Internet helps to cause Global Warming and Crop Circles?

Ok, YES! The Internet has influenced many significant developments since it’s inception in the 80s but for the MSNBC article to say that the Internet is now partially responsible for low car sales in the U.S. is a real stretch. What next, the Internet helps to cause Global Warming and Crop Circles?

Does the concept of unemployment, job-loss and fear of job loss together with a halt on consumer spending not resonate with anyone as the main culprit? Who would be the people with the purchasing power for teens? Not parents? And if these parents are pinching pennies or simply don’t have the dinero then I would think this would be the greater influencer contributing to low car sales. And 20-somethings? Besides also being subjected to unemployment or lower paying entry-level jobs, they simply don’t have the access to credit lines as their counterparts had in the 80s and 90s.

 

Here’s the reason cited why the Internet’s to blame: Gen Y is opting to stay home to engage in social media on the Internet. NEWS FLASH!! Internet is mobile! You don’t have to stay at home as though you’re chained to an old-fashioned, dial-up Internet connection. Texting, Tweeting, Facebook status updating, IMing, Skyping, etc. can all be done from a smart phone, laptop or iPad. Who stays home to do these things? No one I know -- unless of course you’re a gamer or vampire in Second Life who loses time in a virtual reality world but that’s completely different. Young people are more mobile and technology is moving with them. Least of all groups Gen Y would be grounded at home to plug into social media.

Gen Y – otherwise known as Echo Boomers, Millennials or Net Generation -- is probably less concerned about purchasing a car as a symbol of who they are or want to be perceived to be, but show me young person who doesn’t desire the independence, mobility and freedom that their own vehicle gives. Gen Yer’s are described as “more tech-savvy, family-centric, flexible, non-conforming and attention-getting than their parents.” They’re profiled as very “brand conscious but dollar savvy with adult buying habits and sophisticated tastes in clothing, dining and recreation” (for more, see “Only on the Web”). With this in mind, don’t you think they would buy a car if they simply could afford one?

Did you Know?

Good Read:

MetLife Demographic Profile

E-Marketing For Sensible Folk

E-Government: Pros & Cons

Arguably, there are several pros to having e-government services (be it state, federal or local) online, number one in my mind being CONVENIENCE. Really, who has time to trek to various locations, and wait in long, frustrating lines to transact necessary business or get needed information? Not me! Online I can buy stamps, file taxes, renew my driver’s license or passport, and even register to donate an organ -- see Government Made Easy. For me, having these services online makes it far more efficient for me to get things done and more efficient for the agency to gather, process and disseminate the information. Plus, it would be a welcome day when I never again have a face-to-face interaction with a government worker.

Privacy and hyper-surveillance would probably be the biggest cons. But privacy on the Internet is an illusion. Every time we browse much of our information like IP address is captured, cookies stored, adware and spyware downloaded, and behavioral advertising data sold all without our knowledge or conscious permission. And as for hyper-surveillance, doesn’t the government have access to all our personal information anyway – social security number, DOB, credit history, name, rank and serial number? Government sites contain just as much personal information (maybe less) as your bank, e-harmony, or Facebook (FB), so you’re no more at risk on government sites than you are on social sites.

Earlier this year Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, held a press conference to address the issue of new policy protocol to protect the personal information of its over 400 million users. For the many FB addicts out there, are you concerned about privacy risks when upload all your vacation photos, update your status religiously every hour? Do you read the privacy policy carefully and do you know how and with whom your information is being shared? So what’s the concern with the government site?

The International Business Times wrote that on April Fools Day, a British company, GameStation, proved that over 88% of users on their site don’t read privacy conditions when they were easily able to take possession of 7,500 “Immortal Souls.” Do you think e-government will steal your soul?

Sources:

E-marketing For Sensible Folk: http://e-marketingforsensiblefolk.blogspot.com/
International Business Times: “Online privacy: Is there any?” Joseph Picard

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Government

The New York Times: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/z/mark_e_zuckerberg/index.html

Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/15/online-shoppers-unknowingly-sold-souls/