SOCIALIZATION AND SOFTWARE PIRACY: A STUDY

We examine the role of age, gender, and work experience on the propensity to buy, share, and use pirated software. These demographics are key properties of the cognitive-developmental, gender socialization, and occupational socialization theories. We find the overall level of reported buying is low, while the level of sharing and use is high. From the perspective of socialization, we find differences in levels of buying based on gender, differences in levels of sharing based on age and gender, and differences in levels of use based on years of work experience. This suggests the source of pirated software has shifted from buying to a diffusion network that involves sharing within certain social groups. The higher rate of use for those with more years of work experience reinforces a continual problem for software vendors: The inability of customers to pay for software that is deemed necessary to conduct business.