Peer-produced Websites and Legitimate Culture. The Case of Book Abstract Websites in Dutch Secondary Education.

Authors

  • Marc Verboord Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Joost Van Luijt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS312009231

Keywords:

media studies, ICT, peer-production, legitimate culture, book reading, education

Abstract

The arrival of peer-produced websites may have implications for how legitimate cultural products are produced, regarded and consumed in society, since they signal the decreased importance of experts’ evaluations. In this explorative study, we examine the effects of using peer-produced book abstract websites by students in Dutch secondary education on their reading behavior in the school context. The results showed that almost 90% of the students regularly use book abstract websites. Students who more frequently use book abstract websites, more often select authors who are popular among their fellow students for their educational reading list. However, frequent website users do not differ in the degree of legitimacy associated with their reading selections. Yet they less often finish reading the books they select and read with less enjoyment.

Author Biographies

Marc Verboord, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Marc Verboord is an assistant professor in the department for the study of the Arts, Culture and Media at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Joost Van Luijt

Joost van Luijt obtained his Master degree in Media and Journalism at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2005. Currently he works as a web journalist for a public utilities organization.

Downloads

Published

2009-03-19

How to Cite

Verboord, M., & Van Luijt, J. (2009). Peer-produced Websites and Legitimate Culture. The Case of Book Abstract Websites in Dutch Secondary Education. Observatorio (OBS*), 3(1). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS312009231

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2009)

Section

Articles

License

Observatorio (OBS*) has an academic journal profile. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of its contents, and freely available to individuals and institutions without charge or formal permission. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. Authors will not be charged for publication or submission to this journal. Authors who publish in Observatorio (OBS*) will release their contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-2.0 generic. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given - being the author the copyright holder. This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may: • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials; • Use material consistent with original license terms; • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair. Fair use of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; & 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. In accord with these provisions, the OBS journal believes in the vigorous assertion and defense of Fair Use by scholars engaged in academic research, teaching and non-commercial publishing. Thus, we view the inclusion of “quotations” from existing print, visual, audio and audio-visual texts to be appropriate examples of Fair Use, as are reproductions of visual images for the purpose of scholarly analysis. We encourage authors to obtain appropriate permissions to use materials originally produced by others, but do not require such permissions as long as the usage of such materials falls within the boundaries of Fair Use.