Swedish Academics Talk Morality With Pirates

[Logan Westbrook]

Swedish Academics Talk Morality With Pirates

Researchers from Sweden's Lund University are trying to find out what role the internet plays in how Swedish teens develop their values and morals.

In an interview with newspaper TheLocal [http://www.thelocal.se/], Måns Svensson from the university's department of sociology of law discussed the impact of sites such as Myspace and the notorious torrent site ThePirateBay, saying, "We have a theory that there are processes for building norms on the internet which look different than those which take place in traditional society and that they are moving in a different direction than where the majority of society and legislation are headed."

"This can be a problem for the law when you have a young, growing generation which creates its morals and norms through contact with these types of activities on the internet and a set of laws which doesn't really comprehend what's new and which risks heading off course in its attempt to regulate them" he continued.

The research project, which will see researchers conducting in-depth interviews with ninth graders over the course of four years, will address young people's attitudes towards file-sharing, online gambling and putting pictures on the web and how the internet affects how young people develop their views on ownership rights, privacy, and the handling of money.

Aside from Myspace and ThePirateBay, the team from Lund have contacted the Swedish Poker Association and telecoms giant Ericsson and if successful, may have a massive effect in future legislation around the world.

Source: Zero Paid [http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9924/Researchers+Want+to+Team+Up+With+ThePirateBay+to+Understand+Youth+Morals] via Game Politics [http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/01/02/researchers-study-file-sharing-effects-teen-norms-amp-values]



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[DamienHell]

"We have a theory that there are processes for building norms on the internet which look different than those which take place in traditional society and that they are moving in a different direction than where the majority of society and legislation are headed."

Thats pretty short sighted, cause soon the people who's norms were built on the internet will be in charge, then society's norms will move towards the internets norms.

And then the apocylpse will happen.

 

[Aardvark]

Piracy: Totally destroying Hollywood [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3i935003166745e37d31538318d07eb7e6?imw=Y]. Thank Jesus for that.

 

[electric discordian]

Morality is on the whole a lie anyway, so having a morality based on the internet which is based almost entirely on hearsay and half truth sounds like a glove like fit!

Humanity bases it's morality on a concensus as opposed to anything rational which in these days of internet petitions and Facebook groups again is perfect fit.

It's only the first week of 2009 and I am already full of hate towards my fellow man. Ah happy new year indeed!

 

[Johnn Johnston]

The Swedish academics are talking morality with the pirates, but the question is...

ARRR! the pirates going to change their ways?

 

[Hippobatman]

The Swedish academics are talking morality with the pirates, but the question is...

ARRR! the pirates going to change their ways?

I laughed... Oh my..

 

[elricik]

The Swedish academics are talking morality with the pirates, but the question is...

ARRR! the pirates going to change their ways?

That was so stupid it made me laugh.

 

[Skrapt]

Already calling BS on this research... The researchers already have a predetermined conclusion that the internet is changing norms from traditional society, which isn't necessarily bad, except they're already saying that this is

"a problem for the law when you have a young, growing generation which creates its morals and norms through contact with these types of activities on the internet and a set of laws which doesn't really comprehend what's new and which risks heading off course in its attempt to regulate them"

 

[Nurb]

Everyone blames piracy for their troubles. Couldn't be that years of horrible movies and crappy games could be contributing to poor sales.

Like the publisher's of Prince of persia blaming piracy or quick sequel releases for bad sales, when the sequels were just awful. Piracy is an easy scapegoat when you don't want to acknowledge you're not making good games

 

[Playbahnosh]

Everyone blames piracy for their troubles. Couldn't be that years of horrible movies and crappy games could be contributing to poor sales.

Like the publisher's of Prince of persia blaming piracy or quick sequel releases for bad sales, when the sequels were just awful. Piracy is an easy scapegoat when you don't want to acknowledge you're not making good games

QFT! Word!

Thats pretty short sighted, cause soon the people who's norms were built on the internet will be in charge, then society's norms will move towards the internets norms.

Not necessarily the "Internet's" norms, but the next generation's norms. Of course the new generation is influenced by MySpace and PirateBay, as it is influenced by 4chan, Abandonia, The Escapist and countless pr0n sites. It's inevitable. As the online life become more and more free, and the authorities try to police the internet more and more, sometime in the near future, the First Civil War of the Internet will brake out, I'm sure.

There will be blood.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

"a problem for the law when you have a young, growing generation which creates its morals and norms through contact with these types of activities on the internet and a set of laws which doesn't really comprehend what's new and which risks heading off course in its attempt to regulate them"

Read it closely; it is a problem for the law because there are coming into existence laws which doesn't really comprehend what's new [on the internet] and which risks heading off course in its attempt to regulate [the internet and piracy].

Their study has no foregone conclusions; they are saying that the internet and piracy is tugging on end of the rope, and the law is attempting to pull the other end of the rope, and youths are in the middle, being dragged back and forth by both.

The main worry is that, like so many academic studies, it'll end up in the pocket of the Media Cartels, or possibly even in Pyratbyrån control. I'd personally like to see the honest, straightforward results of this study with minimal corruption.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Surely for the Swedish, their views on 'morality' don't necessarily conform to the rest of the world anyway?
Trade Unions, Equality, Education from 1 years old, Multilingual and ABBA.

 

[Zer_]

The direction the Internet is taking in general is pretty much where society as a whole is headed. People in Hollywood always fought change. When the tape recorders were being sold Hollywood was going apeshit. They're still doing fine today.

 

[Higurashi]

Ah, those kind of pirates. My fellow countrymen are indeed active, scurvy (shut-ins rarely eat properly) pirates, and I have heard some opinions from them I can hardly believe I did. Some anarchistic beliefs that I hope they grow out of. For certain, piracy has its effects on the opinions of my generation. So had punk on the one before us. Hrm.
In any case, there are a lot of more dominating factors affecting and colouring our opinions. I am pretty sure piracy is a fairly small one. As for the rest of the "processes for building norms" on the internet, there is only one way to affect that, and that is to participate in the creation of these phenomena. It is a part of culture, just like anything else. And as always, there will be those that do not like the effects of a specific cultural phenomenon.

Surely for the Swedish, their views on 'morality' don't necessarily conform to the rest of the world anyway?
Trade Unions, Equality, Education from 1 years old, Multilingual and ABBA.

No, they most certainly do not. We are proud of being very individualistic, so that is one rich tapestry. I am not certain what you mean by "Education from 1 years old" though.
And ABBA? It is apparent the rest of the world remembers this a lot better than we do. I think those that want to forget about them outnumber the ones who want to remember them by know. Blech.
I know it is because you associate ABBA to Sweden and vice versa. I just wish you would not. x)

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I am not certain what you mean by "Education from 1 years old" though.

Swedish children go to kindergarten from 1-5 according to Wiki. I don't remember much pre-schooling here before around 4 years old.

And ABBA? It is apparent the rest of the world remembers this a lot better than we do. I think those that want to forget about them outnumber the ones who want to remember them by know. Blech.
I know it is because you associate ABBA to Sweden and vice versa. I just wish you would not. x)

Heh, we want to get rid of the bowler hats and cucumber sandwiches of Blighty as well. I could have been evil and said Ace of Base instead. Although I much prefer Anette Olzon.

 

[Higurashi]

Swedish children go to kindergarten from 1-5 according to Wiki. I don't remember much pre-schooling here before around 4 years old.

Ah, kindergarten. Well, yes, but the decision to put their children there is up to the parents, in case they need more time for other things. There is no education really. At the most, we get to read the occasional book, but that's just another toy among the rest. The purpose of the entire establishment has become to alleviate the parents, so that they may focus more on their jobs. The most prominent effect it has is the process of socialisation; the same principle elementary school is mainly about.
Putting children into kindergarten was most popular in the 70s, but had become less so ever since. I do not think most parents do it nowadays.

Heh, we want to get rid of the bowler hats and cucumber sandwiches of Blighty as well. I could have been evil and said Ace of Base instead. Although I much prefer Anette Olzon.

I understand completely. However, there is a certain charm to that, and it is nothing to be ashamed about. (at least I do not think so)
Hah, you are the root of it all, so you should have. Ace of Base was, in my opinion, a LOT better however, and that says a lot, as they are also embarrassing. Well.. I do not feel any preference for Nightwish, but yeah, if I had to choose, she is definitely better than any of the aforementioned. At least she is a good singer.. and has nice taste when it comes to clothes.

 

[Spyre2000]

I'm extremely skeptical of this proposed "interest" in what the kids think and having interviews with them. These are very young and impressionable children and it's very easy to manipulate their options with "loaded" questions. I think it's more likely a ploy to get the younger generation to see their side of things so they will grow up accepting the invasion of their internet privacy for the greater good. Ninth graders are freaking 13 years old for crying out load! If anything they should be talking to college students since those are really the people who will be coming into the market place soon and they are much more likely to be able to have a reasonable discussion as well as make up their own mind on things.