Evaluation of Digital Piracy by Youths
Abstract
This paper sets out to explain how adolescents interpret piracy. Digital piracy is one ofthe most important risk behaviours mediated by new media to be found among adolescents. It is global, and changes dynamically due to the continued development of the information society.To explore the phenomena related to piracy among adolescent Internet users we need to applyqualitative research methods. The sample contained 1320 Polish respondents. The research usedthe technique of qualitative research. Data was collected using a form containing an open question.Adolescents will answer in the form how they interpret digital piracy. The categories characterize howpiracy is perceived, and includes downloading various files—whether video or music files or evensoftware (also games)—from unauthorized sources (P2P—Peer-to-peer ‘warez’ servers—websiteswhich serve as repositories of illegal files). The qualitative data analysis allowed the identification ofthe following constructs in the perception of digital piracy by adolescents: ethical (giving value to thephenomenon), economical (showing profits and losses), legal (connected with punitive consequencesand criminal liability), praxeological (facilitating daily life), technical (referring to the hardwarenecessary), social (the scale of the phenomenon and interpersonal relations), and personal benefits.The results fit into the discussion on the standard and hidden factors connected with piracy. Thepresented seven categories of the perception of piracy help us better understand the phenomenonof the infringement of intellectual property law and will help to develop appropriate preventivemeasures. Qualitative research makes it possible to understand the phenomenon of piracy froma deeper perspective, which can be translated into the design of effective educational measures.Preventive guidance on minimising risky behaviour is part of the development of one of the keycompetences, namely digital knowledge and skills. The research allowed us to enrich the theoreticalknowledge on risky behaviours in cyberspace among adolescents (theoretical aim), to understandhow to interpret risky behaviours in cyberspace (understanding of micro-worlds—cognitive aim),and to gather new knowledge that will be useful for prevention (practical aim).
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Citation
Tomczyk, Ł. Evaluation of Digital Piracy by Youths. Future Internet 2021,13, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi13010011