dimensions of privacy in Asia,’ Asia-Pacific Review, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 120-145, (online Academic Search Complete). Viosca Jr, RC, Bergiel, BJ & Balsmeier, P 2004, ‘Effects of the electronic Nigerian money fraud on the brand equity of Nigeria and Africa,’ Management Research News, vol. 27, no. 6, pp.11-20, (online Emerald). Wheeler, DL 2006, The internet in the Middle East: global expectations and local imagination in Kuwait, State University of New York Press, Albany. Read More