As I write my final blog and reflect on the semester that was KCB_201: New media information and knowledge. I have a clear understanding of new media theories and how produsage principals can be applied to a wide range of areas. However what we haven’t touched on is what happens when producers AND consumers turn their artifacts into products?
Bruns (2007) questions “Is it necessary confined to the informational, intangible, digital realm, or can it be translated also to the produsage of physical products?”
A great example of this is Threadless, an online T-shirt franchise that allows consumers to submit designs which are then rated by fellow consumers to be printed. Those consumers whose ideas are printed not only gain recognition from the community but also are paid cash. This is an excellent display of “turning artifacts into products”. Which Bruns explains (2008) about “a number of ‘user innovation communities’ …develop a collection of information and knowledge sufficient to allow for the industrial production of physical goods”.
This trend is becoming more evident, particularly within DIY cultures. The noticeable shift has given rise to many new opportunities. Another example of this is taken from Bruns (2007)
“Online kite surfing communities sharing and collaboratively improving the designs for the aerodynamic kites they use to propel themselves through the surf; such designs are then turned into physical objects by sail making shops located in the vicinity of major kite surfing beaches, and enthusiasts acting as betatesters for the kite ‘blueprints’ report their experiences back to the community to feed into the next round of innovate improvements”
This is fantastic for consumers as they finally have a lot more say in what they want from a particular product and are able to be active participants in the production process. In threadless people are designers for the shirts and also fashion critiques as they are able to comment and rate other designers. In online kite surfing they are able to communicate online and submit knowledge they have (whether it be amateur or expert, this relating back to my previous blog about the pro/am divide). Regardless of what community you are apart of user participation means more brand loyalty, as consumers are attached to the product if they have a stake in the production (as I have just mentioned through the examples given) (Norman 2004).
As I review produsage as a whole, it is obvious it has established it self in a number of different ways. Over the course of the semester I have blogged about a few key new media theories all of which can be linked with one another.
I hope you have enjoyed and more importantly taken some new knowledge away from my blogs or at least a different perspective.
That’s all folks!
It’s always the same thing with my brother, I can’t say anything without him correcting me and thinking he knows more then I do. He thinks he’s an expert on everything. There is one topic however that I know he is an expert on and that is computers. Since dad brought home the first family computer when I was about five years old my older brother (who is only three years older) was first to pull it apart. My dad was not very impressed to say the least however to everyone’s astonishment my brother put it all back together and even claimed to have it running faster then when dad first purchased it. Ever since those early years my brother’s room has been filled with computer cords, cables, hard drives, motherboards, keyboards, you name it he’s got it! He has build numerous computers from scratch and re-wired our entire two storey house so that we would all be connected on the same network (remember these were the days before Wi-Fi).
Though according to its definition an expert is “Someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience.”
My brother has no formal training in computing, he’s not widely recognised as a reliable source as it’s not his chosen profession, and therefore not many people know of his unique talents. So how do we decide whether or not my brother is an expert? If he were to create, collaborate and contribute his knowledge to such sites as Wikipedia what would you consider him, an amateur or an expert? Just like would you consider someone an expert who produces a high quality YouTube video about catching bears or someone who blogs about the side affects to chemo-therapy.
According to Bruns (2008) “Instead of the development of strict and detailed rules for respecting experts, perhaps it is instead more appropriate to retain a degree of trust in the common sense of the community and its efforts at self policing and other contributor socialisation”
I agree with Bruns here, why do we feel we have to know everything about the person who shared their understanding and knowledge of a particular topic, for all we know the person discussing chemo-therapy could be a patient themselves or like my brothers expertise knowledge in computing. I don’t think it should matter whether or not someone has a degree to prove they are an expert if they can create, collaborate and contribute their own knowledge, obviously they would need to communicate to the audience how their information is credible but besides that I believe if someone has ‘expertise’ knowledge, like my brother then they are an expert in my eyes.
References
Bruns, A. 2008. Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage. New York: Peter Lang.
By now everyone has heard of or used Wikipedia as a source while searching for information. Do you remember back in the day when you had to do a research assignment in high school and your teacher sternly would say “DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA!” I know like most of you out there you have all come across the scrutiny that comes with Wikipedia. Quite personally I don’t understand it at all. I am a fan of Wikipedia and everything that comes with it. I use it at least once a week, whether it is to find trivial information about my favourite celebrity, diagnosing myself with the latest flu like symptoms and yes the most sinful one of all… Finding information for a university assignment. Now before you all start pointing the finger at me let me explain.
Wikipedia is definitely not the first encyclopedia to go online, however it has become the most successful online encyclopedia in the world, both in terms of its userbase and the breadth of its coverage. Its aim is to present representations of knowledge (Bruns, 2008). Think about it, Wikipedia is available in over 10 different languages all with hundred of thousands of pages in each language. English it’s self has over 2 million articles. (Wikipedia) Now you can not tell me that all the information shared across here is completely false, can you?
Bruns (2008) believes what has made it such a huge success is it clearly embraces produsage principles by allowing citizens to edit and participate in the website, even without signing a registration account. Wikipedia is constantly being updated by citizen journalists who have an interest in a particular area and wish to share it with the rest of us. The question that always arises around Wikipedia is how can you be sure everything you are reading is accurate? Maybe I am far too naive but why would anyone waste their time by uploading false information?
Obviously I am wrong as recently an Irish university student decided to perform an experiment, he uploaded a fake quote that a French composer had died and then watched to see who used it. He didn’t think it would be such a big deal, until newspapers in four different countries published the obituaries (ABC). The issue surrounding this is clear; journalists (and anyone for that matter) should not use Wikipedia as a primary source as there is no guarantee that is correct.
Nevertheless the site is still a really useful resource for conducting background information. So how can you tell what’s real and what’s not? Simple! Take a few extra minutes and tease out whether or not what you are reading is accurate by simply following the links to other pages that have been used as references. If there are no references then it’s pretty certain you should look elsewhere!
References
Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. Student’s Wikipedia hoax dupes newspapers. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/07/2562940.htm (accessed May 10,2009)
Bruns, A. 2008. Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage. New York: Peter Lang.
Wikipedia. The Free Encylopedia.
Ever feel like while reading the newspaper in the morning or watching the news at night that you aren’t really getting the whole truth about a story? Are you concerned that there are important pieces missing from the puzzle? It is often said that journalist report only what the media want you to know. The rest doesn’t matter even if it is the truth. As I sit here collecting ideas and information for this week’s blog, thinking about how I am going to write my piece and get a strong message across, I realise I am actually a journalist myself; a citizen journalist.
Freelance journalist, Mark Glaser who often writes on new media issues said in 2006 “The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others”.
The difference between a citizen journalist and a “real” journalist is that a “real” journalist is bound by strict boundaries that they can not over step. In fact their boss will tell the journalist what to write, how to write and when to write. Though as a citizen journalist myself I am given all the freedom in the world, and I can write whatever I want, when I want and how I want with no one moulding, shaping and even editing what I write. It is entirely up to me, and as a blogger I am able to receive feedback from anyone out there that wishes to comment on my personal views. This something a “real journalist” is rarely given.
In the last five years some of the most incredible news stories that have stopped our world have been produced by citizen journalists. For example during the 2004 devastating tsunami and 2005 hurricane Katrina, most of the video footage was taken by tourists, in addition many people wrote blogs about the natural disasters and brought new information and knowledge about the events. They all contributed to the information we received as the audience on these horrific disasters.
However as more people are able to express their opinions it raises concerns as to what is really real? Last year according to reports Miley Cyrus died, Steve Jobs had a heart attack and Disney were paying Vanessa Hudgens to be Zac Efron’s girlfriend. Of course all of those statements are false and misleading. Bruns (2007) has suggested that artifacts from produsage processes are never completed because it continues to be edited, updated and refined by other participants. Therefore statements like these are easily edited, we just have to take the time as the audience and work through what’s real and what’s not.
Therefore almost ANYONE can be a citizen journalist, whether you comment on a news stories, write a personal blog, capture and post photos from an event. The list is endless and anyone can be apart of it. So if you want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, become a citizen journalist today. All applicants guaranteed to be immediately approved!
References
Bruns, A. 2007. Produsage.org-From Production to Produsage: Research into User-Led Content Creation. http://produsage.org/ (accessed April 28, 2009)
Glaser, M. 2006. MediaShift.PBS. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/ (Accessed April 28, 2009)
Nisker, W. 1994. If You Don’t Like the News…Go Out and Make Some of Your Own. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press
Since I was a kid I have always had my heart set on what I am going to do when I grow up. At almost 20 I am still following that same dream. A dream in which my older brother still constantly tells me… “You ARE dreaming Kate; it’s never going to happen.” When people ask me what I want to do in the future it usually happens in a 3 step way…. They laugh, followed by a blank expression on their face to an “Oh… Are you being serious Kate? Yep I do want to be the weather girl! I am no stranger to being in the spot light. I love it, I’ll go anywhere to be in front of a camera and have my voice heard. Even if that voice is on … YouTube!
In this week’s blog my aim is to inform you all about the media term “produsage”. (Yes it does have something to do with my future career/dream)
Axel Bruns explains produsage as “The collaborative and continuous building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement” (Bruns, 2008) He suggests that in this collaborative community we are apart of, the wall between produces and consumers is no longer there and instead enables all participants to be users as well as produces of information and knowledge.
So how has this all begun, when did this shift begin so that we are able to resume both roles as a producer and user? I believe the development of the perceived second generation of the web. Web 2.0 has developed an evolution of web-based communities- such as social bookmarking site, blogs, wiki’s and the one that I will discuss in further detail- video sharing sites.
YouTube is a classic example of produsage. It used to be that the average person would come home from work, cook dinner and then switch on the TV. For the rest of the evening the television set would stay on, sometimes even a couple of sets for various family members. However, in today’s society things are changing, as more and more people are switching their TV’s for the internet. Not only are increasing numbers of people watching videos on the internet, more significantly they are producing content themselves and uploading on to sites like YouTube, whether it be creating a spin-off of their favourite show, singing in the bathroom or yelling at their cats, the list is endless. Therefore each person is producing tiny amounts of information to the concept of produsage. We are all participating in collaboration content creation environments.
I believe that produsage is helping me achieve my dream of being in front of the camera. It has given me the opportunity to showcase my abilities and talents just like it has for millions of other people who have produced their own content and uploaded via YouTube, and it doesn’t just end there sites like myspace, facebook, flicker and delicious all give everyone the opportunity to be apart of the production of information and knowledge in our world.
References
Bruns, A. 2008. Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production To Produsage. New York: Peter Lang.
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