Dissertation
PIRACY AND ALTERNATE TRADE ROUTES IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF HTPC COMMUNITIES AND USERS’ VIEWS OF DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000003108
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/122443
Abstract
Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC) software platforms allow users to store and access digital media content, however the platforms can be utilized with both licit and illicit digital media content. There are multiple active HTPC software platforms with millions of active users worldwide, yet they remain unexplored criminologically. The purpose of this study is to explore the four main HTPC platforms by interviewing active members and gaining an understanding of the HTPC community and the users’ views on digital media, and piracy. Twenty-five participants were recruited from the Plex, Kodi, Emby, and Jellyfin community forums and the recorded interviews were transcribed and then coded using NVivo software. The study utilized thematic network analysis and narrative analysis to ascertain how the users viewed digital media content, piracy, and the current digital media landscape, as well as exploring their personal narratives into and through the HTPC community, and the associated turning points that led them to engage in piracy. Thematic network analysis identified global, organizing, and basic themes associated with the crime of digital piracy and the role of the HTPC community. Narrative analysis illustrated a five-stage process with key turning points evident across all participants. Criminal lifestyle theory was used as a theoretical framework to help explain how the findings fit with existing criminological research into digital piracy, and to facilitate intervention and policy recommendations. The application of criminal lifestyle theory allows for an integrated holistic approach to both understanding and combatting digital piracy. The findings and subsequent conclusions of this study demonstrate the value of utilizing a nonlinear dynamical systems approach to the complex criminological issue of piracy for which rates have been increasing significantly in recent years.
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Details
- Title
- PIRACY AND ALTERNATE TRADE ROUTES IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF HTPC COMMUNITIES AND USERS’ VIEWS OF DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT
- Creators
- Oliver Bowers
- Contributors
- David Makin (Advisor)David Brody (Committee Member)Adam Bossler (Committee Member)Hillary Mellinger (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Criminal Justice and Criminology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 297
- Identifiers
- 99900651793601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation