Value Difference In the Age of the Internet

In 2003, the Napster craze was in full swing and the Recording Industry Association of America was beginning prosecution of individual kids who downloaded music. It seemed that there was an article about it in the New York Times almost daily. The Internet was giving rise to changes in behavior that could not be anticipated. I felt we were living through a type of revolution, a sea change in behavior and lifestyle not seen since the Industrial Revolution. Reading these articles almost daily made it clear that large segments of the population felt that this illegal activity was justified and the law was wrong. The controversy led me to think of the greater question: had this society-changing, world-shrinking, idea-enhancing phenomenon called the Internet changed peoples perceptions of right and wrong? Specifically, had this one behavior, sharing music with others, changed the way people felt about laws in general? I knew that I had found my topic

• Social Science