Impacts of eBay on Society - Research Paper Example

The Impacts of eBay on Society Technology in the world has had dynamic developments ever since time in memorial. This has made everything in the world so easy to handle hence improved efficiency (Wall, 107). The implication of this is that there have been some commendable positive changes in almost all the sectors of the economy. The way things were being done has improved indefinitely hence the improvement in the lifestyle of people in the whole world. Technology has led to globalization where the world has become a village and individuals can access anything anytime at the comfort of their homes (Holden, 84). Moreover, globalization has led to the removal of the boundaries and obstacles that hinder the movement of individuals (both sellers and buyers) as well as information hence easy penetration of goods throughout the whole globe. It is therefore evident that technology has brought about globalization which has been enabled by other factors which include the emergency of e- commerce. As a matter of fact e-commerce has led to discovery of various channels which make the movement of goods as wells as information throughout the globe possible and easy (Resnick, et.al, 50). This has seen the development of sites such as eBay which have been developed to enable sellers and buyers to interact with no much hassle. EBay is a multinational corporation which was founded back in 1995 in America by Pierre Omidyar whose main purpose was to provide easy connection between the buyers and sellers, (Holden, 93). However, the founder did not seem to start for the purpose of making big profits in future out of it but it was a result of his hobby to solve new problems and also help people solve their business related problems. It was therefore developed for the purposes of auctioning and movement of information for the benefit of sellers, (Resnick, et.al 59). At first, it was a free site which was used for placing advertisements and since its proprietor was doing it for the fun of it, he did not realize that a lot of people were interested to post their own adverts on this site. Eventually, many adverts posted began to slow the systems down and therefore charges were introduced to improve on its efficiency. This was doubtful to the owner since he thought that he would lose those who visited the site (Jones, 79). This was not the case and it continued to be the best for those who were used to it and those that had joined for the first time. Since internet technology was not advanced at that time all the payments were made directly to the owner (Pierre). Later on, it introduced online payment means known as Pay Pal which has continued enabling the users to make payments easily and efficiently (Holden, 92). Today, this corporation is found in most countries so of the world and it provides a platform for the economic bonding and easy penetration of goods and services. It has enabled different countries to connect without any obstacles hence migration form the localized trade to the globalized form of transacting (Jones, 129). The exchange of goods and services among different individuals in the world has led to efficiency and convenience in the provision of these facilities in the whole world. This development has seen improvement in the culture of providing goods the traditional way. Furthermore, it has led to earning of living by individuals through creation of job vacancies and selling of the already produced stuff in the market without necessarily going to look for the buyers (Holden, 120). EBay, which was initially referred to as the auction site was later changed to the current name echo- bay where the interested parties can do their bidding with no obstacles and enjoy the unlimited number of buyers. It has since its founding moved from its original set time auction to the buy it now form which has improved the efficiency in which the interested parties can bid their property easy and with convenience. (Weber, 10) states that eBay is an internet based auction and a shopping channel where millions of sellers and business enterprises exchange goods as well ads services. A million of items are exchanged every other day and this is a clear evidence of how this site can be a source of success to any seller who is dedicated and willing to conduct business in the site. Despite dealing with selling and buying of items, eBay also has PayPal which is an online paying company, (Wall, 194). This company transmits money payments easily and safely through electronic means. It is also easy for traders to rate one another through the feedback which the site provides and hence possible to check the reputation of every trader. As (Weber, 9) states, the fastest way to grow ones business in America is to start it on eBay. This is because there are limited barriers to entry as opposed the other websites. He also states that the pay off is comparably high which he attributes to the fact that it is one of the most popular marketplaces in America (Gitlin, 117). There are very little or no risks in starting your business on eBay since there are millions of buyers who are already registered and they are ready to do business with the ventures. It is a venture which pays according to the amount of effort that the sellers put and how efficiently they are in carrying out their businesses in this site. EBay is the appropriate site for beginners who are ready to take their businesses to the next level of efficiency and what is required is the commitment of the sellers. One can start a business in this site as a part-time which eventually leads to more profits being realized which might lead to one leaving his or her permanent job for this kind of a venture, (Gitlin, 76). With its ability to let the users interact in this site, eBay allows one to spell check his or her listing, insert pictures as well as allow the users to plan well their auctions hence their success in their businesses. Technology in general and EBay in particular has had its good and bad side to the society and outlined below are both the negative and positive impacts that it has had to today’s society (Holden, 104). They have been divided into technological, sociological as well as the economical perspectives. Positive impacts EBay being an advancement of technology, it has increased efficiency among the users and especially those sellers who are interested in making more money by resources less spending and time (Gitlin, 170). It is easy to post an in item on this site and hence it has helped in saving more time for easy delivery of services. The time that was spent in delivering and acquiring commodities has changed dramatic ally hence improved efficiency. This has been caused by the intense advancement in technology and hence people can obtain what is not produced in their own country using the eBay platform. This has seen many people enjoy what is not available in their own countries as if it was produced locally (Gitlin, 97). This is as a result of improvement in technology applicable in this particular site. The globalization aspect has reduced or rather minimized the obstacles that initially prevented people from exchanging goods, services as well as information. The introduction of the e-payments (online modes of payments) has helped to reduce the time spent in making payments manually (Jones, 126). This has seen businesses which have ventured in eBay grow faster since the payments are in real time. Since people can obtain items at the comfort of their homes then it is so easy for them to obtain anything, anytime from anywhere hence fewer resources are wasted (Gitlin, 107). These resources include time spend while walking to look for items in the market places as well as money that is spend while looking for the items. Also, since the items are posted from all over the world, then the buyers can get a wide selection of commodities and therefore they are able to select the best quality from the posted items (Jones, 91). EBay is a site just like a market place and hence all the transactions lead to generation of revenues which eventually improve the economic status of the countries. The removal of the obstacles which hinder effective buying and selling are removed hence opening the whole world for trade (Wall, 19). All the countries can participate in trade and therefore it is an open platform. Buyers and sellers are able to interact and relate well in eBay which eventually leads to economic growth and development (Sinclair, 102). The market forces take control of the market just like in the traditional market place hence the economy is not exposed to vulnerabilities which come as a result of imperfections in the market, (Weber, 39). The site has been able to create job opportunities to people who use it. It has created a platform which enables the beginners and new business people to thrive in business and reward them according to their hard work. Since the site provides employment opportunities to individuals, then it is clear that they are able to earn living out of the income that they get from their transactions on the site, (Holden, 90). The human beings get satisfied through undertaking of those activities which are done by other fellow beings, (Holden, 119). Therefore, when they interact in some of these sites they get mental satisfaction which is healthy. The use of eBay as an auction site helps people to be exposed and gain more knowledge and information on many other products. This has a positive impact to the society psychologically because it improves on their self esteem. The increased use of this site has helped to reduce the pollution around the globe in that some commodities that were traded in the open markets are now ordered online hence not polluting the environment (Sinclair, 118). Negative impacts Fraudsters have taken advantage of technology advancement to commit cybercrimes where they con innocent buyers on the sites (Weber, 27). EBay is no exception and buyers have suffered fraudulent activities from fraudsters who pretend to be prospective sellers. Also, due to the anxiety among buyers who buy commodities online, they have suffered from the effects of online buying which is most of the times unregulated hence future regret. This is partly contributed to by ignorance and partly by advanced technology (Weber, 30). Since most of the times there are no regulatory bodies to regulate what is exchanged in these sites, there is a high possibility of introducing illegal commodities into the market through the site. These end up in the hands of the people in the society without the inclusion of responsible authorities which might be eventually harmful to the society (Wall, 109). The eBay site makes people indulge in buying stuff which they did not intend to hence the corrosion of ones self. The introduction of the site has led to erosion of the traditional markets which were once the only means which enabled people to interact and socialize face to face. If this continues then there will be erosion of the social behavior among people (Hortascu and Cabral, pg 97). Since anything is obtainable at the comfort of peoples homes, most individuals have become so much lazy since no more walking as it used to be in the early days. This poses the risk of getting some diseases which are rather preventable through going to the traditional market places. Since the site is all about auctioning, individuals might indulge in buying what they did not require as opposed to when they are in the physical market place. If the reputation of the sellers on the site is bad, then it is the buyer who is misused. Eventually buyers feel betrayed because of the bad reputation of the respective sellers. Due to availability of all the information at the site, individuals can all the information that they require about any product and sometimes it has a negative impact on their morals (Sinclair, 82) Summary All in all, technology has made the world to be what it is right now. With all the benefits it has been associated with it is clear that with its advancement then a lot more is on the way. Nevertheless, the negativities that come along with technology cannot be ignored and so it is of importance that people realize both sides of the coin and maximize on the positive impacts (Sinclair, 17). In conclusion, the development and founding of this corporation has seen much improvement in online shopping hence much appreciation. \ Works Cited Gitlin, Marty. Ebay: The Company and Its Founder, Technology Pioneers Series. New York, NY. ABDO, 2011. Print. Resnick, Paul, Zeckhauser, Richard, Swanson, John, and Lockwood, Kate. The value of reputation on eBay, A controlled experiment, volume 9, issue 2 pg 79-101, 2006. Print. Holden, Greg. 1000 Best Ebay Success Secrets: Secrets from a Powerseller 1000 Best series. New York, NY: Sourcebooks, Inc. 2006. Print. Hortascu, Ali and Cabral, Luis. The Dynamics of Seller Reputation: Theory and Evidence from eBay. NBER Working Paper No. 10363, NBER Programs, 2004. Print Jones, Jonathan. Ebay and Beyond: Whats Hot and Whats Not In Antiques and Collectibles. New York, NY: Jonathan Jones, 2012. Print. Sinclair, Joseph T. Ebay Business the Smart Way: Maximize Your Profits on the Webs #1 Auction Site. New York, NY: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2007. Print. Wall, David S. Cybercrime: The Transformation of Crime in the Information Age crime and society volume 1of PCSS- polity crime and society. New York, NY: Polity, 2007. Print. Weber, Steve. Ebay 101: Selling on EBay for Part-time Or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days. New York, NY: Stephen Weber, 2008. Print. Read More