Investigating the User Behavior of Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Software

In recent years, peer-to-peer file sharing has been a hotly debated topic in the fields of computer science, the music industry, and the movie industry. The purpose of this research was to examine the user behavior of peer-to-peer file-sharing software. A methodology of naturalistic inquiry that involved qualitative interviews was used to collect data from 21 university students in Taiwan. The results of the study revealed that a substantial amount of P2P file-sharing software is available to users. The main reasons for using P2P file-sharing software are to save money, save time, and to access files that are no longer available in stores. A majority of respondents use P2P file-sharing software to download music, movies, and software, and the respondents generally perceive the use of such software as neither illegal nor unethical. Furthermore, most users are free-riders, which means that they do not contribute files to the sharing process.