As we embark on our first post-Thanksgiving workday, what better way to let go of that extra 10 pounds of turkey flab than to settle in to a big chair for a massive online shopping binge?
As the media hype suggests, today is, allegedly, "Cyber Monday," when online shoppers stampede the tubes to buy holiday gifts with reckless abandon. Cyber Monday was originally developed as a marketing trick (sort of like a New Age Santa Claus) to rally the sheep around online shopping. It worked, I suppose, and now Cyber Monday has become a quasi-real e-retailer holiday... or so they'd like us to believe (Bahhh).
According to The New York Times, three quarters of the surveyed members of Shop.org, an online network of e-retailers, were prepared to offer discounts in observance of Cyber Monday. Effectually, 32 percent of adults surveyed were planning to shop on Cyber Monday, as opposed to 27 percent in 2006. That same survey, however, concluded that 54.5 percent of office employees (68.5 million people) planned to shop online from their desks. That's right, boys and girls. Behind those cubicle walls lurk employees armed with an agenda to get a deal on a toaster oven, come hell or high water (or pink slip). Productivity comes but second to a sweet bargain.
My overall optimism for online shopping (a.k.a. laziness) has begun to fizzle. Yeah, it's quick and easy, and the mere thought of the possibility of "free shipping" gets me all atwitter. But, truthfully, the only thing more depressing than the commercialization of the holiday season itself is the idea of millions of sad little people sitting there in pajamas -- or monkey suits -- clicking their way to truckloads of mail-order gifts. And isn't it somewhat ironic that while we're proposing to jump into hybrid cars, shopping with hemp bags, and lecturing our neighbors on carbon credits, we're eager to load the boat with styrofoam peanuts and fuel up FedEx jets all in the name of more lazily getting some chintzy, blown-glass Santa figurines to Aunt Bessie's house?
Frankly, I'm a little bored with all of it. Keeping in the spirit of the "Evolving Internet" theme, it seems online shopping is where Internet evolution comes to take a looooong nap. While we're wasting all of our efforts developing software for things like throwing virtual turkeys at people on Facebook , the pages of our online shopping sites have become staler than that annual batch of re-gifted Christmas fruitcakes.
While some sites like ToysRUs utilize video to spruce things up, the overall attitude detected from e-commerce sites is just "buy stuff because we said so" with few bells and no whistles. Amazon.com this season made somewhat of an effort, implementing a program combining Web 2.0's signature feature, interactivity, with bargain hunting. With Amazon's "Customers Vote" promotion, customers can vote on a series of products. Whichever one gets the most votes, they get to purchase that product for a bargain price. (If you voted for a loser, well, you're a loser too and don't get a discount. Loser.) Kudos to the unpaid intern who came up with this idea, but neither this nor some bland video clips are enough to propel my shopping endeavors online.
Isn't it just a bit frustrating that with all this technology available, we're using it for such apathetic and one-dimensional e-commerce applications?
There are still a few things in life that are better without technology and celebrating the Christmas season is one of them. I enjoy the holiday season, especially the shopping malls decorated with lights, trees and Santa Claus figures. Shopping on-line may be fast and easy, but (at least during the holidays) I prefer to shop the old fashion way. Maybe it's nostalgia, or maybe it's the childhood memories of Christmas, but I enjoy the holiday atmosphere of Christmas shopping. (OK...... except for the parking!)
So when I hear about Cyber Monday, I think that we've lost another small part of our culture. I have fond memories of Christmas shopping with my parents, Christmas music playing throughout the stores and sitting on the lap of the local store Santa. No child will ever have fond memories of sitting in front of a computer and cyber shopping.
I am no more affected by the Cyber Monday hype than from the allure of Black Friday. I am little swayed by the media attempts to define and strengthen recognizable trends; whether in retail sales or established positions on the 'war'. What I believe or how I go about my Christmas shopping will not change because a label was placed on an event - before it was even an event. I shop online most days in the year, dependent on my needs and my money and the availability of products in my area. Our little group here has been caught up in a much more facinating study in regards to the Christmas holiday, as well as any other reasons to shop. Namely, could the almight USA survive without greed and the historically new ME movement. If we decided we could 'do with out' esoteric things; only bought what we NEEDED and only bought for others, would the financial health of America continue? Any takers?
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
We hope you can tune in for an IE Radio interview today with a true industry innovator, Jeff Jonas, chief scientist at IBM. We're talking to Jonas today at 3:00 p.m. ET. Do. Not. Miss. It.
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s recent unveiling of its "magical" iPad may have fanboys counting the days until March, but if a recent poll on Internet Evolution is any indication, not everyone is buying into the hype.
We do a lot of grousing here on Internet Evolution, and usually for good reason, considering the amount of nonsense that keeps this industry afloat on its cloud of hot steamy air!!!! But... we can still happily acknowledge those titans who have succeeded in leading the way or paving new ground in their respective fields and, in turn, give credit when it is well deserved.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been working with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) to look into the attacks on its Chinese servers.
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
When Reiter gets incensed over incompetent Verizon FiOS order-taking and support, he broadcasts it via Twitter. Did it do any good? How should your company offer Twitter support? Watch this for all the answers.
The Google backlash continues. After seeing their Project 10^100 submissions disappear into the bowels of a Google server farm, a group of irate developers has started their own site to re-collect and vote on the ideas.
The PNC Financial Group is using social networking for outreach, product development, customer segmentation, branding, and more. It has also developed an iPhone-based virtual wallet application for Gen Y customers.
More companies are trolling social networks to find and vet potential job candidates. Beware the pitfalls of blurring the line between personal and professional lives.
How do you recognize an Internet bubble when you see one? Saunders explains how all bubbles have four symptoms in common – and takes a swipe at Google and Twitter into the bargain.
The sky is falling! And in other news, Saunders explains why he’s predicting a second Internet bubble – this one based around the current craze for social media.
Research shows that the youth of today like Facebook – but not blogging or Twitter. Does that mean Facebook has won, or just that it's not yet out of favor? Will all the services we see today fade into Ovaltine-or-Wheaties status in just a few years?
Data mining of social networks means people might face unforeseen consequences as a result of their seemingly innocuous personal choices and associations.
Research shows that the youth of today like Facebook – but not blogging or Twitter. Does that mean Facebook has won, or just that it's not yet out of favor? Will all the services we see today fade into Ovaltine-or-Wheaties status in just a few years?
What kinds of companies are doing the most innovation in the data center? Turns out it's midtier enterprises that are taking the "Just Right" approach.
Ray Kurzweil's Blio and Apple's iPad tablet will make it easier than ever to have books "read" to us, says Dr. Kim, who believes that talking tablets will become interwoven into our consciousness as we "merge" with the increasingly elegant machines we hold in our hands.
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Email This
TWEET THIS
