Evaluate the law of formation of contract in the context of modern methods of communication
THE DIGITAL AGE… WILL IT AFFECT YOUR CONTRACTS? The law of contract is imperative for the function of commercial activity as it seeks to protect businesses and individuals engaging in transactions. The formation of contract; the beginning stage of when a contract is being formed is governed by strict rules and terms to distinguish the different elements. The statutes regarding offers and invitations to treat are dominated by the 18-20th century where communication was distant and took a considerable amount of time. However, with the turn of the millennium; we have entered a ‘digital age’ where the use of technology is widespread and interactivity is encouraged which has affected the way we communicate. Thus the purpose of this article is to evaluate whether or not the law regarding the formation of contract must be reformed to accommodate modern methods of communication. The previous commonly used methods of communication were letters which does have problems in the formation of contract. This is because a contract can be terminated if; a reasonable time has passed or if there is a specified time and it has passed. In modern times, the major shift in communication is the fact that it has become instantaneous. For example, a telephone conversation has the same speed as a face to face conversation. Other modern types of communication include text messaging, social
