The term “online economy” can be used to describe the part of the economy that is based directly on the Internet and other digital media and whose structure and functional logic are decisively influenced by the specific characteristics of these technologies, with particular emphasis being placed on networking, which enables computers distributed in space to be connected at any time for cooperative information processing.

“Online economy” is thus the teaching, practice and institution of the entirety of all actions and institutions of a systematic approach to meet human needs under the conditions of the given scarcity in the context of systems whose structure and functional logic is decisively shaped by the interconnection of individuals and objects via the Internet and other digital media.

In sectoral regards, the term “online economy” covers those parts of an economy whose value creation, transaction, allocation, distribution and benefit creation is directly based on the use of the Internet and digital media based on the Internet.

Superordinate terms are digital economy, digital economy and digital economy. The terms internet economy, net economy and cyber economy are largely used synonymously.