QotW4: AnimeSuki and Me ...
An Introduction to Gift Economy
What is the notion of a gift economy? According to Wikipedia (“Gift Economy”, 2007), a gift economy is an economic system in which the prevalent mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo (the Latin term for the concept of "a favor for a favor". That is, the rule of reciprocity is not expected in a gift economy. The rule of reciprocity requires that one person try to repay, what another person has provided (Cialdini, 1985).
An Example of a Gift Economy
Anime groups are a great example for gift economies. One anime group that I often patronize is AnimeSuki (AnimeSuki, 2007) and I shall use AnimeSuki as my main idea of a gift economy for this assignment. I visit this anime group a lot because I felt that this is the most comprehensive, has the most anime fans participating, and most importantly, AnimeSuki is regularly updated, thus if I want information on the latest anime, I would definitely get information as people will be discussing it over at the forums.
Justification of AnimeSuki as an Example of a Gift Economy
Rheinegold has described interaction in one online community as consisting of a gift economy, in which help and information is offered without the expectation of any direct, immediate quid-pro-quo. That is, free help and information were given out to complete strangers whom one might never meet again (as cited in Kollock, 1999). In AnimeSuki, there is a forum whereby the community of AnimeSuki will be answering to all your questions. The forum is split up into 4 main subjects, ‘Anime Discussion’, ‘Anime Related Topics’, ‘AnimeSuki & Technology’ and ‘General’. For example if I want to find out what are the current most popular anime that is currently airing, I will choose Anime Discussion’s ‘Current Series’. There, they list the current most popular anime and I can choose which one I’m interested in. And let say I have any questions to ask, I can post and ask a questions and the friendly and helpful anime fans will reply to my question with no strings attached.
Another great part of AnimeSuki is that I get to download the latest Anime. But there’s something that I need to clarify first, which is the licensing of anime which affects the copyright law. As explained in AnimeSuki (“Licensed Anime”, 2007), the copyright law is definitely violated under the WTO Trips Agreement, but the TRIPS agreement does not demand that distribution of copyrighted material is a criminal offence unless it is done on a commercial sale meaning that it is up to the copyright holder to bring the offence to court. AnimeSuki added that fansub groups like AnimeSuki do not have to worry about the legal pressure from Japan but rather from the US companies as they are more likely to sue. Thus, if something is licensed, the licensee holds the copyright and thus the right to sue any copyright infringers within the area covered by the license. Thus, AnimeSuki only provide links to unlicensed anime and they do also keep an updated list of licensed and unlicensed anime. But who provides the links to all these Bit Torrents? Animesuki does not, but anime fan do. AnimeSuki link to sites of the anime fan and not the Bit Torrents files directly. And these anime fans are generous to share their files with other anime fans through fansubs like AnimeSuki.
Thus, AnimeSuki, is an online community, which provides help and information to complete strangers - in which these strangers accidentally or deliberately browse upon AnimeSuki, through links or searches - without any obligations.
Why People Contribute?
One question that ponders upon me a lot is why people contribute. Kollock (Kollock, 1999) explained that there are motivations for contributing. The motivating factors that intrigue people to contribute are anticipated reciprocity, reputation, sense of efficacy, need and attachment. And these motivating factors are rest on self-interest.
People contribute because they hope that when they need help, others will help them back, and this is anticipated reciprocity. Kollock (Kollock, 1999), states that someone should not simply take without ever contributing to the group and that people who regularly offer advice and information seem to receive more help more quickly when they ask for something. Thus people are more willing to contribute, in favor of hoping that when one day they need help, people will help.
By presenting high quality information, impressive technical details in one’s answers, a willingness to help others and elegant writing, could help increase one’s prestige or rather reputation in a community. Thus, thus the desire for prestige urges people to contribute more.
A sense of efficacy is a sense that an individual has some effect on the community’s environment. Thus by making regular and high-quality contribution to a community, it will show to the community that this person is an efficacious people, through the image that the individual portrays to the community.
One may contribute because the community or a person needs it. Thus, if there’s a need for something, an individual might contribute or produce something that the person or community needs to satisfy that need.
Last but not the least, the attachment or rather commitment one can have to the group are also motivating factors for people to contribute. People feels attached to the community and feels that he or she must do the utmost for the community.
Conclusion
I’m glad that gift economies, such as AnimeSuki exists. Because of their existence, people could find answers to their questions easily. Everyone benefits from it. I would no longer fret over a problem because I know where I can go to, especially for questions on anime.
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References:
AnimeSuki. (2007). AnimeSuki Forum. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://forums.animesuki.com/
AnimeSuki. (2007). Licensed Anime @ AnimeSuki.com. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.animesuki.com/doc.php/licensed/
Cialdini, R. B. (1985). Study: Recruitment, Influence/Ciadini. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecruit/study_influence.htm
Gift Economy. (2007, February 4). Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy
Kollock, P. (1999). The economies of online cooperation: Gifts and public goods in cyberspace. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm
What is the notion of a gift economy? According to Wikipedia (“Gift Economy”, 2007), a gift economy is an economic system in which the prevalent mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo (the Latin term for the concept of "a favor for a favor". That is, the rule of reciprocity is not expected in a gift economy. The rule of reciprocity requires that one person try to repay, what another person has provided (Cialdini, 1985).
An Example of a Gift Economy
Anime groups are a great example for gift economies. One anime group that I often patronize is AnimeSuki (AnimeSuki, 2007) and I shall use AnimeSuki as my main idea of a gift economy for this assignment. I visit this anime group a lot because I felt that this is the most comprehensive, has the most anime fans participating, and most importantly, AnimeSuki is regularly updated, thus if I want information on the latest anime, I would definitely get information as people will be discussing it over at the forums.
Justification of AnimeSuki as an Example of a Gift Economy
Rheinegold has described interaction in one online community as consisting of a gift economy, in which help and information is offered without the expectation of any direct, immediate quid-pro-quo. That is, free help and information were given out to complete strangers whom one might never meet again (as cited in Kollock, 1999). In AnimeSuki, there is a forum whereby the community of AnimeSuki will be answering to all your questions. The forum is split up into 4 main subjects, ‘Anime Discussion’, ‘Anime Related Topics’, ‘AnimeSuki & Technology’ and ‘General’. For example if I want to find out what are the current most popular anime that is currently airing, I will choose Anime Discussion’s ‘Current Series’. There, they list the current most popular anime and I can choose which one I’m interested in. And let say I have any questions to ask, I can post and ask a questions and the friendly and helpful anime fans will reply to my question with no strings attached.
Another great part of AnimeSuki is that I get to download the latest Anime. But there’s something that I need to clarify first, which is the licensing of anime which affects the copyright law. As explained in AnimeSuki (“Licensed Anime”, 2007), the copyright law is definitely violated under the WTO Trips Agreement, but the TRIPS agreement does not demand that distribution of copyrighted material is a criminal offence unless it is done on a commercial sale meaning that it is up to the copyright holder to bring the offence to court. AnimeSuki added that fansub groups like AnimeSuki do not have to worry about the legal pressure from Japan but rather from the US companies as they are more likely to sue. Thus, if something is licensed, the licensee holds the copyright and thus the right to sue any copyright infringers within the area covered by the license. Thus, AnimeSuki only provide links to unlicensed anime and they do also keep an updated list of licensed and unlicensed anime. But who provides the links to all these Bit Torrents? Animesuki does not, but anime fan do. AnimeSuki link to sites of the anime fan and not the Bit Torrents files directly. And these anime fans are generous to share their files with other anime fans through fansubs like AnimeSuki.
Thus, AnimeSuki, is an online community, which provides help and information to complete strangers - in which these strangers accidentally or deliberately browse upon AnimeSuki, through links or searches - without any obligations.
Why People Contribute?
One question that ponders upon me a lot is why people contribute. Kollock (Kollock, 1999) explained that there are motivations for contributing. The motivating factors that intrigue people to contribute are anticipated reciprocity, reputation, sense of efficacy, need and attachment. And these motivating factors are rest on self-interest.
People contribute because they hope that when they need help, others will help them back, and this is anticipated reciprocity. Kollock (Kollock, 1999), states that someone should not simply take without ever contributing to the group and that people who regularly offer advice and information seem to receive more help more quickly when they ask for something. Thus people are more willing to contribute, in favor of hoping that when one day they need help, people will help.
By presenting high quality information, impressive technical details in one’s answers, a willingness to help others and elegant writing, could help increase one’s prestige or rather reputation in a community. Thus, thus the desire for prestige urges people to contribute more.
A sense of efficacy is a sense that an individual has some effect on the community’s environment. Thus by making regular and high-quality contribution to a community, it will show to the community that this person is an efficacious people, through the image that the individual portrays to the community.
One may contribute because the community or a person needs it. Thus, if there’s a need for something, an individual might contribute or produce something that the person or community needs to satisfy that need.
Last but not the least, the attachment or rather commitment one can have to the group are also motivating factors for people to contribute. People feels attached to the community and feels that he or she must do the utmost for the community.
Conclusion
I’m glad that gift economies, such as AnimeSuki exists. Because of their existence, people could find answers to their questions easily. Everyone benefits from it. I would no longer fret over a problem because I know where I can go to, especially for questions on anime.
---------------------------------------------------------------
References:
AnimeSuki. (2007). AnimeSuki Forum. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://forums.animesuki.com/
AnimeSuki. (2007). Licensed Anime @ AnimeSuki.com. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.animesuki.com/doc.php/licensed/
Cialdini, R. B. (1985). Study: Recruitment, Influence/Ciadini. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecruit/study_influence.htm
Gift Economy. (2007, February 4). Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy
Kollock, P. (1999). The economies of online cooperation: Gifts and public goods in cyberspace. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm
Labels: COM125 Assignments
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Very good, also on how you noted that the community respects copyright and licensing issues for distributing anime. I'm particularly interested in how users apparently volunteer to destroy the videos once a licensed version is made (e.g. U.S. version).
Full grades and a special mention award!
Full grades and a special mention award!
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lolikneri havaqatsu
lolikneri havaqatsu
By 
, at February 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM
, at February 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM
