The Infrastructure and Labor Dynamics of Digital Media Piracy

Media piracy, or the unauthorized use, reproduction, or circulation of copyrighted material, has long been the dominant means through which most populations gain access to media. Despite the critical role that women are known to play in the dynamics of this informal sector, the relationship between gender and media piracy has not been substantively examined.

This study addresses this gap through an ethnographic study of media piracy. In addition to providing training for undergraduate and graduate students in methods of anthropological data collection and analysis, this project broadens the participation of underrepresented groups in scientific research. Findings are being disseminated broadly to stakeholders and organizations who explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of digital piracy, intellectual property rights, and media use and circulation.

This project is jointly funded by Cultural Anthropology and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This project asks how gender shapes the infrastructure and labor of media piracy and how media piracy is shaping the livelihoods and economic activities of women, who are the most significant clients of media piracy, during periods of socioeconomic stress. Research combines participant observation and semi-structured interviews with pirate media distributors, vendors, and consumers, as well as state and copyright collections agency officials, and focuses on how gender shapes: 1) media piracy infrastructure and labor; 2) the acquisition of media technologies and their management in the home; and 3) the reception of transnational entertainment genres.

This project provides the first study of the role that gender plays in shaping media piracy and what impact media distribution has in social and economic transformation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.