Internet & Society: Technologies and Politics of Control
From the moment Internet file-sharing became a reality, exploding into millions of homes and dorms, something changed. Internet file sharing brought with it the opportunity to access for free what had previously cost money. Beyond that, file sharing created a social norm that music and digital media ought to be free. How did this happen? How did file sharers warp reality and forever create this notion that digital media, notably music doesn’t require the money it always had before?
Through this paper, I will attempt to prove that the social norms of the Internet public were corrupted by code, by deceptive P2P programs that mask reality for the sake of prosperity. It is this warped social norm that plagues the future of digital media tomorrow. By examining the programs that have forced this revolution (Napster, LimeWire, KaZaA) much can be learned and understood about where and how society failed to recognize its Internet world is in fact an extension of the physical world, and the same rules of civility and morality ought to apply. It is my contention that the P2P networks created an atmosphere built around harmonious sharing—using the ideas of strength in numbers and anonymity to create richly stocked P2P networks. Finally, after careful analysis and discussion of the facts, I will offer suggestions on moving forward and hopefully solving the chaos and problems faced by the present system (or lack thereof).
In “Code and other Laws of Cyberspace”, Lawrence Lessig outlines the four modalities of regulation—law, markets, norms, and architecture. Law has the ability to regulate behavior through penalty and markets create incentives for people to behave in particular...
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...the Internet and online file sharing no longer be a chaotic jungle of copyright infringement, but an extension of community and relationships as we understand these terms in the offline world.
Works Cited
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Steiner, Peter. “On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog”. The New Yorker 5 July 1993.
Strahilevitz, Lior Jacob. “Charismatic Code, Social Norms, and the Emergence of
Cooperation on the File-Swapping Networks”. John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper No. 165. The University of Chicago Law School.
http://law.uchicago.edu/lawecon.index.html
Takahashi, Nobuyuki. “The Emergence of Generalized Exchange” American Journal of
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The circumstances in Haiti just before The French Revolution were prime for an insurrection to occur. Lacking a clear and defined political authority, the White colonists were unable to contain adequate the rebellion that they had been forced upon themselves for years. Their contemptible treatment of Negroes and Mulattoes in Haiti sped up the progress of the cause of the abolition of slavery in Haiti. The excesses of that contemptible treatment are the very reason why the Haitian Revolution was so successful: the treatment of slaves and Mulattoes in Haiti was so bad that it forced the most violent and ultimately, the most successful slave insurrection in history. The French Revolution provided the necessary spark for the revolution in Haiti
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The Haitian Revolution was time of hectic blood shed war. Toussaint Louverture was the leader of the Haitians out of slavery and free from the Spanish. The colony of St. Domingue was a slave island, where slaves would work to make goods to be sent to Spain in return for nothing. The people were treated harsh and done wrong but by the efforts of Louverture they will become free. Louverture was the leader of the revolution but failed to complete his duties because of capture Jean- Jacques Dessalines took over in 1802. He was captured before the war before the end of the war. The Revolution lasted from 1789-1803 until everything was settled and St. Domingue was a free land called Haiti.
When you look into veterans eyes, you can see several things that are important. The pride shines through, the pride of serving ones country, and the dedication to protect other peoples freedom even it if requires paying the ultimate price. These men and women give their lives to give us our freedom. As a one of the many individuals that they are protecting it is vital that we see that pride and appreciate where it comes from.
Haiti, previously known as Saint-Domingue, was a slave island and one of the wealthiest of France’s colonies. Up until this point in time, slavery was still common and, as mentioned above, continued throughout the world even after such freedom declarations such as, the Declaration of Independence in the newly formed United States, and the Declaration of Rights of Man in the Republic of France. The Haitian Revolution was brought on by the want for liberation of slaves, and was largely inspired by the French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights of Man. “Even though the early leaders of the French Revolution had no intention of exporting the upheaval, it spread to the colonies, especially to Saint-Domingue” (Ott 1973). This revolution proved to be a major event as it was the most successful slave revolution in history. The slavery population in Haiti, vastly outnumbered the white colonists in Haiti, and therefore, when the slave population banded together, led to a full-scaled rebellion. Revolts would continue to occur until finally in 1793, the slaves got their freedom, with slavery officially being abolished in all French territories in 1794. From this point until 1802, small rebellions continued to occur as not much changed in the daily lives of slaves, despite technically having their freedom. After the French Revolution and with Napoleon taking power in 1799; Napoleon reinstated slavery in all French colonies, including Haiti. Napoleon also sent an army to Haiti to enforce these new slavery laws and Haiti returned to a slave economy in 1802 (Doyle 1943). The Haitian Revolutionaries finally get their win after defeating the French soldiers in the Battle of Vertieres in 1803; the final part of the revolution. The revolution officially ended in 1804, with Haiti gaining its independence from France and permanently abolishing slavery
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Production companies took a bold step forward by uploading their content online. People now are not obliged to buy a full album to listen to one song, for a minimal fee you can buy the track you want, the same goes for movies and electronic publications. The downloaded files though will be digitally protected so that only the person who downloads them can use them, and he can’t share them at home or with friends. Even with this step from production companies, a large portion of people who download music still do it for free. Moreover hackers came up with new ways to remove the digital copyrights so the same as before one downloads music and distributes them around.