This month, Wikipedia shut down its English website to protest the congressional SOPA and PIPA bills. Google censored its own logo in order to inform the public on what they believe is a threat to an open web. Thousands of other websites, including the popular social news website Reddit, also blacked out for a day.
The next day, SOPA and PIPA protesters were celebrating a victory. It seemed that the entertainment industry had lost the battle, until the FBI shut down the file sharing website Megaupload and its sister website Megavideo, which hosted video content that was often copyrighted.
Students are now looking for other alternatives to view their favorite TV shows and movies.
In addition to Netflix and Hulu, there are many other legal online streaming websites.
Amazon hosts 6,000 movies and TV shows online, but after a free trial, it is $79 annually and students receive a $39 discount. Apple’s iTunes boasts thousands of titles available for rent or for purchase with no subscription needed. Netflix offers more than 6,000 movie and TV show titles.
“I signed the petition against SOPA back in November,” said Codara Cochran, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film. “It’s a gateway drug toward censorship of the Internet.”
Some students use paid subscription services because of the convenience and selection.
“I use Netflix because I don’t have the money to buy movies that I might not like later,” said Joshua Childers, a senior majoring in advertising.
For $7.99 a month, Netflix allows users to browse from a large variety of movie and TV titles online and users can find more titles by mail.
“Netflix has a better variety than basic cable,” said Jebrell Long, a junior majoring in marketing.
When it comes to user preferences, trends focus on variety and price. For some people, illegally downloading a movie online is a cost-saving measure.
“It’s just convenient that I can download movies and shows for free,” said Min Park, a junior majoring in accounting.
Most students are pragmatic about online piracy. They acknowledge that it exists, but say SOPA is the wrong way to combat the problem.
“I am against SOPA because I watch online videos which use copyrighted content,” said Chad Kilpatrick, a junior majoring in management information science.
