Piracy rate statistics are murky at best. Industry involvement in collection makes numbers hard to interpret and bias likely. But research on Pirates themselves remains murkier still.

Law and Property
Though we use the term “intellectual property”, copyrights were never really described in a ‘property’ context. The inception of copyright (Statute of Anne, 1710) granted “monopoly” and “responsibility” but not “ownership” outside of a contractual context. Even the more emotionally charged “moral right” to intellectual works, entrenched in French history, never equated IP with physical property. As authors like Gray (2012) have pointed out that the desire to maintain this analogy results in poorly modelled behaviours. Theories devised around theft or bootlegging, grounded in the physical world, are assumed to be applicable without clear justification that the actions are equivalent.

The Undefined “Pirate”
Describing the ‘typical’ pirate has become equally difficult. Research concludes that pirates are non-religious, young and poorly morally developed but also that there is no religious association, pirates span the age spectrum and there is no correlation with moral development. For each study claiming one thing there is typically another claiming the opposite.

Piracy?
Currently demographic discrepancies are unexplained but some unfounded assumptions can be identified that might be responsible. First, “piracy” is often used without explanation. Legal debate over definition is on-going yet participants are assumed to be able to clearly categorise their own behaviour. Secondly, all “piracy” is typically treated equally. Do pirates download a film balanced against each album? Does a film pirate who never downloads music or a book pirate who downloads nothing else represent behaviourally distinct groups?

Web Science offers potential for research that recognises piracy as a distinct behaviour without physical analogy and can recognise its social context, separate from legal and technical definition.

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Web Science – beyond the Web as an everyday tool
Web Science is an emerging interdisciplinary field or subject. Quite a few of us use the web on a daily basis and take many of its features for granted. Thinking critically about it as a piece of technology that shapes and is shaped by social forces allows us to understand what differentiates the web from other communication technologies. Doing this however is not easy. It requires various forms of intellectual gymnastics, starting with a willingness to adopt a global view, mixed with contextual awareness and an in-depth technical understanding. Then Web Science takes all of its students far from the comfort of traditional disciplinary categories. It demands at the very least some familiarity with the basics of web architecture as well as the social theory of the relationship between technology and society (believe me when I say that this is the intellectual equivalent of a ‘double twisting double layout’ in gymnastics).

Interdisciplinarity
Much more than the latest academic vogue, interdisciplinarity is essential to study the wide-ranging questions that Web Science aims to answer. But that too is hard to do. Disciplinary silos come with their own language, ideas and sets of paradigms. Breaking through to find common ground requires openness and a lot of patience. It also means stepping in someone else’s shoes for a bit and trying to see the world they see to find out whether there are pieces that vaguely seem to fit and might provide some of the story put together that way. I think I’ve exhausted the gymnastics analogy, but again this is a pretty tough exercise.

Why study Web Science?
Simply because as a course it has been designed to give you the tools to make all of the above not only manageable but thoroughly enjoyable.

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Unlike many other technologies, the Web has caused fundamental societal change of an unprecedented magnitude. Research on this ever-changing socio-technical phenomenon and its impact has been developing at a rapid pace in many disciplines at the DTC. Yet there is a great deal more to learn especially when the Web is positioned as the subject of focus.

We at the Web Science DTC attempt to reduce the unknown about the Web by adopting methods and assumptions from disparate disciplines or when necessary integrating this knowledge to form entirely new approaches. Doing this not only highlights the importance of understanding the Web for what it is and does but also what it should do and what is required for that to happen.

Our aims are achieved by gaining insight into the relationship between citizens, the society and the Web, and how these entities impact each other. Our Web science research then also strives to ensure the Web is well understood, not harmful, that its benefits are lasting and growth is assured for all people who leverage this incredible resource.

Our approach guarantees that the sources of proposed business opportunities are clearly identified and the forms in which they materialise are adequately articulated. Given this knowledge, the potential opportunity could be effectively understood and exploited by the new venture creation process.

Leveraging Valuable and Actionable Insight from Web Science
Entrepreneurs could benefit from this insight offered when developing their ideas into commercial success.  Those who manage online initiatives in support of their new ventures can learn to act in more responsible ways when doing business online and acknowledge the role each business, without exception, plays in ensuring consumer trust in any’ digital economy. Entrepreneurs will also be well informed about ways to adopt more effective and efficient uses of the Web leading to increased consumer engagement and retention, and a flourishing digital economic ecosystem.

The post Web Science: Understanding how business and society are being transformed using the Web appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
Week 1 introduces Web Science – the study of the World Wide Web. The session will trace the origins and evolution of the Web, exploring the social, economic, political, cultural and – last but not least – technical processes that together come to shape the largest human information system in history. The session will include thought provoking introductory and concluding discussions, framing longer lectures and independent student activities.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
This session will introduce you to some of the key contributors to the Web Science MOOC and explain our approach to studying the World Wide Web. By the end of this first week, you will have a good understanding of Web Science, which will provide a strong foundation for the weeks that follow

How will the learners benefit? –
Learners will benefit from the expertise and insight of some of the world’s leading Web Scientists whilst the activities will enable learners to begin to do Web Science, constructing a time line of the Web and reflecting on their own web practices.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
What exites me about this is that we have the opportunity to show Southampton Web Science to the world! This is a new area of study that we have been developing over the past few years and we are convinced that it should be taken up and studied – whether in a MOOC, an undergraduate degree or as postgraduate study. The Web shapes the lives of billions of people and, in turn, people, governments and corporations across the world are changing the Web as they adapt and use it. Its critical that we find ways to understand this and that’s what Web Science offers.

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