Research Outline
Participatory Culture
0000531
Bittorrent communities: Easy, fast and social?
File-sharing is quite possibly the second most important thing happening on the internet, the first being the exchange of information through websites and email. In May 2003, for instance, one third of the adult internet users admitted using file sharing software (May 2003).[1] While networked computers have always exchanged data, the introduction of the popular and easy to use system of Napster in the late 1990s has made file-sharing possible for every user of the internet willing to install this program. As with almost all activities in cyberspace, file-sharing is developing at great speeds and only five years after Napster has gained its momentum, it does not exist anymore in its original form. The so called second wave of file sharing jumped in the gap left by Napster, the most famous being KazaA and Gnutella. But there are clear signs that these programs, especially KazaA, are over there peak and that file sharers are once again looking for a new system. This however has not only to do with legal actions and shutdown of a program or different and better technological aspects of new programs. A lot of regular users of these programs tend to switch relatively easy because the gaining of popularity and the absence of maintenance usually means a network gets polluted very easy, and there is no control over the quality of content. A new form of file sharing has emerged and is gaining momentum as we speak. This is called Bittorrent. Without going into technical specifics, Bittorrent uses a system that is capable of high speed transfer and the program has relative control over the quality of the program, because Bittorrent is usually used to distribute one specific program, and doesn’t search on people’s hard drive. While Bittorrent is relatively young, with the first useable program introduced in October 2002, its growth has been unprecedented. An estimate of 10 million people have downloaded the original software of inventor Bram Cohen, and since its protocol is open source, a lot of download clients have been designed, such as Bit comet, Azureus and Shadow. It is because of this that Bram Cohen is already being compared with Shawn Fanning, the infamous creator of Napster. However I cannot stress enough that Bittorrent is profoundly different in its structure and functioning then Napster or even KazaA. This is not only technical, but very much a social difference. Even a popular program using similar techniques, eDonkey, is in much ways more like traditional file sharing programs then bittorrent. The bittorrent protocol and software is, however, only a small part of the phenomenon. The software only makes file transfer possible, and does not give the possibility to search for files. The files are offered by an individual through websites, by means of publishing a so-called torrent, a small file that allows connection with a tracker (usually a web address). This use of different of websites, trackers and within these the interaction within forums has serious implications for how peers interact with each other.
An academic approach to this new system is thus very valuable. There is not much research into this field, because bittorrent is still so young. For my final paper I will then not try to give a full on research project, but will build an extensive research proposal, wherein I’ll map out and critically asses some of the ‘new’ functions and problems the bittorrent phenomenon introduces. I’ll try to combine this with academic research on peer-to-peer communication and social relations and hierarchies within cyberspace.
It is important to note that my main questions will focus on the social aspect of this new technology: the functioning of Bittorrent as a way of communicating with each other, and the establishment of social rules and regulations within the community and opposed to the whole of cyberspace. We could pose the question as follows:
How does the Bittorrent phenomenon introduce new and different social relations in the world of P2P file sharing?
Within this large domain of social relations we can pose a number of sub questions helping us touch on a number of different aspects of this phenomenon.
- What kind of hierarchical structures are promoted by Bittorrent and what are possible implications of these new social differences?
- How can we relate Bittorrent to ‘traditional’ forms of file sharing such as KazaA, Napster and Gnutella?
- How do people interact within communities and how can this be related to other cyber communities
- How does Bittorrent deal with issues of legality of content, the growing popularity and the relationship with corporate businesses?
Because of the descriptive nature of my research proposal, my methodology will mainly consist of diving deep into the world of Bittorrent, to map out its uses. I will probably present a few cases of specific use of social interaction that I’ll encounter through close analysis. To further theorize these aspects I’ll try to link these cases to what has been written about P2P and social interaction within cyberspace. Although I haven’t made a sufficient effort to find specific (academic) literature, and as mentioned I can not lean on literature that deals specifically with Bittorrent, it seems that there have been some writings about social conventions and norms within file sharing. In the nonacademic world, some short but very informative articles have been published, providing another source for trying to grasp the phenomenon of Bittorrent. I’ll name just a few authors that will probably return in my final paper. Lior Jacob Strahilevitz has written quite extensively on social interaction and file sharing in his piece Charismatic Code, Social Norms and the emergence of cooperation on the file sharing networks. On P2P.com, a number of authors (among them Clay Shirky and Robert Kaye) have also written about social norms within file sharing. I will also try to find a copy of Peer-to-Peer Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies, edited by Andy Oram.