A Social Threat to Illegal Downloaders

A novel research study suggests that content providers must avail a pragmatic view on the basis of social consensus to persuade illicit downloaders that their behaviour is economically and ethically unacceptable behaviour among their peer group of other social group to which they belong.

Illegal downloading of digital goods, comprising numerous elements has become a major issue for those who are offering content and those who possess the copyright on such goods and consider remuneration for distribution. A new research suggests that content providers must follow a pragmatic view on the basis of social consensus to persuade illicit downloaders that their nature is ethically and economically unacceptable nature among their peer group or other social group to which they belong.

Eva Hofmann of the Centre for Peace, Social Relations, and Trust, Coventry University, Elfriede Penz of the Institute for International Marketing Management, at the Vienna University of Business and Economics, in Austria, says that illegal sharing of digital content, often referred as ‘piracy’, is well – entrenched in common culture.

But, they have discerned a difference in the way those downloading pirated content and the legal downloaders decide on how to avail the content they desire from the Internet. Inherent in the issue for copyright holders is that digital goods can be duplicated endlessly without fidelity’s loss, this advantage of the digital realm makes piracy easy but also points to the value of such goods as being less than conventional, physical items in the realm of content, like DVDs and CDs.

Importantly, some earlier studies have claimed that online piracy does not detrimentally affects the sales of physical goods and that numerous pirates actually spend more on entertainment overall. Nevertheless, the sale of CDs and related goods are in diminished and the industry blames piracy largely for declining numbers of units shifted. Alternately, consumers often cite the big price of digital goods as justification for engaging in unauthorised downloading.

“In the period of digitization, exchanging goods for substances and immaterial compensation or for a feeling of sheer altruism remains a vital human behaviour,” says the team. “But rather than tightening enforcement to safeguard their assets content providers would advantage more by initiating communication with the illegal downloaders and offering from global online networking rather than just fighting it.”