Sharing Subscription Services

Definition

A subscription service is a business model “where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to a product or service.” Subscription payments are generally collected monthly, annually, or bi-annually. Purchasing a subscription service may require a customer to enter a contract denoting the minimal time a customer must continue to subscribe. Customers are often penalized for ending their subscription early.

Examples

Companies may package access to their product (i.e. content) offline and online through a single subscription or through multiple subscriptions. Pricing may differ between offline vs. online access for the same content delivered differently.

Online

Websites of:

• News providers
  • Wall Street Journal
  • New York Times
• Directories
  • Angie's List
• Movie and Music providers
  • Netflix [www.netflix.com]
  • Rhapsody

Note: Subscribers do not have an equivalent level of ownership online vs. offline. A company may terminate their website or remove content or service elements of their website at any time. Subscribers do not have the power to make decisions about their subscription or establish ownership online; companies’ ownership reigns through the entire lifecycle of the subscription.

Offline

Many, but not all, offline subscription services provide a subscriber with a physical good.

• Newspapers
  • Wall Street Journal
  • New York Times
• Magazines
  • Sports Illustrated
  • WIRED
• Directories
• Movie and Music providers
  • Netflix
  • Sirius XM Radio
• Gym Memberships
• Media Subscriptions
  • Internet
  • Cable television
  • Telephone

Sharing

Foundation

Individuals deem sharing of information, resources, and access as an altruistic act regardless of the item being shared and the environment in which it is shared. Parents and role model figures teach and encourage children to share without constructing a distinction between sharing in online and offline environments. Sharing develops into a behavior universally associated with positive character traits such as thoughtfulness and generosity and from which an individual may gain pleasure and satisfaction. The Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca once stated, “There is no delight in owning anything unshared.”

Ethics of Sharing Subscription Services

Those who believe issues of information ethics isolated from technology and connected to technology should be approached in the same manner are referred to as “traditionalists.” This approach is taken by subscribers who do not differentiate sharing subscription services online from sharing subscription service offline. These subscribers perceive technology simply as a tool which enables them to share their subscription in a contemporary fashion. From this perspective, technology does not introduce an opportunity to revisit the ethics of subscription sharing. The ethics are understood as already established policies which authorize subscribers to share freely for the greater good.

References

Wikipedia. “Subscription business model,” Accessed September 22, 2011. [[1]] ThinkExist. “Seneca Quotes,” Accessed September 22, 2011. [[2]]