Mackenzie+Ellis

Society has recently looked to entertainment and the media as a means to express. It has become an outlet of creative expression in today’s world. With the constant development of technology, any individual with no prior experience or specialty can pick up a camera and become a YouTube star for a day. As a new era of teenagers arises the world is seeing younger faces dominate the pages of the World Wide Web. These faces in turn dictate to their peers fashion tips, new music, ways to meet your soulmate, and the latest Paris Hilton sighting. Not only teenagers are responsible for posting the teen culture they immerse themselves in. Companies and corporations have looked at the web as a medium to sell and dictate images of what the ideal teenager should be. Millions of dollars are being spent by these corporations on marketing and advertising. It is as if there has been a take over in today’s digital age. An invention that started out as being an informational tool used for the sharing and expansion of today’s great minds has transformed it into a profitable playground for capitalists. In all other medias businesses have made their presence known through billboards, commercials and other forms of advertisements. Now the digital age has arrived, important humanitarian issues should be more of a focus on the web. The web was initially created with one function to preserve communication of information between individuals ( Cockburn, C., T. D. Wilson, p 83). In order for this to happen Tim Burners Lee set out to integrate hypertext with the internet. By doing so he imagined a world where information would be transferred and accessible at the click of a link. Companies have taken this original purpose and manipulated it to create their own set of functionalities for the Web (Versen, Klaus V., p 35-37). This manipulation of functionalities has caused the World Wide Web to be bombarded with advertisements. Although there is a takeover some advantages lay in the corporate take over of the web. The pros of this evolution, although in favor of businesses, provide reasoning to allow these behaviors to carry on. The introduction of commercialism to the web has accounted for job opportunities. Job titles like Information Architect, Online Marketing Technician, and Online Advertising Specialist are examples of occupations created due to the integration of corporations ( Rosenfeld, Louis, and Peter Morville, p xv, 3, 5,). The creation of these jobs has had a positive impact on the economy. Another pro that has developed as a result of this integration is the availability of products on the internet. Accessibility is something that companies strive to give their customers. The web has made it possible for consumers to access whatever they want whenever they want. They can check the price of an item they have had their eyes on for a while, compare pricing and even find reviews from people who have already purchased the product. The accessibility factor of the web has done wonders for sales. In America the companies have seen a 26% (608 million) gain in sales on thanksgiving weekend alone (Riper, Tom Van). This provides substantial evidence that the presence of corporations on the web has increased sales and boosted the economy significantly. As you can see there are pros to this conglomeration. The introduction of e-commerce has provided profitable results undoubtedly. But it seems as if it is a one sided profit gain. In spite of this there is no way for individuals to gain intellect, intelligence, or basic information about the world through purchasing a pair of Nikes online. This consumerism has evolved the web into another marketing tool used to dip into the pockets of consumers. In no way does the availability allow for humanity to progress forward. The web has come along way from its original state. The introduction of images, sounds, hypertext, and more have allowed for an infinite amount of possibilities. Unfortunately there are no boundaries on the web. Without boundries companies have been able to infiltrate and capitalize using the web. If e-commerce provided some humanitarian benefit to society other than the capital gain of corporations and expansion of economies then there would be no issue. But as it stands the presence of corporations and business do not provide enlightenment for todays society. According to a survey conducted at Stanford 36% of users on the internet use the web for purchasing items (Stanford University). This is startling due to the amount of users who are on the web. It is evident that the pros of e-commerce are one sided. They do nothing to move society forward. Nor does the presence of corporations on the web benefit society in a positive way. It continues to rob consumers of their money and bombard images of products that have no beneficial value to society. Companies have already dominated the pages of magazines, the airwaves of radio stations and the screens of our televisions. The web has fallen victim to the business world. In a constantly changing world we as humans should use the web for what it was intended: The trading and preservation of information among individuals. Imagine the web without the presence of businesses or corporations. One where there was no one telling you what to buy and how to look. This issue is one that needs to be addressed and dealt with accordingly.
 * The takeover of the web by corporations and negative impact of media (internet) on today’s society **

Cockburn, C., T. D. Wilson. "Business Use of the World Wide Web." __International Journal of Information Management__ Vol. 16 (1996): 83-102 Riper, Tom Van. "Biggest E-Shopping Day In History." __Forbes__ 26 Nov. 2006. 03 Feb. 2009 . Rosenfeld, Louis, and Peter Morville. __Information Architecture for the World Wide Web__. 2nd ed. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates Inc., 2002. "THE MORE TIME PEOPLE SPEND USING THE INTERNET." __Stanford__ __University__. 02 Feb. 2009 . Versen, Klaus V. "The Three Commercial Functions of the Internet." __Electronic Markets__ Vol. 8 (1998): 35-37.