When I first heard the term prosumer, I
immediately thought pro-what!? Don’t you mean consumer?
Rather than focusing on consumption or
production, the term prosumer combines both. And with the advancements of
technology and Web 2.0 ‘we have reason to see prosumption as increasingly
central’ (Ritzer and Jurgenson 2010, p.13).
When I mention the words Wikipedia,
Facebook, YouTube, eBay and blogger you might begin to understand what the term
prosumer actually means.
I strongly agree with Ritzen and Jurgenson
(2010) that most individuals, including myself, enjoy being a prosumer and
enjoy what we do online. As individuals
we can also gain from being a prosumer.
As a student, there are multiple ways in
which we can buy and sell products, one of the main sights being eBay. I myself
have sold clothing on eBay but am also a regular buyer of beauty products and
clothing and am yet to have any issues (hooray!). Therefore, eBay allows consumers to create
the market (Ritzer and Jurgenson 2010, p.19).
Which brings us to Facebook. We have the
power to choose how we act on Facebook and have the ability to continuously
alter it. We choose which photos, what to say, maintain friendships and build
communities (Ritzer and Jurgenson 2010, p.19).
I use my Facebook to stay in touch with
friends, however, I also have my own blog that allows me to write and review
beauty and fashion products. The fact is, a lot of my friends do not know I
have this blog and that’s one thing I enjoy about it. Blogger gives me the
opportunity to become friends with other who share the same passion. I comment
on other blogs similar to mine and also receive comments from individuals who
can relate to something I post.
I also wanted to touch on Second Life, a
virtual game in which players can become whoever they want to be, for example, one
can become a different gender and have a different life. It is
somewhat an escape from reality.
The video below gives insight into second
life:
Now to recap- I have gone from zero
understanding of the term prosumer and now found out that I am one myself, in
more ways than one.
Until next time…..
References:
Ritzer, George and Jurgenson, Nathan 2010 ‘Production, Consumption,
Prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer’, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 10 no.
1, pp 13-36, retrieved 24 August 2013, https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/le/content/143750/viewContent/1971888/View
Tech2 2011, 'EBay to deepen Facebook Relationship', retrieved 24 August 2013, http://tech2.in.com/news/web-services/ebay-to-deepen-facebook-relationship/247982
Second Life Documentary Machinima- On the Grid 2012, YouTube, GreyBox TV, 27 August 2012, retrieved 24 August 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPu4SVDfw6g
Hi Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI think this was a really well put together blog post that checks off all of the things that you might need to know as a prosumer or someone interested in knowing exactly what a prosumer is. Your descriptions and definitions are all of high quality and your level of referencing is both appropriate and informative. Your example of facebook and internet use in general appeals to most young readers and offers a simple understanding of how we as a consumer are also part of the process of trade. Overall I see no faults with your post, thanks for the read.
Hello Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI love the presentation of your post, It looks great, was easy to access and read. I like how you personally wrote your initial thoughts about the topic then linked it well with Ritzer and Jurgenson definition of prosumtion. Your post was interesting to read and I enjoyed how the scholarly readings had a strong relevance to your own personal experiences. You showed some good images and footage (second life video) that helped me understand your post. My only advice for you is to include hyperlinks to further sources. Apart from that you wrote a great and interesting post. Good work!