- Joined
- Apr 27, 2010
- Messages
- 2,766
I think there's a lot of cognitive dissonance that goes into this behaviour. It's the only way I can understand it. I know people who are "good" citizens, who work hard, teach their kids to be honest, etc., and will casually discuss all the movies and programs they've downloaded from torrents.
Maybe there's also something about the nature of the medium at play. Perhaps we can't yet comprehend digital assets as being the same as tangible property. Not to pick on PoetJC but the fact that you can rationalize using pirated software as a sort of try before you buy experience is a good example of how we view software. I suspect, Poet, you wouldn't use the same rationalization to take a car or a television without paying.
We're all a part of it. Even when we know it's theft, we make excuses for people ("Well if they're broke", "Maybe they don't know any better", "As long as they admit it and apologize") Maybe that too is just rationalization because we know (or don't believe) we can do anything about it. Or maybe it has just become a part of online culture.
Maybe there's also something about the nature of the medium at play. Perhaps we can't yet comprehend digital assets as being the same as tangible property. Not to pick on PoetJC but the fact that you can rationalize using pirated software as a sort of try before you buy experience is a good example of how we view software. I suspect, Poet, you wouldn't use the same rationalization to take a car or a television without paying.
We're all a part of it. Even when we know it's theft, we make excuses for people ("Well if they're broke", "Maybe they don't know any better", "As long as they admit it and apologize") Maybe that too is just rationalization because we know (or don't believe) we can do anything about it. Or maybe it has just become a part of online culture.