E-commerce Orientation as a Freelancing Mechanism and Youth Unemployment Solution in the Digital Age An Analytical Study of Experiences of Some University Youth in Yemen

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to analyze and evaluate a set of experiences of some university youth in Yemen related to the orientation towards e-commerce for freelancing. The research sample consists of (46) small projects owned and managed by Yemeni university youth, which primarily utilize digital media for conducting e-commerce activities. The researcher employs a descriptive-analytical approach to address the research problem, answer research questions, and collect primary data. The primary data is collected through the content analysis method, additionally, direct personal interviews are conducted with university youth who own and manage these small projects. The research concluded with a set of findings, the most notable of which are: the most commonly used digital media platforms for e-commerce among the small projects under study are social media sites, with Facebook being the most prominent, followed by websites and mobile applications. The research also emphasizes the absence of crucial elements in evaluating the effectiveness of digital media in e-commerce for these small projects. While some Yemeni university youth have experienced benefits from engaging in e-commerce for their small projects, they also encounter various challenges and obstacles in this domain. The research concluded by presenting a set of proposed recommendations to activate the orientation of Yemeni university youth towards engaging in freelancing through e-commerce, in light of the research findings.