| Technology often seems to be a scapegoat for a change in markets for the content industries. This study focuses on the rhetorical arguments used against file-sharing by the Recording Industry Association of America. It explores how ethos, pathos and logos strategies are used in the piracy debate. It also examines congruencies between these consistent rhetorical tendencies and the recent LimeWire case to examine how this debate is evolving. Are the metaphors of theft, piracy, and other comparisons as rhetorical strategy effective with the online community and those who dictate public policy? And what similarities occur with each step in this rhetorical evolution? The RIAA's strategies of incorporating celebrity arguments for credibility and promoting anxiety through consumer lawsuits have largely failed. This may be due to the perception that downloading is worth the risk of a lawsuit. It may also be due to the RIAA's refusal to accept an emerging innovation, instead opting to resist this evolution. |
