Unauthorized Comic Book Scanners

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Author(s): Darren Wershler (Concordia University, Canada), Kalervo Sinervo (Concordia University, Canada)and Shannon Tien (Concordia University, Canada)
Copyright: 2014
Pages: 25
Source title: Educational, Psychological, and Behavioral Considerations in Niche Online Communities
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Vivek Venkatesh (Concordia University, Canada), Jason Wallin (University of Alberta, Canada), Juan Carlos Castro (Concordia University, Canada)and Jason Edward Lewis (Concordia University, Canada)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-5206-4.ch019

Keywords: Information Science Reference / Media & Communications / Social Computing / Virtual Communities & Virtual Reality

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Abstract

This chapter uses theories of circulation, subculture, and materiality to discuss the activities of unauthorized comic book scanners or “pirates,” and the mechanisms by which they structure their community. The discussion is drawn from a body of quantitative data collected by observing the circulation of unauthorized comic scans through several BitTorrent Websites between 2005 and 2012. The authors also examine the public discourse of scanners themselves—showcased through various anonymous interviews—as part of an investigation into the scanners’ identification with a system of ethics that validates their dissemination of unauthorized content in the name of preservation or “digital archiving.” Lastly, the authors propose a methodology for the study of digital media as “space-biased” and circulatory rather than archival. Though comic book scanners may identify themselves as digital archivists, they are somewhat unreliable for actual preservation. However, the ongoing existence of their community, despite the illegal, anonymous, and ephemeral nature of their work, invites one to consider the merits of a knowledge propagation model based on dissemination over preservation.

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