ABSTRACT
This paper examines how the complexity of motivations and practices found in a specialist social networking site intersect with the institution of intellectual property (IP). IP is a set of conventions and legal practices which evolved in a very different environment of production and distribution. In a co-creative social networking site we find a concatenation of amateurs, semiprofessionals and professionals, occupying multiple roles in gifting economies, reputation economies, monetised charitable economies and full commercial economies. People use, buy, sell, give away, and consume in this mixed economy that can be characterised as a 'social network market' [8]. The users of online social networking sites (SNS) find themselves having to come to grips with the complexity of IP law in order to participate fully. This paper uses Ravelry, a specialist SNS for knitters and spinners, to analyse the negotiations that take place around IP in a social network market, in particular the way the discourse of copyright is mobilised to negotiate the territory between amateurs and professionals.
- Abrams, L. 2006. "Knitting, Autonomy and Identity: The Role of Hand-Knitting in the Construction of Women's Sense of Self in an Island Community, Shetland, c. 1850--2000." Textile History 37(2): 149--165.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Banks, J. 2007. "Opening the production pipeline: unruly creators" in S. de Castell and J. Jenson, eds. Worlds in Play: International Perspectives on Digital Games Research. New York, Peter Lang Press.Google Scholar
- Banks, J. and S. Humphreys (2008). "The Labour of User Co-Creation: Emerging Social Network Markets?" Convergence 14(4): 401--418.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Benkler, Y. 2006. Wealth of Networks: how social production transforms markets and freedom. New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Boyd, D. and N. B. Ellison 2008. "Social Network Sites: definition, history and scholarship." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13: 210--230.Google ScholarDigital Library
- Leadbeater, C. and P. Miller. 2004. The Pro-Am Revolution. How enthusiasts are changing our economy and society. London, Demos.Google Scholar
- Postigo, H. (forthcoming). 'Of Mods and Modders: Chasing Down the Value of Fan Based Digital Game Modifications' in. J. Rutter, Ed. Digital Games Industries: Work, Knowledge and Consumption. UK, Ashgate Publishing.Google Scholar
- Potts, J., S. Cunningham, J. Hartley, P. Omerod (forthcoming). "Social network markets: a new definition of the creative industries." Journal of Cultural Economics.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- The challenges of intellectual property for users of social networking sites: a case study of Ravelry
Recommendations
Uses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital
Applying uses and gratifications theory (UGT) and social capital theory, our study examined users of four social networking sites (SNSs) (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat), and their influence on online bridging and bonding social capital. ...
Online Bonding and Bridging Social Capital via Social Networking Sites
This research aimed to explore types of online social capital bridging and bonding that the Emiratis perceive in the context of social networking site SNS usage. A snow-ball sample of 230 Emiratis from two Emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai was used. The ...
Social Networking Sites: Their Users and Social Implications — A Longitudinal Study
The rapid adoption of social networking sites (SNSs) raises important questions about the social implications of such usage. Drawing on unique longitudinal data, surveying a representative sample of Norwegian online users (N = 2,000, age 15–75 years) in ...
Comments