ABSTRACT
Now that we have discussed the ideological use of concepts central to ICT and its management, in the previous chapter, this chapter will develop a similar argument, albeit one with regard to the influence of general discourses in ICT. I will analyse the influence of the use of the concept of evolution on discourses surrounding electronic commerce or e-commerce. This is one example of the use of concepts from non-related fields, in this case from biology, where the purpose of importing the concept is to come to a better understanding in IS. Such a use of non-related terms is not necessarily a problem and it can have positive consequences. What is often overlooked, however, is that there are negative sides to be considered. This is particularly true for concepts and ideas from the natural sciences and their application to social constructs such as e-commerce. Ecommerce has driven technical as well as regulatory developments in the area of ICT. It has changed the nature of many commercial interactions and has offered new opportunities to many consumers. E-commerce has changed our understanding of important concepts as well as the nature of many industries. These changes are likely to continue and intensify.
