The Future Is User-Led: The Path towards Widespread Produsage Dr Axel Bruns Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia [email_address]

User-Led Content Production emerging in various domains: open source software development online publishing: blogs open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews knowledge management wikis – e.g. Wikipedia social bookmarking – e.g. del.icio.us , digg geotagging – e.g. Google Earth , Frappr multi-user gaming: e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore creative practice e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut reviews and social shopping e.g. Epinions , IgoUgo (Image: http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/93136022/)

emerging in various domains:

open source software development

online publishing:

blogs

open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews

knowledge management

wikis – e.g. Wikipedia

social bookmarking – e.g. del.icio.us , digg

geotagging – e.g. Google Earth , Frappr

multi-user gaming:

e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore

creative practice

e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut

reviews and social shopping

e.g. Epinions , IgoUgo

(Image: http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/93136022/)

decline of the traditional value chain: producer  distributor  consumer (producer advised by consumer  distributor  consumer) (customer-made ideas  producer  distributor  consumer) Beyond Production

decline of the traditional value chain:

producer  distributor  consumer

(producer advised by consumer  distributor  consumer)

(customer-made ideas  producer  distributor  consumer)

What’s Happening Here? emergence of: the prosumer (Alvin Toffler)? the citizen-consumer (John Hartley)? pro-am production (Charles Leadbeater & Paul Miller)? customer-made products, produced by a new Generation C ( Trendwatching.com )? corporations harnessing the hive (J.C. Herz)?

emergence of:

the prosumer (Alvin Toffler)?

the citizen-consumer (John Hartley)?

pro-am production (Charles Leadbeater & Paul Miller)?

customer-made products, produced by a new Generation C ( Trendwatching.com )?

corporations harnessing the hive (J.C. Herz)?

Beyond Products traditional value chains rely on key assumptions: products exist in discrete versions, and producers decide when these are to be released the distribution of products is controlled (and controllable) by producers and distributors, not by consumers consumers are relatively isolated – only producers have access to the whole community the core business lies in the sale of copyrighted products but in a user-led, digital environment, this is no longer true: the latest update is always immediately available – e.g. open source, Wikipedia content is available for direct access online – users become producers, and the Net replaces the distributor consumers join together in enthusiast groups, interest groups, developer groups the core business lies in providing value-added services around freely available content

traditional value chains rely on key assumptions:

products exist in discrete versions, and producers decide when these are to be released

the distribution of products is controlled (and controllable) by producers and distributors, not by consumers

consumers are relatively isolated – only producers have access to the whole community

the core business lies in the sale of copyrighted products

but in a user-led, digital environment, this is no longer true:

the latest update is always immediately available – e.g. open source, Wikipedia

content is available for direct access online – users become producers, and the Net replaces the distributor

consumers join together in enthusiast groups, interest groups, developer groups

the core business lies in providing value-added services around freely available content

Common Characteristics shared across these environments: Open Participation, Communal Evaluation – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified Fluid Heterarchy, Ad Hoc Meritocracy – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds Unfinished Artefacts, Continuing Process – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths Common Property, Individual Rewards – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

shared across these environments:

Open Participation, Communal Evaluation – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified

Fluid Heterarchy, Ad Hoc Meritocracy – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds

Unfinished Artefacts, Continuing Process – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths

Common Property, Individual Rewards – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

A New Value Chain? (as producer) produser (as user) content content

(as producer)

produser

(as user)

Produsage beyond production: ‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content content is no longer a distinct product – it is a temporary artefact of an ongoing process usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply a new “ Generation C ” of content produsers? this is produsage

beyond production:

‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content

content is no longer a distinct product – it is a temporary artefact of an ongoing process

usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined

strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply

a new “ Generation C ” of content produsers?

this is produsage

Breaking the Chains content development space set up by community or company to harbour produsage (e.g. Wikimedia Foundation; Google; SourceForge) commercial / non-profit harvesting of user-generated content (e.g. The Sims , Wikipedia on CD-ROM) commercial / non-profit services to support produsage (e.g. Red Hat, SourceForge) commercial activities by users themselves, harnessing the hive (e.g. support services, consultancies, content sales) initial IP contributions from individuals, the public domain, or commercial sources collaborative, iterative, evolutionary, palimpsestic user-led content development valuable, often commercial-grade content is created Produsage Environment (populated by produsers)

Collective Intelligence Questions and answers: creative potential of distributed collaboration – grassroots, vernacular creativity; shared folk culture sustainability of voluntary labour – reliance on interest communities and enthusiasts intellectual property issues – building a new creative, information, knowledge commons trust, authority, responsibility, liability – communal evaluation of content quality emergence of new cultural, social, economic structures – towards a new collective intelligence?

Questions and answers:

creative potential of distributed collaboration

– grassroots, vernacular creativity; shared folk culture

sustainability of voluntary labour

– reliance on interest communities and enthusiasts

intellectual property issues

– building a new creative, information, knowledge commons

trust, authority, responsibility, liability

– communal evaluation of content quality

emergence of new cultural, social, economic structures

– towards a new collective intelligence?

Produsage Economics Economic potential: cheap workforce for commercial producers but also post-Fordist production/produsage models possible opposition to traditional business, and opportunity for new businesses Economic models: harnessing the hive – by produsers for produsers harvesting the hive – by produsers for wider community helping the hive – promoting and supporting produsage harbouring the hive – providing the spaces for produsage hijacking the hive – locking users into spaces of produsage

Economic potential:

cheap workforce for commercial producers

but also post-Fordist production/produsage models

possible opposition to traditional business, and opportunity for new businesses

Economic models:

harnessing the hive – by produsers for produsers

harvesting the hive – by produsers for wider community

helping the hive – promoting and supporting produsage

harbouring the hive – providing the spaces for produsage

hijacking the hive – locking users into spaces of produsage

Political Implications Towards post-Fordist politics? growing effect of produser news on political process towards more dialogue and deliberation, or more argument and conflict? rear-guard battles by governments and news organisations against citizen journalists – but not only in authoritarian regimes conflict between alternative and mainstream media coverage (e.g. Howard Dean campaign) digital divide opening between traditional audiences and new produser-citizens? Is it possible to harness produsage to support a move of citizens from being a passive audience for to being active produsers of democracy?

Towards post-Fordist politics?

growing effect of produser news on political process

towards more dialogue and deliberation,

or more argument and conflict?

rear-guard battles by governments and news organisations against citizen journalists – but not only in authoritarian regimes

conflict between alternative and mainstream media coverage (e.g. Howard Dean campaign)

digital divide opening between traditional audiences and new produser-citizens?

Is it possible to harness produsage to support a move of citizens from being a passive audience for to being active produsers of democracy?

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