Streaming era digital media piracy : an integration of three theoretical perspectives

Abstract

Consumer digital piracy in media contexts is one of the most publicized adverse developments brought on by the Internet and digitization of data. Since the turn of the millennium, it has irrevocably changed the business environment for the creative industries. The sharp decrease of recorded music sales, especially in the physical album format, is perhaps the best example of the negative effects digital piracy. However, the growth of legal services in digital music and video is balancing this trend, as consumers have found that piracy is no longer the obvious solution to acquiring music and video content. This also calls for new approaches to piracy research. We sought them by integrating three theoretical perspectives relevant to the phenomenon: neutralization theory, cognitive dissonance, and the theory of planned behavior. The articles included in this dissertation utilize both qualitative and quan- titative methods, and contain an extended framework of constructs related to digital music and video piracy. The dissertation introduces the mechanism of “dissonance-neutralization” of piracy, i.e., neutralizations tailored to weaken the impact of piracy-induced negative emotions as a mode of dissonance reduction. The results suggest that quality perceptions about legal alternatives can affect piracy neutralizations and attitudes toward piracy. Content remains the most important success factor and differentiator for these services. Based on the findings reported in the included studies, digital piracy can be combated with communications targeted against commonly used neutralization techniques. However, there are limitations to what this can accomplish, as many consumers continue to hold negative opinions about various industry parties, despite the vast improvements in digital services since the early 2000s. Fortunately, the younger consumer generation, or Generation Z, does not seem so attached to these sentiments. In the future, they will for the large part determine the direction of developments. Piracy will remain as a significant factor in the music, television and movie industries for the foreseeable future, but the current trajectories of legal services seem more promising than earlier.