The use of fear tactics have been used in the penitentiary system for the last century or so: it's called a Panopticon and I think it goes far in explaining how the RIAA may scare many individuals by suing only a few:
The structure is a tower with tinted windows that casts a light down towards the surrounding inmate holding regions. Only at certain times does the structure have a guard inside of it. The idea of panopticism is that inmates are less prone to attempt an escape with the existence of a panopticon because of an internalized restraint. It is a restraint that is self-imposed and is based on the possibility that there could be a guard in the structure, not that there IS actually a guard in the tower. The prison system has to employ a guard a minimal amount(more cost effective than guarding everyone)... and the prisoners have that fear that the guard is in the tower, and consequently, they don't escape.
How does this relate to MP3s? The following mappings:
prison : file distribution system
prisoners : users of the file distribution system
RIAA : watch tower
Partially guarding the tower : auditing certain individuals (as seen in the verizon case)
Granted that any analogy has problems, it has been shown historically through this panopticon that it is possible to somewhat control the masses by being somewhat random in prosecuting a few individuals and I think that to be exactly what the RIAA is doing.
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The use of fear tactics have been used in the penitentiary system for the last century or so: it's called a Panopticon and I think it goes far in explaining how the RIAA may scare many individuals by suing only a few:
The structure is a tower with tinted windows that casts a light down towards the surrounding inmate holding regions. Only at certain times does the structure have a guard inside of it. The idea of panopticism is that inmates are less prone to attempt an escape with the existence of a panopticon because of an internalized restraint. It is a restraint that is self-imposed and is based on the possibility that there could be a guard in the structure, not that there IS actually a guard in the tower. The prison system has to employ a guard a minimal amount(more cost effective than guarding everyone)... and the prisoners have that fear that the guard is in the tower, and consequently, they don't escape.
How does this relate to MP3s? The following mappings:
prison : file distribution system
prisoners : users of the file distribution system RIAA : watch tower
Partially guarding the tower : auditing certain individuals (as seen in the verizon case)
Granted that any analogy has problems, it has been shown historically through this panopticon that it is possible to somewhat control the masses by being somewhat random in prosecuting a few individuals and I think that to be exactly what the RIAA is doing.