infoJustice

Authors: Aram Sinnreich, Patricia Aufderheide, Maggie Clifford and Saif Shahin

Abstract: This article maps patterns of interest in key terms associated with copyright and online culture in the US context. Using exploratory factor analysis of data from Google Trends, authors examined patterns in keyword searches between 2004–2019. The data show three distinct periods of interest. The first period consists of utopian, cause-driven search terms; the second marks a rise and eventual decline in creatively motivated, maker-fueled searches; and the third is characterized by rising utilitarian and institutional interest in accessible copyrighted material. These data show empirically that the public curiosity about alternatives to strict copyright have changed during the study period. Earlier, more idealistic movements contrast with later, more pragmatic approaches.

Citation: Sinnreich, Aram and Aufderheide, Patricia and Clifford, Maggie and Shahin, Saif, Access Shrugged:The Decline of the Copyleft and the Rise of Utilitarian Openness (November 10, 2021). Sinnreich, A., Aufderheide, P., Clifford, M., & Shahin, S. (2021). Access shrugged: The decline of the copyleft and the rise of utilitarian openness. New Media & Society, 23(12), 3466–3490. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3960823