'This is the age of the prosumer- where the consumer becomes the producer.' Discuss.

This statement basically means that the world today is heavily influenced by prosumers. It implies that prosumers are becoming increasingly common and relevant in the modern world. In this essay, I will be examining the extent to which this statement holds true.

One of the best examples of supporting evidence for the statement is the rising popularity of Vloggers. Individuals like Tyler Oakley, otherwise normal people who film their lives for the world to see, and gained a huge following in the process. Vloggers typically post their videos on YouTube, exemplifying the key role of Web 2.0 in enabling Prosumers to become successful. The core ideology behind Vlogging is the idea of sharing the story of your life with the viewers. This also supports Wesch’s theory about the web linking people together on a global scale. Oakley has become a veritable celebrity, and others have achieved similar fame. Looking forward, it is likely that we will see many more online celebrities making a name for themselves.

Another example of Web 2.0 providing a platform for prosumers is Twitter. Twitter allows users to post text, images and more for the world to see. The most entertaining, or otherwise engaging accounts can rack up huge numbers of followers. Naturally, various celebrities use the site, but amateurs can find just as much success. This can be seen as an example of ‘the great levelling’ that the internet is idealised as having done. Twitter allows anyone to become a prosumer with a few clicks. Goffman’s theory, which talks about the various ‘masks’ that people wear in different situations, obviously comes to mind when looking at any sort of social media. On sites like Twitter, behind the safety of a computer screen (and perhaps anonymity), users often feel more comfortable, and willing, to act as they wish to, rather than conform to society’s expectations.

The film industry’s various productions can often generate huge fandoms, especially when it comes to beloved favourites like Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Amongst the various ways that fans can express their enjoyment of such films is to create fanfiction, the more popular stories often being very creative and well written. For example, the most favourited story in the ‘Star Wars’ section of Fanfiction.net features a version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who finds himself transported back in time after dying in a duel he canonically won, thus giving him a chance to avert the development of Darth Vader. This 120K-word story has attracted over five thousand favourites. This, clearly, is an example of Jenkins theory in action, fans taking a work and reinterpreting it into another form. These fandom-based prosumers also have the potential to turn their works into profitable ventures- it is well-know by now that, 50 Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fanfiction before being adapted into a very popular book series and movie, quality aside.

For another example of Prosumers making profit from their creations, look at the rising popularity of parody music on YouTube. Various users, such as TheLivingTombstone, have produced videos based on various pop-culture elements that have received millions of views. From reworded pop-songs to all-original music and vocals, these creative musicians are able to entertain audiences, as well as catering to various Fandoms. Video Games, Like the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, are often popular subjects of these songs. It is a niche market, but being able to sell their songs on Itunes, as well as gaining ad revenue from YouTube, means that such musicians are able to benefit from the commercial effect of the ‘Long Tail’ described by Chris Anderson.

A counterexample to all this would be the continuing dominance of the mainstream record labels in the music industry. Universal Music Group, for example, is the label behind Justin Beiber, one of the most popular musicians in the world. It is likely that, without a paradigm shift in the nature of the web’s music scene, this will continue to be the case.

On the whole, though, I agree with the statement: This is the Age of the Prosumer. There are many examples of Prosumers emerging in relation to various mainstream industries, and it is likely that this trend will continue to grow. It is certainly affecting the mainstream media gods: they are scouting talented individuals in the crowd of online of Prosumers, people like Justin Beiber, who started out posting his songs to YouTube.