For my research project I decided to look into the New Media Technology of P2P file sharing. I felt as though P2P file sharing was receiving too much negative associations because of illegal file sharing programs like LimeWire and wanted to look into the technology to see what the legitimate uses of the technology were. Finally I would make a decision based on my findings as to whether or not this technology was helping or hurting society.
I used the Baruch databases to find scholarly articles and journals. I also found magazine articles through these data bases and from regular online searches. Through my research I found that there are many legitimate uses of P2P technology and some of the harmful implications may not be accurate. For example it is widely believed that the music industry is losing a lot of revenue because of illegal P2P file sharing; however, a study conducted in 2009 revealed that the amount of money reported at a loss is inaccurate and most aspiring artists benefit from the exposure on P2P networks. The loss the music industry suffers from P2P file sharing is often based on the assumption that everyone who downloaded music illegally would have bought the song otherwise; however, one download does not necessarily equal one lost sale. Likewise, the study revealed that people who download music are more incline to pay for concerts or memorabilia such as posters.
After my research paper I was able to conclude that P2P file sharing is far more beneficial than harmful to society. Even though one of the primary uses is illegal file sharing many legitimate uses exist. I believe that society can correct the problem of illegal downloads by either fighting for newer legislation or have companies change their business models. Current litigation against P2P file sharing providers is outdated and not an effect means to deter illegal activity. Ultimately I believe the best approach is for companies to change their business models to incorporate P2P file sharing. Technology is constantly evolving; instead of spending money on fighting technology with old legislation companies should spend that time developing methods for harnessing the technology for their own use.
I think P2P sharing is great and it is a shame that it has so many negative connotations associated with it. People often forget that it has other positive uses, but these often get overlooked as you said.
ReplyDeleteI guess the positive things are over looked because most people don't know they use P2P all the time, its now just a label for illegal file sharing...
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