Abstract
E-bay is an online shopping market where both shoppers and sellers can interact through the internet and does not have to involve physical contact. It has afforded the world a place where they can buy their goods and products without necessary having to meet each other; it has incorporated state of the art technological advancement notable in information and communication technology. Thus people do not have to globe-trot to purchase goods and products that are only available in other countries. It has incorporated such technological advancement that the people communicate online and finalize their transactions. E-bay has incorporated some other technologies that include affording the traders an online forum where client and seller can interact through chat (Stross, 2001).
E-Bay has helped in ensuring that the people can communicate everything about products offered for sale need including transportation mode, product specifications etc. This has made it cheaper and easier to conduct international. E-bay has contributed much in the media technologies that have evolved in the world in recent times and it has in a way pioneered a new way of marketing in the world. This is because in order to transact in various products, all one needs is a computer, internet connection and either a credit card or an online account offered by the company (Nissanoff, 2006).
Tetrad of Media effects
In the field of media a tetrad can be said to a set of any four things. McLuhan (1988) asserted that any form of media had an effect that formed a tetrad concisely. This means that any media has an effect on the society and this can also be viewed on the light that any technology must have some social procedures which brought about the adoption of the technology. This is achieved by dividing the total effects of the media technology and displaying at the same time.
E-Bay case study
E-bay has brought a new medium of online transaction. It has also introduced concepts through which people can purchase their products and this includes the Pay Pal online accounts. It has revolutionized the international transactions because people can buy small quantities of products unlike in the past where for people to buy products in the international market, they had to buy in large quantities. It has also helped in ensuring that many people can interact online for the basis of transactions. It has also gone a notch higher and has prohibited some goods which would be deemed illegal for example alcohol, firearms, used garments etc(Klink, 2005).
Enhancements
E-bay has brought about a lot of enhancements in the way international trade is being conducted in the modern world. For example E bay has intensified the international trade through the use of the internet medium. In the past the use of internet had no effect on the international trade because it only catered for the traditional bulk purchases though it made it easier to communicate details. The use of internet through e-bay has shown that the internet can be used to buy products which are not bulk in size as well as quantity. It has also brought about an enhancement of the way the internet is used to communicate and this is mainly through business oriented channels (Kent, 2005).
Obsolesced technologies
E-bay program has phased out the traditional methods of communication especially in business which means mail and telephones have been phased out. Use of has checks has been phased as well.
Retrieved technologies
Such technologies that have been retrieved is the use of postal addresses in transactions. This is because items that have been bought from e-bay are mainly sent through various post office boxes and this have retrieved a form of traditional means of getting things in from the international market. Products and goods that have been bought through e-bay are sent through mailing addresses. This had been phased out by the fact that people used couriers which would bring the goods to the customer’s door-step. It has been efficient since the customers can retrieve the goods at their own convenience and yet the seller does not have to struggle finding means of transport. The seller only has to send the goods through the easily accessible mailing services that are available in the country (Ford, 2007).
Extremes
E-bay when used to the extreme, thus there’s a limitation into items that can be traded.. This is because it has been noted earlier that the medium could be used to trade illegal items. There was a time when human organs could be traded through e-bay which brought controversies in the usage of the internet as a business medium. Other things that could bring about a controversy are the trading of such things as fire arms and other weapons through the internet forum. However, the company is fully aware of the dangers that utmost freedom in the usage of this and that is why it has put a limitation to the scope of products that can be transacted online (Cihlar, 2006).
References
Cihlar, Christopher (2006). The Grilled Cheese Madonna and 99 Other of the Weirdest, Wackiest, Most Famous eBay Auctions Ever. Random House.
Ford, Michael (2007). Scams & Scoundrels: Protect yourself from the dark side of eBay. Elite Minds Inc.
Jackson, Eric M. (2004). The Pay Pal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth. World Ahead Publishing.
Kent, Peter & Finlayson, Jill (2005). Fundraising on eBay. McGraw-Hill.
Klink, Edward & Klink, Stephen (2005). Dawn of the eBay Deadbeats: True Tales of Treachery, Lies, and Fraud from the Dark Recesses of the World’s Largest Online Auction Marketplace. Mooncusser Media.
McLuhan Marshall (1989) The Global Village.
McLuhan Marshall(1988) Laws of Media.
Nissanoff, Daniel (2006). FutureShop: How the New Auction Culture Will Revolutionize the Way We Buy, Sell and Get the Things We Really Want. The Penguin Press.
Stross, Randall (2001).E-Boys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work. Ballantine Books pp 28–29.