Commerce on the Internet is still in its infancy, but many experts believe that the computer industry is poised for an on-line revolution. The anticipated changes on the information superhighway are expected to rival the revolution brought about by the introduction of the automobile. Worried about ending up as "roadkill," thousands of businesses annually are establishing their presence on the Internet.
The Internet is a global web of 25,000 computer networks. These networks, including corporate, education, and research institutions, are linked by high-speed data lines and wireless systems. Portions of the Internet are noncommercial. An example is the National Science Foundation Network, which serves as the main artery for research and education access.
The Internet network is loosely configured and lacks a central command. Thousands of computers are linked by thousands of different paths: "[The Internet] has, in a sense, come to be a 'backbone' by which networks link up with each other" (Jones, 1995, p. 4). Messages transmitted on the Internet carry addresses that allow them to be forwarded to their destinations. If a message fails to arrive at its destination, the user has no recourses to, for instance, a telephone operator. As one author commented, "There is no Internet Inc." (Tetzeli, 1994, p. 92).
Several organizations have emerged that provide a sense of cohesiveness on the Internet, although no single group manages it. One volunteer organization, the Internet Society of Reston, Virginia, has attempted to establish some means of governance and consistent protocol development. This organization consists of more than 2,000 individuals and 84 corporate members (Tetzeli, 1994, p. 92). Another organization is CommerceNet, a consortium of more than 130 companies actively involved in commerce on the Internet (Sussman, 1995, p. 74). Among other endeavors, CommerceNet commissions surveys of Internet use by con...