Sociospatial Dimensions of Technology Adoption: Recent M-Commerce and E-Commerce Developments

Despite globalization and alleged technological convergence, there remains great variation in the form, manner, and speed of technological adoption and adaptation across societies. In this paper I examine conceptual problems of the information society by considering the differential impacts of technology on production and consumption, and analyzing how sociospatial factors, such as urban form, consumer preference, and cultural attributes shape the patterns of technological adoption in the information age. Examples are drawn from the United States and Japan, to showcase distinctive trajectories of technological adoption by their respective consumers. In particular, practices in Japan's retail sector in participating E-commerce, and the present popularity of wireless web via cellular telephone access are examined to understand better the process of technological progress and consumption.