The Internet. Since its arrival and accessibility to the masses, it has offered more and more to us. It has shifted and changed with advancements in technology. And it was clear from the beginning that it would be an information hub. A place for people to go with any questions they had.
Search engines became available for just that purpose. Like AskJeeves.com, which is now Ask.com, and others, such as Yahoo, DogPile, Lycos, AOL Search, HotBot... But honestly, who uses them anymore? The most popular search engines of today are Google and Bing. The good thing about Google over Bing is that Google doesn't try to push itself on you when you install a program, buy a new PC, or do Windows updates. There is even an integrated Bing search bar on the Xbox dashboard. Microsoft, we understand that you made Bing and you're trying to get people to use it. But I think you're pimping out your product in all the wrong ways. Stahp.
But answers isn't the only thing the Internet has to offer. And here is where things really started to change for the Internet and way people started to use it. The ability to upload and share media. When the likes of Napster arose, people went crazy and downloaded every song they could until their hard drives were full. I know I did. But this didn't go unnoticed. When famous (or infamous depending on who you are) drummer from the band Metallica saw that he and his band mates were losing profit from Napster, he threw a hissy fit and started a lawsuit against Napster and won. Media sharing on the Internet would take a new name: piracy.
Since the downfall of Napster, other media sharing websites and programs became available. There were the likes of KaZaa, BearShare, MegaUpload, etc... most of which are gone. But with the Internet, it seems, when you cut off one head, another grows. Stronger, faster, better. People started using YouTube to upload and use it for streaming and sharing media. But of course, companies noticed and the rules of YouTube changed. Currently, people are using torrents to upload, share, and download different forms of media.
Now, piracy is wrong and everyone knows it. By downloading media illegally, you are cheating companies and artists who own the rights to the media out of their riches. But this doesn't seem to stop people from doing it. Some say that they use piracy as a way to preview the product. If they enjoy it, they will support it by purchasing the media. But this isn't always the case. And the Internet killed the likes of Blockbuster and other video rental stores long ago. So where else can people really go to taste test before they make their decision to pay full price?
The government has taken a lot of interest in the Internet and the way people use it. They have gone as far as trying to pass bills to actually LIMIT what people can do on the Internet. So companies who have the rights to the media that's being shared illegally online have started making deals with new up and coming services on the Internet like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, RedBox, and CinemaNow. People are going to share media illegally on the Internet one way or another. So why not just make the media more accessible? Just give it to the people for a small monthly fee or even for free and saturate it with advertisements? Could this save our freedom to use the Internet without limitations?
So, now I'd like to ask that everyone give their own opinions and bring up some points that I failed to mention. Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook page!
0 comments: