In recent years, the overall shopping experience has become increasingly convenient since the emergence of online shopping platforms. People can find and purchase almost anything they need in the palm of their hands. Unfortunately, this advancement of technology also causes some drawbacks. This essay will discuss the negative impact of online shopping particularly in regards to the environment and the job market.
The growing trend of online shopping has caused a rise in plastic use and plastic waste. When shopping online, sellers would ship the orders directly to the buyers’ homes. In order to prevent damages during shipping, the products are usually wrapped in multiple layers of protective packaging that are often non-degradable, which then inevitably lead to plastic pollution. A research was conducted to calculate the impact of e-commerce shopping and found that in Jakarta, plastic waste has increased by 96% following the 62% increase in online shopping activities.
Furthermore, the surge in online shopping has also caused obsolescence for certain jobs. Positions such as cashiers, stockers and salespersons were usually required for physical shops, but they are no longer needed since their roles can now be substituted by technology at a much lower cost. Consequently, some people are impacted by layoffs and struggle to find jobs of a similar nature.
In conclusion, while online shopping platforms provide more convenience and wider access to products, they also bring disadvantages to the environment and the job market. I firmly believe that stakeholders such as companies and governments will need to take action immediately in support of making online shopping more sustainable.