It is precisely this kind of consumer behaviour which is of great value to big business. The affluence alluded to here is, arguably, a delusion. In addition to simply buying and selling, the importance of children on the Internet is that it justifies the commercial vision of the Internet as shared by e-commerce enthusiasts. In Britain, a study by NOP Research found that Internet users are held in high esteem by teenagers and children, regardless of whether they themselves have access. Internet users were described as 'clever', 'friendly', 'cool', 'trendy' and 'rich' by both users and non-users alike.
Internet users are on the cutting edge.
This is because much of our cultural conditioning responds powerfully to the riches made by teenage entrepreneurs and the hot Internet investment market that has spread the wealth to anyone who could afford a piece of the action. In a way, children are being raised by machines so that when they grow up they will end up acting like machines. Within this framework, young people are to be used as cheap and docile labour for the most exploitative forms of employment. Already, we can see this happening within the computer science field. As programmers grow older, their job security plummets.