THE PRODUCING CONSUMER

We are all aware of these two common words - "production" and "consumption" - and we understand that the two rely on one another to co-exist in society, and how important they are to economic and business related factors. However, many are unaware of the acronym "prosumption", which combines the two to provide a contemporary perspective of our consumer society, where we increasingly produce what we consume, and vice versa.

(Source: Planet Soho blog)

Ritzer and Jurgenson (2010, p. 14) describe prosumption as involving both production and consumption, rather than separating them or emphasising one's dominance over another. They believe that it is a "series of recent social changes" responsible for the Capitalism's return to a prosumer based society. The rise of the internet and user-generated platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are central to its reintegration.

I can think of many examples in my everyday life that would classify me as a prosumer. Routines such as using an ATM, a self-serve supermarket checkout, designing my own Subway roll for lunch, and of course, the use of social media all contain prosumerist characteristics. These actions indicate an increasing focus on convenience and independence.

Kramer's pizza (source: YouTube)

The danger society faces with Capitalist prosumerism is being shaped into a state called "McDonaldisation". According to Ritzer (2009), this occurs when a society or culture contains features of a fast-food restaurant, such as efficiency of time, quantity equals quality, predictability and control. McDonaldisation in society can be harmful as aspects of culture are broken down to find the most efficient method and reject all other methods. The self-serve routines stated earlier can be seen as McDonaldisation at work; in the form of Capitalism discovering "a way to exploit the labour power of a whole new population", employing the public rather than staff (Ritzer & Jurgenson 2010, p.13). This can lead to the homogenisation of global cultures, with traditions being discarded for a bland, prosumer driven world.

Prosumerism has given me more independence and freedom within my day to day life, adding efficiency and contrary to McDonaldisation's theory, I think it makes our encounters and interactions less predictable, as we are given more choice in many aspects of society.


References:

Ritzer, G & Jurgenson, N 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.

Ritzer, G 2009, The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Press, Los Angeles.

Photo:
http://www.planetsoho.com/blog/2012/02/production-consumption-prosumption/

Video:
Seinfeld - Kramer and Papi Pizza Debate 2009, YouTube, ppwtifilms, 6 September.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lOG3rD5CrQ

Links:
http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html

http://www.mcdonaldization.com/whatisit.shtml