E-Commerce for Emotional Support

E-commerce not only allows people to shop online for physical products, but fast, accessible electronic communication has also allowed people to use e-commerce to gain emotional support in many areas. Emotional support can range from personal training, digital therapy, online alcoholics anonymous groups, and many other areas where a person may seek professional help. For people who have busy schedules or simply feel desperate for support, they can simply perform an electronic transaction to immediately receive their services without travel. The downside of emotional support online is that people are so anonymous and it can be challenging to verify someone’s sincerity and the value of their information. One positive form of E-commerce designed for social service include third party online websites, such as breakthrough.com and CaliforniaLiveVisit.com, sites that consist of verified, licensed doctors and therapists who hold online private practices[1]. Since these sites ensure that these doctors and therapists are credible sources, patients can pay without risk of a scam from dishonest users. An article I read in the New York Times presented different experiences customers have had through the convenience of online support. Their options are limitless compared to the options available for in-person meetings. The fact that there is no travel allows customers to choose the best doctor for them, regardless of their location. One woman described her experiences with her online therapist saying, “I can have a Skype therapy session with my morning coffee” and “I emailed him that I was panicked about a first date, and he wrote back and said we could do a 20-minute mini-session”[1]. Naturally, online therapy can even be cheaper due to the elimination of travel expenses. The third party website allows a secure connection between doctors and clients, and this form of E-commerce has provided many emotional benefits to people with no transportation or busy schedules. On the flipside, some E-Commerce websites that are harmful have become accessible that would not as easily be formed in-person, such as pro-anorexia websites. Pro anorexia websites is an online service that encourages people to become “better anorexics” through support forums and products [2]. It is difficult to find people in person who would openly support such an illness that attracts serious medical attention. The internet, however, has become so anonymous that E-commerce has opened up not only good services, but bad ones as well. People can easily access emotional support online, which can attract someone who feels resentful of people demanding they get help for a problem they do not believe they have. Since serious anorexics generally feel misunderstood and alone, they are desperate and turn to support that will seem helpful to them due to their distorted perspectives. These websites refer to anorexia as a “lifestyle,” when Dr. Oz corrects the term as a “deathstyle”. The help available on the internet is so readily available that it can be a desperate source for mentally ill people [2]. People with mental illnesses often exhibit poorer judgment. Thus, the administrators of the sites that encourage these illnesses are either sick too or just intend to advantage of people who are desperate and willing to pay for their services. E-commerce has been a valuable investment for many clients and has allowed professionals expand their businesses on a global scale [3]. Therefore, E-commerce has expanded the economy. Also, many people with emotional problems can receive quality help from secure websites that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Due to the countless, malicious E-commerce web sites and scams, such as pro anorexia websites, people are often reluctant to trust the authenticity of E-commerce [3]. Through careful judgment and continued efforts to monitor the digital world similarly to the physical world, E-commerce can be a useful practice. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/fashion/therapists-are-seeing-patients-online.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [2] http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/katie-rickel-phd/deadly-lifestyle-pro-ana-movement [3] http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-electronic-commerce-e-commerce.html