User-led Content creation

The Future Is User-Led

I find that the notion of user-led content creation is creeping its way into my life. When I was in high school, I have not heard of (or maybe just never thought of) media as user-led. I am left wondering now whether or not I would have heard about it if I was not a media and communications student. Maybe I’ll never know.

Produsage can be explained as:

“the production of ideas takes place in a collaborative, participatory mode which breaks down the boundaries between producers and consumers” (Bruns, 2008)

What this means in simple terms, I think anyway, is that no longer do we simply consume media in the one form, produced by professionals and for mass audiences. Now, with new technologies, everyday people have the opportunity to add their own content to the internet (sometimes then it spreads to more conventional media eg. musicians who start on YouTube or MySpace) and add to online creative platforms, commenting on or enhancing the work of others.

Bruns states that “Produsage is based on the collaborative engagement of (ideally, large) communities of participants in a shared project.” This could be blogging, using the blogging network to share content, or forums where people can share ideas on a large scale and where people are not restricted by locality. This could also be a range of different online platforms such as Flickr, YouTube, Fanpop and other such sites.

There are many reasons why people contribute to online collaborative platforms. In order for these people to understand what kind of cultural capital they are adding to a site (usually owned or set up by a large company) or what kind of social power they are hoping to gain from a site. Bruns believes that “produsers... must develop a better understanding of what, how, and why they contribute as individuals to produsage projects.”

For the purpose of most media discussion, audiences of each media or referred to as consumers, whether or not they choose to purchase anything. In the case of produsage or user-led content, people are not only choosing to look at, watch, enjoy or be a fan of online content, they are also choosing to be a part of it.

Produsage.org states that “Participants in such activities are not producers in a conventional, industrial sense, as that term implies a distinction between producers and consumers which no longer exists.”

I do dispute the statement by produsage.org that “participation in produsage projects is generally motivated mainly by the ability of produsers to contribute to a shared, communal purpose.” People often contribute to criticize others, make their opinion heard, get themselves ahead in their particular field and make themselves known. I think that this is a direct reflection of life, really. Now the natural human traits that used to be restricted to face to face communication can now occur online. I think it’s a normal progression, given our dependance on the internet for so much these days.

It’s no wonder that media and communications students use self-imposed media exiles to gain some perspective.