Robertson, K. k., McNeill, L. l., Green, J. j., & Roberts, C. r. (2012). Illegal Downloading, Ethical Concern, and Illegal Behavior (Gabby)

From Digital Culture & Society

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Current revision

[[The article Illegal Downloading, Ethical Concern, and Illegal Behaviour, by authors Kirsten Robertson, Lisa McNeill, James Green, and Claire Roberts, focuses on the study observing the act of illegally downloading content and the comparison of downloaders to non-downloaders. The authors gather data to see if those who download illegally online were associated with unethical behavior more than those who don’t, they research whether or not illegal downloads are more prevalent in men or women, and which demographic group was more active in the downloading illegally scene. Throughout their research they found that both men and women are equally seen downloading illegally online and that 74.5% of those who download are students. The comparison between downloaders and non-downloaders revealed those who willingly choose to download are less concerned with the law. This was proven by their lack of ethical concern and their engagement in other illegal behaviours. Some downloaders admitted in the study that they were more likely to steal a CD if there was no risk of being caught. They include statistics about illegally downloading becoming such a mass trend within society and they begin with an analysis of illegally downloaded music. The authors discuss how the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that “95% of all music is downloaded without payment to artists or producers” (2012, p. 216). Therefore, illegal downloading is becoming a serious concern due to its impact on society, the economy, and the music industry. It has caused stores to close, slowed innovation, and damaged artists careers. The huge negative impact illegally downloading music has caused, forced the Recording Industry Association of American to begin publicizing strong messages that downloading is illegal and anyone who partakes in it can be fined for illegal downloads. Though even with these notices and threats individuals are still continuing to download music illegally. The authors introduced the theoretical framework they conducted during their study of illegal downloading and why people may engage in it. They claim that behavior is directly linked to intention, individuals are predicted to be rational human beings whose intentions are shaped by their attitudes towards a behavior. They discuss the concept Perceived Behavioral Control, which also has a strong influence on intention, PBC associates individuals’ perceptions of the difficulty of behavior, for example whether or not it is under volitional control. They highlight the expected relationship between attitudes and intentions to engage in illegal downloading to help the readers understand the connection between the act and those who do it. They also include Hunt and Vitell’s ethical decision-making theory and that it has been successfully employed to examine and explain digital piracy. According to their ethical decision model, ethical judgement influences behavior through behavior intention. The theory states that “the actual consequences following the behavior are also evaluated by the individual and this learning is incorporated back into the model as personal experiences” (p. 216). The final theory they use in their theoretical framework is Deterrence Theory. This theory focuses on that the impact of the law on criminal behavior also helps to understand digital piracy by explaining how fear of consequences of illegal behavior promotes deterrence. Within the study the researchers conducted a methodology, they took sampling, discovered the frequency of downloading, and those who have ethical concern. They were able to gather a lot of data which resulted in showing what majority of group of people engage in illegal downloading, the ethical behavior that exists in those who download, and illegal behavior. This article has many strengths throughout it, one strength that supports their arguments well, is the amount of research and studies they gathered to support their findings. They asked participants to complete five questionnaires, including a brief demographic, a questionnaire on their downloading behavior, and the illegal scenarios questionnaire. From these questions, they were able to gather a lot of data that explains the reasoning of downloading illegally becoming a mass trend and the relations to those who engage in it. Another strength they had was not just including a statistical viewpoint but a theoretical one too. They explained multiple theories that explained the behavior associated with illegal downloading and what may influence one to do so. Some weaknesses or limitations the study had was since they focused specifically on consumer ethical attitudes, engagement in illegal behavior, and the risk of consequences, they do not know the importance of individual characteristics or the risk of consequences when compared to other influencing factors such a price or punishment severity. The study was also limited to a relatively small sample of self-selecting university students from residential colleges at one university. Self-selection may have also caused an increase of percentage of individuals who engaged in piracy.]]