This paper examines the forms of commodification and entrepreneurship that are emerging as economic activity is mediated through the Internet. These processes of commodification are usually conceptualised from two opposing discourses: those of business and poststructuralism. Business discourses remain faithful to certain established positions — most notably, there are continued emphases on the authority of the individual entrepreneur and the logic of scarcity as forces that determine economic value in electronic commerce. In contrast, poststructural discourse advocates for a conceptualisation of commodification which recognises the spaces that hypertextual environments like the Internet are able to open up for consumers. In these spaces, it is proposed, consumers can create subjectivities that can challenge — and so counter — these business discourses' positions. This paper sets out to examine the claims that both of these discourses make in relation to the commodification of the Internet. Through the presentation of a case Study of a small business that is attempting to make money from the Internet, this paper then looks at how aspects of both of these contrasting positions can inform practices that attempt to commodify the Internet.
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Matthew Horton undertook the research for this paper as part of his Master of Education (Research) degree with the School of Language and Literacy Education, Queensland University of Technology. His interests include the impact of new information and communication technologies on business practices, as well as business and cultural exchanges between Australia and China. He is currently teaching at Ayr State High School, North Queensland.
