Skip to main content

Distributed for UCL Press

Regulating Content on Social Media

Copyright, Terms of Service and Technological Features

How are social media users influenced by platform when creating content, and does this influence determine whether or not they comply with copyright laws? These are pressing questions in today’s internet age, and Regulating Content on Social Media answers them by analyzing social media use from a copyright perspective. Corinne Tan compares the regulation of copyright laws across selected social media platforms—Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, and Wikipedia—with other regulatory factors such as the terms of service and the technological features of each platform. This comparison enables her to explore how each platform affects the role copyright laws play in securing compliance from their users. Through empirical research and a hypothetical case study detailing the social media activities of user Jane Doe, the book argues that, in spite of copyright laws’ purported regulation, users are encouraged by the social media platforms themselves to behave in ways that may be inconsistent with the law.

The first book to look at how social media platforms affect users’ compliance with copyright laws, Regulating Content on Social Media is a timely addition to the current media landscape.
 

278 pages | 55 illustrations | 6.14 x 9.21 | © 2018

Free digital open access editions are available to download from UCL Press.

Law and Legal Studies: General Legal Studies


UCL Press image

View all books from UCL Press

Reviews

“This book makes an important contribution to the field of social media and copyright. It tackles the real issue of how social media is designed to encourage users to engage in generative practices, in a sense effectively ‘seducing’ users into practices that involve misuse or infringement of copyright, whilst simultaneously normalising such practices.”

Melissa de Zwart, Adelaide Law School, Australia

Table of Contents

"Introduction
I Regulation on social media
II Regulation of content-generative behaviours from
a copyright perspective
III Approach
IV Structure
Chapter One: Scope of study and a day in the life of Jane Doe
I Defining social media and user-generated content
II Choice of social media platforms
III A day in the life of Jane
IV Conclusion
Chapter Two: Regulation by copyright laws
I Relevant copyright standards
II Scenario one: the application of copyright laws
III Conclusion
Chapter Three: Application of the terms of service
I Terms of service
II Scenario two: the application of the terms of service
III Relationship with the copyright regimes
IV Conclusion
Chapter Four: Influence of the technological features
I Technological features
II Scenario three: the influence of the technological features
III Relationship with the copyright regimes
IV Conclusion
Chapter Five: How the terms of service and technological
features affect copyright’s regulation of
content-generative behaviours
I Perceptions and awareness of copyright laws
II Scenario four: regulation by copyright laws,
the terms of service and technological features
III Regulation of content-generative behaviours
by copyright laws
IV Conclusion
Conclusion
I Fairness from a user’s perspective
II Why regulating social media matters
Bibliography
I Articles/Books/Reports
II Cases
III Legislation
IV Treaties/Supranational materials
V Others
Appendix 1: Screenshots of the technological features "

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press