More Than Movies: Social Formations in Informal Networks of Media Sharing By Mike Van Esler © 2017 M.A., University of Kansas, 2011 B.A., University of Missouri, 2008 Submitted to the graduate degree program in Film and Media Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Chair: Dr. Germaine Halegoua Dr. Michael Baskett Dr. Joshua Miner Dr. Catherine Preston Dr. Sherrie Tucker Date Defended: 5 May 2017 ii The dissertation committee for Mike Van Esler certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: More Than Movies: Social Formations in Informal Networks of Media Sharing Chair: Dr. Germaine Halegoua Date Approved: 5 May 2017 iii Abstract This project examines the social structures, formations, and practices of informal networks of media sharing (INMSs) through both historical and sociological lenses. INMSs are comprised of individuals who distribute and circulate media to one another through noncommercial, unauthorized networks. The networks can be centered around texts, such as the early videophile publication The Videophile’s Newsletter, or they can be constituted by disparate groups of people who come together as a community using digital platforms like BitTorrent. While nominally concerned with circulating media, INMSs are also sources of social sustenance for their members and are sites of struggle for social and symbolic capital and power. They illuminate the complex ways in which community members utilize media as a starting point to satisfy a variety of needs, including developing bodies of cultural and technical knowledge, thinking through legal and ethical concerns, creating social bonds, and engaging in a variety of pedagogical practices. In short, INMSs are loci of social and cultural meaning-making for their members. This dissertation catalogs and analyzes the social practices and formations of three INMSs, the aforementioned Videophile’s Newsletter and two private, BitTorrent networks focused on cinema, Great Cinema and FilmDestruction, showing there to be diachronic and transplatform similarities between different networks. Rather than instances of rupture and divergence, this project argues that these networks are best understood through an evolutionary lens. It contends that INMSs iv and other similar formations should be increasingly studied because of their prevalence throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and their importance to consumers as unauthorized media distribution spaces whereby network members have greater latitude to experiment with media and create unique, diverse social structures and practices that are not contingent upon restrictions imposed by the media and copyright industries. v Acknowledgements This dissertation is the result of numerous people in my life, many of whom have been instrumental in my growth as a scholar. First and foremost, Germaine Halegoua has been an outstanding advisor. She has been patient, insightful, tough, and, above all, supportive. She has pushed me to ask better questions, to improve my writing, and to grow as a scholar. Without her, this dissertation would not have been possible. Michael Baskett has also been a constant source of encouragement and growth for my entire career at the University of Kansas and I owe my growth as an historian to him. Catherine Preston has asked me tough questions about theory and spurred my interest in the work of Pierre Bourdieu. Tamara Falicov’s classes made me realize how much I enjoyed exploring the political economy of media. Josh Miner’s encouragement and research interests showed me that young scholars can survive and thrive in contemporary academia. Bob Hurst, Matt Jacobson, Kevin Willmott, and Dave Lacy all impressed on me the importance of understanding both the studies and production sides of media and have served as valuable models for my own pedagogy. Jay Childers and Bob Antonio broadened my scholarly horizons as to the interdisciplinary potentials of rhetoric and sociology, respectively. I also want to thank the late Chuck Berg, whose vivacity for all things scholarly and pop culture imbued me with a sense of determination to study the things I love. I also want to thank my mother Barb, my father John, and my sister Lindsay for supporting what I wanted to do with my career. Finally, I want to thank my partner Julie for putting up with late nights and weekends filled with research and writing. Her vi willingness to watch arthouse cinema, Hollywood blockbusters, and direct-to-video exploitation films fills me with joy. Without her, I am not sure the project would get finished and I dearly love her. vii Table of Contents Table of Contents More Than Movies: Social Formations in Informal Networks of Media Sharing ....... i Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ vii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Definition of Terms .................................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 10 Community ............................................................................................................................ 10 Virtual Community ............................................................................................................... 13 Media Sharing Communities ................................................................................................. 18 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Outline ....................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter One – Historical Contexts of Informal Networks of Media Sharing: Early Videophile Communities ................................................................................................. 30 Films on Television and Home Movie Culture ...................................................................... 33 Fast Forward: The Emergence of the VCR .......................................................................... 38 Defining the VCR .................................................................................................................. 39 Early Adopters—A Case Study .............................................................................................. 42 Trading Tapes ........................................................................................................................ 45 Tape Conventions and Parties ............................................................................................... 51 viii Technical Discussions ........................................................................................................... 55 Archiving ............................................................................................................................... 58 Legal Concerns ...................................................................................................................... 62 Pre-Recorded Material .......................................................................................................... 67 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 70 Chapter Two: Social and Technological Developments in Media Distribution Platforms in the Digital Era ............................................................................................ 74 Formal Digital Media Distribution Networks ....................................................................... 75 Music ..................................................................................................................................... 77 Television and Film ............................................................................................................... 94 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 108 Chapter Three — A Brief History of Unauthorized Digital Media Sharing ........... 111 Informal Networks of Media Sharing .................................................................................. 111 BitTorrent ............................................................................................................................ 121 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 125 Chapter Four — (Re)producing Social Hierarchies: Technical Capabilities and Affordances in Digital INMSs ...................................................................................... 128 Social Hierarchy and Symbolic Power ................................................................................ 131 Symbolic Capital, Power and Violence ..............................................................................