technoculture314-09

I think it’s fantastic how digital media operate. Thousands of people can have the same song, movie or software in their possession without reducing the quality, or depriving anyone else of access. As explained by Majid Yar in last week’s reading, digital content “can be endlessly reproduced, but this does not entail dispossessing anyone” (pg. 613).

When assignment time rolls around, the good books disappear from the library fast. Most frustratingly, when a fellow student has a certain library book in their possession, it prevents the rest of us from accessing it. In situations such as these, ‘E-Books’ and journal articles are a godsend, allowing an unlimited number of students to access a single source at any one time.

I went to the video store recently to rent the two films that will feature in my next essay, only to find that they were both unavailable. Most likely I would have been able to find copies of these films on the internet. I would have been able to download them quickly and efficiently to my own computer. Why is it, then, that this is considered illegal, when downloading an ‘E-Book’ or online journal article is not?

I guess this is one of the many reasons why piracy is so common. The younger generation of the Western world has been brought up in a society where sharing and DIY culture are not only acceptable, but also encouraged. When institutions, such as universities, promote easy access to online sources, it seems only inevitable that people will seek such easy access in other arenas.

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