Visn. Lviv. Univ., Ser. Sotsiol. 2017: 11; 3-13 • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30970/vso.2017.11.01ЕЛЕКТРОННА КОМЕРЦІЯ ЯК СОЦІАЛЬНИЙ ФЕНОМЕН

Анотація

У статті на основі теоретичного аналізу наукових джерел та літератури виявлено  основні ознаки електронної комерції як соціального феномену. Зазначено, що електронна комерція – це порівняно нове явище, яке на даний час динамічно розвивається, а його виникнення зумовлено розвитком інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій.  Серед інших характеристик феномену – масовість, нерозривний зв’язок з глобалізацією,  цілісність і системність, інституціоналізація відносин, доцільність, включеність у всі  сфери суспільного життя на всіх рівнях соціологічного аналізу соціальних процесів і  явищ, вплив на стиль життя індивідів.

Ключові слова:електронна комерція, електронний бізнес, електронна торгівля,  інформаційно-комунікаційні технології, Інтернет, глобалізація, соціальний феномен, соціальне явище, стиль життя.

In the article on the basis of theoretical analysis of scientific sources and literature the main features of electronic commerce as a social phenomenon are ascertained. It is noted that e-commerce is a kind of economic activity aimed at gaining profit through information and communication technologies. At the same time, electronic commerce is a complex holistic formation, a new form of social interaction, an element of social reality, included in the system of social relations, which is characterized by the fullness of social properties and attributes. Electronic commerce as a social phenomenon has the following characteristics: it is a relatively new phenomenon that has been transformed from traditional trade and is currently dynamically developing; the emergence of this type of economic activity is caused by the development of information and communication technologies, without which the existence of e-commerce is impossible; it is mass phenomenon – the e-commerce system includes a large number of people on all continents, regardless of age, sex, education, job, income level, etc.; it has an in-extricable link with globalization, because e-commerce is a natural consequence and at the same time an indispensable feature of the globalization processes taking place in the modern world; integrity and systematic, which means the set of inter-acting elements of this social phenomenon, which have an integrated orientation towards the common goal of meeting certain consumer needs; institutionalization of relations, which manifests itself in the creation of organizations and the adoption of regulations that regulate e-commerce activities both internationally and nation-ally; inclusion in all spheres of public life at all levels of sociological analysis of social processes and phenomena (at the global level – as a certain global system; at the macro level – as an aggregate of social connections, interactions and social processes in certain society; at the meso level these are commercial and non-profit organizations and social groups in the system of e-commerce; at the micro level – interaction between individuals and small social groups in the field of e-commerce); the expediency of e-commerce is determined by compliance with the ultimate goal, practical utility and is associated with its benefits to consumers, manufacturers, business counterparts, state and society. It is worth to note the connection of e-commerce with the lifestyle of individuals. E-commerce as a way of interaction of social subject with the world is a social practice that affects the lifestyle of modern people. Besides, in the context of tradition of studying lifestyle in relation to consumer behavior (G. Simmel, T. Veblen etc.), e-commerce generates new forms of consumption, which also are connected with the lifestyles of individuals. It can be assumed that at the same time changes the meaning of consumption as a marker of social differentiation.

Key words: electronic commerce, electronic business, electronic trade, information and communication technologies, Internet, globalization, social phenomenon, lifestyle.