Choose a topic of interest and write an annotated bibliography or short essay that
includes several sources and brings them together to provide historical analysis.
- Based on our ongoing research throughout class, collect various sources of interest and
relevance. These include both primary and secondary sources, and are not all required
to be academic [if possible try to use at least 1 academic source].
- This assignment is assessed on the following dimensions:
○500-1,000 words
○Minimum 4 sources [At least 1 primary and 1 secondary]
○Consistent bibliography format of your choice
Topic： How does online shopping influence people’s daily spending?
Here’s what I wrote for this topic before, prof has already seen the sources and approved them, but it’s not necessary to include them in the essay, you can use your own sources.
Primary: Millward, Steven. “New Record for World’s Biggest Shopping Day as Alibaba’s Shoppers Spend $9.3 Billion in 24 Hours.” Tech in Asia – Connecting Asia’s Startup Ecosystem, 11 Nov. 2014, www.techinasia.com/china-alibaba-singles-day-2014-spending-total.
How have events been interpreted? Who did interpreting?
Steven Millward interpreted the Singles Day sales event of Taobao every November 11 by using real-time data. Steven explained the Chinese people’s enthusiasm towards this event because major Chinese brands and many global brands offered discounts on the online shopping platform Taobao. Also, the author mentions that some Taobao shoppers will save money before the event starts and try to avoid unnecessary purchases to save more money during the event.
How has the topic been framed?
The phenomenon of the Singles Day event of Taobao reflects the increasing demand for and reliance on online shopping. Many people will buy unnecessary goods because of the lower prices during the event, which shows that online shopping has indirectly led to an increase in people’s daily expenses.
When was this history written? How is the framing affected by the era of analysis?
This article was written in 2014 when people’s demand and reliance on online shopping grew.
What questions were asked? Which questions were not asked?
Questions asked:
- Why are Chinese people so passionate about the Singles Day event?
- How did Taobao manage to reach $9.3 billion in transaction volume within 24 hours?
Questions were not asked:
- Has the Single’s Day event negatively affected people’s lives?
- Do these online shopping platforms offer specials that make consumers spend more money than usual?
Secondary: Teo, Thompson S. H. “To Buy Or Not to Buy Online: Adopters and Non-Adopters of Online Shopping in Singapore.” Behaviour & Information Technology, vol. 25, no. 6, 2006, pp. 497-509.
How have events been interpreted? Who did interpreting?
Thompson S.H. Teo interpreted people’s opinions on online shopping in Singapore during the 2000s. Thompson collected data by using an internet survey. The survey was publicized in various newsgroups, personalized emails and hyperlinks from various websites.
How has the topic been framed?
In the year 2002, most Singaporeans were unfamiliar with online shopping. But those who have experienced online shopping have higher expectations and ratings for online shopping. Those who have used online shopping believe that it makes it easier to find bargains and thus saves them money.
When was this history written? How is the framing affected by the era of analysis?
This history was written in 2006, and the data was collected in 2002. During the 2000s, online shopping was a newly emerged way of shopping. People are not yet very receptive to it, and more people still prefer offline shopping because that is the way they are familiar with shopping. Thompson also mentioned the major users of online shopping are male, young and educated people. The author suggested encouraging those above 45 years old to use online shopping. However, the target users of online shopping are more inclined to be young women nowadays.
What questions were asked? Which questions were not asked?
Questions asked:
- Can online shopping be safer and more reliable in the future?
- Will there be a more comprehensive refund policy in the future?
Questions were not asked:
- Does the appearance of online shopping have an impact on people’s daily spending?
Tertiary: “Online Shopping.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Jan. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_shopping.
How have events been interpreted? Who did interpreting?
Wikipedia introduces online shopping by explaining its definition, introducing the history of online shopping and also the pros and cons of online shopping.
How has the topic been framed?
Wikipedia’s description of online shopping indirectly explains people’s love for online shopping. Also, it talks about the security and privacy risks of online shopping, which may explain why some online shopping users have higher daily spending than usual.
What questions were asked? Which questions were not asked?
Questions asked:
- Problems of customers’ privacy
- How to avoid the risks of fraud when online shopping?
Questions were not asked:
- Does online shopping make people spend more or spend less?
Conclusion:
People are relying on online shopping more than they were in the 2000s. As a result of the research, when online shopping emerged, it did not affect people’s lives a lot because many people could not accept it back then. However, with the development of technology, online shopping has become more popular, and now people’s lives are almost inseparable from online shopping. Online shopping is more convenient and faster, and the promotions on online shopping platforms are usually bigger and more discounted than offline ones. The three resources do not directly state whether online shopping makes people spend more money or not, but they state that customers’ behaviour changes throughout time. This leads to another question: is over-reliance on online shopping a good thing or a bad thing?
