Legal Issues

Okay. Suppose you download music or movies from LimeWire, or Winmx or some other source of free entertaining values. Is it democratic or is it illegal? Is it desired or is it threatening? Do you download the movie, but then go to the theatre and see it anyway? Is the stress on film or music? Is the music industry -because music's easier to download- threatened by peer-2-peer? Is the peer a threat to the artist? Questions, questions.. As far as I'm concerned, the answer is quite simple. If you can't afford to buy a movie, go to the cinema or buy an album or go to the concert, the Internet is the ultimate budget playground. But the experience is never the same. Digitization in entertainment usually requires the physical presence of others, since there's no better joy for the fan -apart from meeting his/her idols- to mingle with other fans. Computer Mediated Communication in Fan Communities makes total sense to me, and it has made total sense to fans worldwide. That's why I'm writing my dissertation on it. Although it makes me feel a bit superficial and lighthearted, when I could have researched deeper into the human experience and interaction with the World Wide Web. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But I know what I like and I like researching what I like. And, maybe some day, I'll research things that matter for the greater public good. Or I won't. But you have to make it through the day. Or the year.