Do I Own It? U.S. and Chinese college students' digital ownership perceptions

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe notion of ownership of digital media content is complicated and fragmented, because of the interplay of intellectual property law, personal property rights, and contractual arrangements. Using a framework with multiple configurations of digital content ownership, we surveyed American and Chinese college students about their perceptions of ownership of digital media content—e‐books, digital music, and digital movies—as well as their perceptions of the importance of various digital rights associated with digital media content. The results revealed many differences between the two groups. Overall, participants from China attributed more importance to most of the digital rights than their U.S. peers did, their variability was smaller, and they displayed a narrower, more uncertain conception of ownership than the Americans did. The study suggests directions and potential factors for future investigation, including familiarity with digital content, the sharing culture, and possession as a cultural dimension.