6. Cathedrals of Consumption朝聖般的消費
– Disneyland, indoor shopping malls, fast food restaurants
marketing, advertising, branding, and the like
7. Japanese auto-mobile
the decline of the American automobile industry.
Wal-Mart, Mall of America, Las Vegas Strip
– The goods (produced in China) and services sold there.
The oil crisis of 1973
10. In late 2007, the global ‘great recession.’
Both consumption and production declined
Prosumption
were not caused by the recession.
Production, Consumption, Prosumption
11. Prosumer Society
Customers participate in the creation of products
in an active and ongoing way.(Tapscott & Williams, 2007, Wikinomics)
Industrial Revolution –
production and consumption were never fully distinct.
(producers consumed raw materials; consumers produced their meals.)
12. McDonaldization of Society (Ritzer, 2008) –
在速食產業中，消費者長久以來如何被納入工作的一部份。
用餐的人同時也是餐點的提供者
carrying meals to tables
Sandwich makers
Salad makers
Bus persons
13. • Gasoline at the filling station
• ATM machine
• Checkout counter at the supermarket
• Electronic kiosks
• Do-it-yourself medical technologies
• Caller on a call-in radio show
• Being part of Reality TV
• Being involved in amateur pornography
14. Web 2.0 ‘means of prosumption’
-- is defined by the ability of users to produce content collaboratively.
-- facilitates the implosion of production and consumption.
• Wikipedia
• Facebook
• eBay
• YouTube and Flickr
• Linux and other open-source software applications
• Amazon.com
• Google Maps
15.
16. Capitalism in the age of the prosumer
Traditional prosumers (fast food restautants)
Newer forms of prosumption (Web 2.0)
• 資本家早就找到了一群人，
能夠被剝削且還能生產新的剩餘價值。
• Capitalism has merely done what it has always done
– found yet another way to expand
(globally, colonizing the minds and bodies of those involved in the system).
17. Capitalism in the age of the prosumer
1. 資本家們無力控制現今這群Prosumers，
並且，他們還能有力抵擋資本主義的侵入。
2. How prosumer is exploited?
3. A whole new economic form
4. Abundance and effectiveness
18. The inability of capitalists to control
contemporary prosumers
& their greater resistance to the incursions of capitalism.
The end of the 20th century
網路經濟泡沫化 in late 2000.
後來的復甦
• The connection speeds increased
• More people were able to access and utilize the internet,
shrinking the ‘digital divide’ (Drori & Suk Jang, 2003)
20. Getting members to do work for them at no pay
or non-monetary incentives.
They are effrontery to ask for a professional service for free.
v.s.
A great opportunity & a new way to market oneself and
one’s skills and ability.
21. • Capitalism will need to deal with both collective
and individual resistance on the internet.
• Capitalism will need to adapt in various ways.
The inability of capitalists to control contemporary prosumers
& their greater resistance to the incursions of
capitalism.
22. How prosumer is exploited ?
Traditional Prosumers (soda fountain in fast food restaurant)
– the possibility of more soda at same price（滿足貪小便宜）
– the ability to create unique concoctions of various soda flavors.（混搭的趣味）
Most prosumers seem to enjoy their activities….
Marxist argue it of ‘false consciousness’.
23. The beauty of the prosumer system is that
it serves to reduce the need to hire paid personnel.
Consumers do these formerly paid tasks for no recompense.
(without complaining, but find it to be ‘fun’.)
Impossible to exploit those who work there
– the work already maximizes what they can do.
– the minimum wage law.
24. The only thing better than a low-paid worker is…
someone who does the work for no pay at all.
In Marxian terms, the consumer who ‘works’
produces nothing but surplus value.
25. The prosumer now, web 2.0
– one can choose how one wants to present oneself
& can alter that presentation at will. (on Facebook)
– people can gain quite materially from being a prosumer. (eBay)
– one can profit by gaining recognition
26. Exploitation is much more ambiguous
in the case of Web 2.0.
Something fast food restaurants would be highly reluctant to do.
– turn over the grill to those who want hamburgers.
On Web 2.0, productive resources may be turned over to the prosumers,
the profits, or the profit-potential, are retained by the owners.
27. ‘Wikinomics’
(Tapscott & Williams, 2006)
A manufacturer of high-end shoes obtains design ideas from customers.
Those who create the winning designs receive no royalties,
but their names appear on the shoes based on those designs.
Lego’s Mindstorm,
The customers post new applications and as a result the value
of Lego’s product is enhanced.
Those who post are expected to be satisfied with the joys.
Ｗeb 2.0, calling it exploitation goes too far.
28. ‘The culture of generosity’
People are expected to contribute to connect with others,
to create an online identity for themselves, to gain attention,
but not to share any profits from their generosity.
Wikinomic systems need to be more overtly capitalistic.
A more traditional capitalistic system will come.
(one without paid employees and their attendant costs)
29. A new economic form
Companies have found it difficult
to charge for their services on the internet.
v.s.
Users increasingly expect that what is on the internet
be made available free of charge.
30. Web 2.0 companies
– the costs of hosting datas is very low (is ever-decreasing).
– while the initial infrastructure and design of a web service is quite high.
Charge it or Losing share
31. The goal for Web 2.0 companies…
– a well-known brand hope to get value
By increasing the number of users.
By expanding the ability of prosumers to contribute to it.
To create a new/innovation way of users behavior.
32. How do they, or will they, generate profits?
• Selling information for advertising purposes. (Google AdSense & AdWord)
• Generating spin-offs / side-product.
• Brand comes first, the profitable product will follow. (Facebook, Google)
• ‘Freemium’ model. (basic and free for most, premium and paid for some.)
• Charging for maintenance, support and additions.
33. Abundance and
Effectiveness
Traditional capitalism focus on efficiency and rationality.
Content is abundant and created by
those not on the payroll.
The costs for companies to host digital
content is dropping.
34. The good content is king.
While in the abundant market,
how inefficient isn’t important.
Focusing on
– the creation of effective products and services.
– the quality of what is produced.
35.
36.
37. Conclusion
• Capitalists have more difficulty controling prosumers
& the resistance on the part of prosumers.
• The exploitation is less clear-cut.
• Services are free and prosumers are not paid for their work
• Abundance rather than scarcity, effectiveness rather than efficiency
38. Stand back and to meddle less with the prosumers.
• Have users find it comfortable and useful.
• Do not seek to dictate how prosumers use the sites,
if they did, the quality of what would be produces
on the sites would likely decline.
