File sharing is the act of downloading information in media form such as movies, music, ebooks, documents, or anything online. File sharing at this point is intrinsic to the internet; how else would ideas truly grow and evolve? Clive Thomson notes that file sharing is changing entire industries. He points out that television shows that formerly cost hundreds of thousands of dollars can now be produced digitally at home and shared at a fraction of this cost, replacing the standard format. Some people believe that this ability to act collaboratively should be an inalienable human right, while others label this an act of piracy. True, artists must be compensated for their work, but are billions of dollars more important than the drive to create and conceptualize? The answer will depend upon whom you ask.
The advent of P2P, or peer to peer, file sharing makes it easier than ever to gain access to the goods. Here computers can communicate and files are subsequently copied from one system to another. Last week's popular movie can now be viewed at home, for free and shared among many users. Ever since Napster lead the way with downloading music from the personal collection of friends and strangers, the world has become embroiled in an interesting legal and ethical dilemma. Precious privacy and confidentiality, for example, mentioned in the previous post, could become compromised. Sensitive military and commercial documents may put lives and careers in danger. Previously solid moral grounds become grey areas when individuals do not pay for the privilege of ownership. Unfortunately, dire consequences are becoming business as usual in a connected world; it's common to pay thousands for a few illegally acquired songs. Maybe this will be the inspiration to create a balance (make the punishment fit the crime) and thus inspire new business models. In any case, traditional medial outlets will need to adapt if they expect to survive.
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