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Adverse Effects of E-Commerce 43
supply personal data, particularly when information, services or merchandise are
requested. Companies store information on consumers and profile them in order to
market items that may be of interest to them.
Some organizations sell collected information as a good or service to other
potential marketers (Ackerman et al, 1996). Companies may also mine data from
public records like phone books, automobile registrations, driver’s licenses or
home ownership documents located in city halls. This information is garnered by
companies and in a database for marketing purposes (Hatch, 1996). This practice
can lead to the endless junk mail that was never requested. Direct mail marketing
is a form of privacy invasion. Junk e-mail is becoming very pervasive, with one bulk
e-mailer, Cyber Promotions, boasting that it sends 1.5 million messages a day
(Zaret & Sawyer, 2000).
ADVERSE INDIVIDUAL EFFECTS
E-commerce can significantly affect individual freedom and living conditions.
The adverse effects of e-commerce and Internet on the individual include social
isolation, loss of security and privacy and loss of individuality. In this section, we
briefly discuss these adverse individual impacts of e-commerce.
Social Isolation
E-commerce has far reaching implications in a social context. On one hand, it
provides all the comfort of shopping from home; on the other hand, it removes oldfashioned
human interactions for social needs. Take for instance the case of
telecommuting that is becoming a reality. Today many organizations allow their
employees to work from their homes. It is predicted that by 2010, the separation
between work and home will have blurred, and areas once zoned for commercial
use will be converted into live-work condominiums. The primary motivator for
worker participation in telework programs is the desire to increase overall
productivity through autonomy. Employees are able to choose their work hours in
which they feel they are most efficient and can reduce the number of interruptions
by co-workers and the stress of daily commuting. Therefore, they have an increased
desire to work. In addition, individuals generally have more free time and are able
to work overtime, without spending long hours away from their families.
There are some positive aspects of telecommuting to organizations and
society. With increased employee autonomy, organizations are able to retain their
employees by providing more flexibility in their work schedule. Organizations
benefit from fewer costs in recruiting, training, and disability costs. Organizations
are also able to locate satellite offices in less densely populated areas. Environmen-
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