Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, June 2001. / "June 2001." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-83). / In the years since its inception, some interpretations of the software program known as "Napster" have been inscribed into laws, business plans, and purchasing decisions while others have been pushed to the fringes. This paper examines how and why certain assumptions about Napster gained consensus value whereas others did not. The analytical approach involves an examination of discourses about Napster in several arenas - legal, economic, social, and cultural - and is informed by a conceptualization of Napster as an ongoing encounter between, rather than the accomplishment of, inventor(s), institution(s), and interest(s). While acknowledging the importance of empirical examinations of Napster's impact on firms and markets, as well as the proscriptive advice which it supports, the focus here is on providing a contextualized understanding of the technology as an object whose meanings were contested and ultimately resolved, or at least stabilized, within, across, and through a broader systems of power and structured interests. / by David Spitz. / S.M.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39188 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Spitz, David (David Ethan) |
| Contributors | William Uricchio., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Comparative Media Studies., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Comparative Media Studies. |
| Publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Source Sets | M.I.T. Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 83 leaves, application/pdf |
| Rights | M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 |
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