The Impact of the Internet on the United States

The transition from the 20th century to the 21st century

The transition from the 20th century to the 21st century was accompanied by vast technologies in communication and information technology. The technological development and trends have brought a competitive imbalance with the less developed countries being subject to low technological advancements as compared to the industrial world countries. Total quality management, re-engineering as well as business integration based on the internet in countries such as the United States have promoted differential systems that have led to huge differences in the organization and management of business enterprises, media and culture. For instance, the internet is being used to revolutionize commerce and the media industry. The systems are thus computer based. This paper seeks to identify ways by which the internet has changed America under various economic, social, political and cultural aspects.

Influence of the Internet in the United States of America

In the United States of America (USA) there is evidence of revolution the entire economic system through enhancement of flexibility and effectiveness in operations. Therefore, financial systems, supply chain management, human resource management as well as customer systems have been subjected to critical changes that are always beneficial to the nation. Besides, production processes are also developed upon through implementation of business intelligence systems. For instance, the advent of real-time tracking, and virtual networks in the US have changed the supply chain and customer relations systems.

Inventory management and Business intelligence

Inventory management has been also enhanced through Business intelligence. Since business intelligence systems have capabilities of storing more substantial amounts of data, they provide for enough storage for product information as well as stock details (Chen, Chiang, and Storey, 1166). Cloud technology is one such aspect being utilised by organizations like Target and Walmart. Real-time product tracking is also provided by utilization of Internet-based intelligence systems that are supported by devices such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The system thus provides updated information that can be reliably utilized for replenishment planning and restocking. The derived benefits lie in enhanced stock management and uniform consistency in the provision of vital products required by customers.

Enhanced Customer Experience

On the other hand, customer experience in the United States has been enhanced through online shopping, delivery, and awareness. The door to doorstep delivery within the surrounding regions serves as a differential strategy since most businesses do not utilize the approach. Besides, after sales services and awareness programs help in building customer loyalty which is vital in establishing a competitive advantage. Therefore, associated support systems such as an internet-based website and a stable computer network is a necessity that determines the level of business intelligence implemented within a firm in the United States. Amazon, Walmart, McDonald’s, eBay, and Netflix are some of the firms that utilize online marketing websites.

Global Linkage and Partnership Opportunities

A business intelligence system also exposes a nation and its firms to the international market. The system thus serves as a global linkage to the outside world. For instance, Netflix, eBay, Amazon, and some airlines use online platforms for booking and placement of orders for individuals in foreign countries. Besides, information is identified from various business platforms and linked to available resources for use in the establishment of partnerships. The new alliances generate revenue for both the United States and affiliate nations thus increased returns regarding taxes and trading tariffs (Du, 112). Also, companies advertise their products widely thus expanding the market base. Therefore, customers are accessed globally.

Internet and Self-Employment

Merchandizing is a business opportunity that is highly supported by the internet. Therefore, the internet system enhances and provides self-employment which reduces the level of unemployment in the United States (Schmitz, 116). Consequently, dependence on the government is diminished since citizens earn their own income from self-employment.

Cybercrime and Increased Vulnerability

Nonetheless, the internet has increased cases of cybercrime. One of such incidences took place at Target one of the retail and wholesale stores in the US. The Target point of sale (POS) machines was introduced to Kaptoxa Malware. The Malware had Russian language tags and had traces of trial attack some years back which led to stolen data appearing on the Eastern Europe cybercrime platforms. According to Raff, an Israel Cybersecurity Expert, the act did not point to any specific gang (Pigmy et al., 108). A virtual private server was utilized in the process thus the proxy, and real Internet protocol address was hidden. Therefore, it was difficult to trace or foresee the perpetrators. On the other hand, the server that accessed the data did not store any logs to act as a follow link. The attackers gained access to computer networks and managed to steal financial as well as personal information for 100 million customers and removed the information from Target’s server to somewhere else in Eastern Europe (BBC News, 2018). This incident shows the vulnerability of internet storage and computing in the United States online business platforms. Contrary, the act catalyzed the implementation of EMV chip card technology to improve cybersecurity accelerates in the US following the data breach.

Transformation of Media and Political Systems

The internet has rapidly transformed the Media and consumption of news, political models and social functions in the US. The development and improvements in the media within the last century has led to tremendous changes in the way in which people consume news. Newspapers and magazines have been influenced with a shift in content and change to close alternatives mostly internet platforms such as Netflix, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and others. Fewer individuals are utilizing the print media. The cause is associated with the introduction of modern means of communication that utilize the internet. Therefore, people can access news through their cell phones and personal computers. Such achievements have also changed the nature in which journalism is carried out around in the US with online streaming and data transformation being assets in journalism (Schmitz, 118). Voting in the United States is also done online with real-time tallying.

Impact on Political Systems and Cultural Influence

Consequently, the information relayed on the social media platforms has stirred changes in political systems and mechanisms within America’s Culture. With people believing in media opinions and insights before they determine the validity of their presidential and senatorial candidates (Pierogi, 49). Also, news about lifestyles and social systems is being spread through the internet to shape international cultures in developing countries. Dior and Gucci are some of the designer companies that have their fashion products influencing dressing codes globally.

Conclusion

To sum up, business intelligence is a highly regarded strategy that can help firms and countries market their products both locally and internationally. It is, therefore, the most appropriate system for developing countries as they require to improve on productivity and customer acquisition. To sum up, the opinions and political ideologies of the Americans are shaped by the online media. The perceptions of political systems and associated dynamics, all originate from the debates, news collections and interviews conducted live through various media houses especially the cable television network. Therefore, the consumption of news is dependent on aspects associated with the type of news transmitted and aired via modern electronic media.

Work cited

Chen, H., Chiang, R. H., & Storey, V. C. (2012). Business intelligence and analytics: from big data to big impact. MIS quarterly, 1165-1188.

du Toit, A. S. (2003). Competitive intelligence in the knowledge economy: what is in it for South African manufacturing enterprises? International Journal of Information Management, 23(2), 111-120.

Schmitz, H. (2018). Technology and employment practices in developing countries (Vol. 47).     Routledge. Pp. 114-120

Pierogi, F. A. (2013). News with Views: Post objectivism and Emergent Alternative Journalistic Practices in America’s Corporate News Media. Review of Communication, 13(1), 48-65.

Pigmy, F., Bartosiak, M., Piccoli, G. and Ives, B. (2017). Targeting Target with a 100-million-dollar data breach. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases: pp. 105-112

BBC News. (2018). Target data theft hit 70 million. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-25681013 [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].