Music File Sharing: An Ethical Debate

1078 Words3 Pages

We are different. Living amidst a new era, technology has changed our lives forever. For more than a decade, our generation had commonly been referred to as the “net generation.” Our fortune brings us life in the age of digital information, where information flows freely and knowledge is infinite. We have embraced the concept of freedom and taken several levels farther than what our forefathers imagined. Whether we realize it or not, we naturally question the unknown and demand answers to our questions (and quick answers at that). The technology we live with today was nothing more than dream decades ago. Yet with these new technologies and information at our disposal, an issue we fight against unnecessarily is file-sharing music online: a redundant issue with a clear solution. While some question its legality, arguments pushing for restrictions are both weak and lacking in support. For that reason, there should absolutely not be any restrictions on file-sharing music online as its limits would contradict traditional human behavior, and damage the music industry severely. The sharing of owned goods has been a part of society for centuries. Restricting a new method of performing the very same task would challenge human behavior from long before the digital era. Sharing is an essential skill that all members of the public are expected to be well acquainted with. In fact, it is among the many fundamental skills that parents teach their children, schools promote to their students, and religious relics preach to their disciples. At some point in time, we have all loaned a book to a friend or shared a cup of sugar with a neighbor. Sharing music over the internet is no different! Italian new media communication expert Cory Doctorow ag... ... middle of paper ... ...h 8, 2010, from www.masternewmedia.org/2005/01/17/why_p2p_file_sharing_is.htm 2. Claburn, T. (2009, June 17). Economists list file sharing's benefits. Information Week Online. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/ipod/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218000206 3. Definition: computer. (n.d.). Answers.com. Retrieved March 10, 2010, from www.answers.com/topic/computer-1 4. Jarkoff, S. (n.d.). Embracing file-sharing is essential for industry survival. PiratPartiet. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from www.piratpartiet.se/referenser/embracing_file_sharing_is_essential_for_industry_survival 5. Moya, J. (2008, June 22). Artist praises file-sharing for increasing ability to tour. Zeropaid.com - if it's free it's for me!. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9586/artist_praises_filesharing_for_increasing_ability_to_tour/

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