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Artificial scarcity: beyond the digital
Shauna Gordon-McKeon
Digital resources such as software programs can be easily copied and shared, but distribution is restrained by technical, legal, and cultural means. The free culture community is not the first to fight "artificial scarcity." What can we learn from other communities and movements?
This presentation is a series of case studies covering a variety of other forms of artificial scarcity, including food waste, housing vacancy, and the destruction of excess retail merchandise. It focuses on efforts to combat this scarcity, highlighting what's worked and drawing lessons from what hasn't.
By exploring the connections between free culture and other anti-scarcity movements, we find new approaches, new allies, and new opportunities to stand up for the public commons.