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The Heterogeneous Engineering of Music Piracy: Applying Actor‐Network Theory to Internet‐Based Wrongdoing
Author(s) -
Hinduja Sameer
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
policy and internet
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.281
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1944-2866
DOI - 10.1002/poi3.18
Subject(s) - wrongdoing , phenomenon , perspective (graphical) , relevance (law) , the internet , epistemology , sociology , social phenomenon , computer science , social science , political science , law , artificial intelligence , world wide web , philosophy
Actor‐network theory, as developed within the sociology of science and technology, views any phenomenon as the product or effect of a patterned network of heterogeneous elements. This paper applies such a paradigmatic perspective to the phenomenon of music piracy, in an attempt to underscore the relevance of studying and analyzing each of the components (and their interrelationships) that make up the reality of that behavior. Heterogeneity implies not only the social but also the technical, economic, political, organizational, informational, contextual, and perceptual. Each of these components merit attention and response if progress is to be made in understanding and responding to digital piracy and possibly other forms of Internet‐based wrongdoing.