Fans turned prosumers: a case study of an online fansubbing community

Abstract

This research aims to understand the reasons behind illegal consumer behavior in the free world of the Internet. An online group of fans, which makes free, high-quality subtitles of a Japanese boy band's media appearances, was interviewed and a community, which holds exclusive right to watch the subtitles, was surveyed to shed light on what motivates these consumers-turned-producers to manipulate and distribute copyrighted material. Another purpose was to investigate the methods the prosumers use to protect themselves from legal prosecution and how that affects the relationship between the fans that produce and the fans that consume the subtitles. The very nature of the Internet that fosters this activity also poses a challenge because rules cannot be enforced and intellectual property cannot be protected. Ultimately, it is a balancing act between hiding from the public eye, receiving social benefits of being a prosumer, and fulfilling the demands of a deprived community.