Movie Piracy in Emerging Economies: I Want to be Innovative, and I Know How to Explain My Bad Behaviour: An Abstract

Abstract

Rapid development of digital technologies not only opens numerous possibilities to individuals in the whole world but also creates premises for the digital piracy. Though being a worldwide phenomenon, digital piracy seems to be of special importance in the case of emerging markets.

Many emerging markets have perfect broadband and Wi-Fi infrastructures; their population is highly literate in terms of the use of digital technologies, eager to follow the newest global trends, etc. All these mentioned conditions seem favourable for the digital piracy.

On the other hand, the factors that influence digital piracy are not necessarily the same for all digital products: for instance, pirating of entertainment-related products includes specific relations with personal traits, emotional factors, and external conditions (Sheehan et al. 2012). The object of this study is illegal obtaining of movies that represents a large portion of overall digital piracy and often is linked with lower purchasing power of the population (Moores 2008; Rone 2013).

Moreover, current societies are largely characterised by dynamism and novelty-seeking behaviours. In many cases, novelty-seeking may be considered as an expression of the need for uniqueness, status-enhancing opportunity, or at least as an opportunity to be appreciated among associates—especially, when younger audiences are considered (Knight and Kim 2007).

This study aims to analyse novelty-seeking in the context of illegal downloading of movies among a young population. Furthermore, the effect of moral emotions (guilt and shame) and various neutralisation techniques on the illegal downloading of movies are analysed as well.

The study is based on data that was obtained via survey in Lithuania. The country is a leader in terms of broadband communications and Wi-Fi availability—favourable infrastructure for acquiring digital products both legally and illegally (Corcoran 2017; Shaffer 2018). The research analysis is based on 422 respondents’ responses.

The study shows the importance of novelty-seeking in the context of movie piracy. It specifies the relation of novelty-seeking with attitude and behaviour, highlighting directions for further research.

References Available Upon Request