The 63rd Social Media Breakfast, Kolkata: The Great Indian e-Commerce Dream

The MeetUp members met with great enthusiasm at CKCK in Ray’s IT Park at 7:00 p.m. to participate in the debate of the 63^rd Social Media Breakfast, Kolkata Chapter. The topic for the discussion was – The Great Indian e-Commerce Dream. Nowadays, more and more people are ordering a book, movie ticket, a mobile phone or even a pizza online than they did five years back. They don’t need to form a queue to get their choicest product now. E-commerce is growing and the trust of people on E-commerce is growing as well. Features like online payment options and cash on delivery are making E-commerce more popular and Social Media is playing a key role behind it. Every day, a new website is coming up to vie with the big players. So, is the Indian E-commerce dream becoming true?

 

The following points were discussed in the 63^rd Kolkata Chapter of Social Media Breakfast:

 

• The penetration of E-commerce in the United States is more as compared to India. Therefore, it will take more time to raise the awareness about it in India.
• Some of the customers are still apprehensive about buying things online. They are worried about the quality of goods.
• In India, the market for physical goods in E-commerce is more powerful than that of the virtual goods.
• There are instances of Social Media and E-commerce integration like Faasos.
• Purchasing things online is a quite cost-effective method. This is one of the reasons why E-commerce will grow in India.
• Some people assume that online transactions are insecure.
• Travel sites have demonstrated satisfactory trends of growth via E-commerce and they are hopeful to grow more in the future.
• E-commerce and Social Media are complementary. If Social Media grows, E-commerce will grow as well.
• There is no gainsaying that the future of E-commerce is bright in India.

The 62nd Social Media Breakfast, Kolkata: Social Censorship in India: Kal, Aaj aur Kal

As usual, the MeetUp members got together at CKCK in Ray’s IT Park at 7:00 p.m. to participate in the 62^nd Kolkata Chapter of the Social Media Breakfast. The discussion revolved around an interesting topic – Social Censorship in India: Kal, Aaj aur Kal. The relevance of the topic was undeniable particularly after strong reactions are being voiced by the Government of India and other authorities for censoring Social Media. Censoring Social Media is a debatable topic and it has raked up many controversies. Some have suggested introduction of new laws to control Social Media rather than gagging it. There are differences in opinion how Social Media should be regulated and information be circulated over the Internet.

 

The points that were discussed in the 62^nd Kolkata Chapter of Social Media Breakfast are given below:

 

• Should Social Media be censored? Politicians like Kapil Sibal were of the opinion it should. However, international figures like Ban Ki-Moon (United Nations Secretary General) and Hillary Clinton (United States Secretary of State) have stated that it should not be restricted but monitored.

• The sole objective of Social Media is to disseminate information with freedom of expression as long as it does not hurt the sentiment of anybody.

• At different times, we have noticed that there has been censorship on print media. However, enforcing censorship on Social Media is a difficult proposition especially after so many strong reactions.

• Freedom of expression should not resort to abuse. If this is looked after, there is no necessity of censo