"Produsage" & Other Dirty Words

A producer is someone or something that is able to produce.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/producer

Produce what? Anything, be in tangible/intangible; a good, service or simply content.


"Scumbag" Youtube.
http://www.quickmeme.com/Scumbag-Youtube/


Now, a user is someone who uses that production (yes yes, that’s two definitions with variations of the word in the answer but we’re all adults here). So, basically we could say the user is someone who uses a good, service or any kind of content.

But what happens when a user can be a producer? AN ABOLUTE GAME CHANGER, THAT’S WHAT!!!!!!

This phenomenon has been coined as the term "produsage" and is ramped all over the internet as websites like youtube, wikipedia, facebook, reddit, or even this very site (blogger).

So now that we know what on earth produsage is it remains to be seen, is it good, bad, or (as aforementioned) ugly.

The good of produsage is obvious, it allows content from Mr.Everyman to reach potentially millions of viewers. This unlocks more than just fame, it gives potentially anybody a voice. Where would Justin Bieber be without the internet? Probably being beaten up for looking like a girl in some secondary school in Canada. For those who don’t know when he was young Bieber was discovered by talent manager Scooter Braun on Youtube, where his mother posted videos of him singing for his family.



The internet can be a weird place.
http://www.stuffistumbledupon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Justin-Beanber-justin-bieber-selena-gomez-meme-mr-bean-bieber-fever-lol-lulz-funny-pictures_thum.jpg

User generated content can do more good then make people like Biebs famous (thank god for that). It allows anyone to speak an option, show a piece of art, or simply muck around. From this position perspective it is easy to see the good that can come from produsage.

The bad of produsage lies in not simply the users but the corporations behind it. Sure, youtube and blogger are great little tools curtesy of our overlords at the Google Corporation but herein lies the problem, produsage mediums aren't maintained to allow pure sharing for the user but rather to make money for the corporations.

And since these mediums exist to make money, all kinds of "who owns the content" issues emerge. Recently "Nintendo flexed its YouTube copyright muscle by issuing 'content ID match' claims on 'Let's Play' videos featuring its game franchises." Basically anything on YouTube featuring anything from Nintedo was fair game. "Prolific YouTuber Zack Scott, who is currently playing Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, claims that Nintendo has made content claims on several of his videos, meaning ad revenue received from those videos will instead go to Nintendo rather than Scott."

Whilst it's true that Nintendo owns the images, Zack made that content and viewers watch it to hear his take. It's a prickly area.

Read more at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124066-Nintendo-Suddenly-Claims-Ownership-Of-Many-YouTube-Videos#QmlLp7J4yv6UT3iA.99

A T-Shirt Design from http://igametees.com/

Other bad point include the fact it is destroying all old media putting the average journalist out of work but some would say old media is dying and creating new work and opportunities in new media so this is neither here nor there.

Well well, the good and the bad of produsage is there for all of us to see, but most of you intelligent readers could easily identify the reasons above and many more. But where exactly does it get ‘ugly’? It gets ugly when the lines between the producer and the user don’t merely get blurred but completely corrupted.

In 2011 two attractive Kiwi lasses experimenting with cameras in their jeans and seeing how the lads of LA react. However we are being utterly and completely lied to. This video and the other couple in the series were produced by Levi Jeans as part of their Skinny jeans ad campaign.

http://fashionista.com/2011/02/exclusive-levis-is-behind-that-viral-butt-cam-video/

For more examples of fake viral videos used for advertising go here.

So, the point when it gets ugly is when the users think they are viewing content being generated by other users but it is actually them being cleverly marketed to thus thoroughly corrupting the whole system. Because after all, produsage is anonymous and thus thoroughly corruptible.

Are these mediums really giving us a voice or merely a like or digg button, is this really what we could consider a voice?

So the good is the fact it allows anyone anywhere to have a voice to the chorus, the bad is it is merely a tool for profit (the user being part of the tool) and the ugly is how thoroughly corruptible the whole thing is.

Produsage is certainly here to stay and we, the user, have to start wielding it as a weapon of free action and speech rather then let the corporationyness of it all get through.

Social Media is the World's Political Soapbox and Other Harsh Truthes

Let me tell you a story, once upon a time the twittersphere and other social media goodies were only used by tech geeks and the young, who made up a relatively small portion of the voting population. Hard to believe isn't it?

How come he dies in every movie/series he's in?
http://memegenerator.net/instance/27881398

Today everyday people in the western world (not Westeros) flock to all kinds of social media and politicians have recognised its influence over the masses and tapped into social media to enhance their political campaigns and exposure.

Social media enables a two way conversation between politicians and the electorate. Many politicians have their own blogs, websites, Facebook page and Youtube channels through which they can promote themselves and construct an image of how their audience sees them. In the past, the only way to find information about an election or a politician was through television and newspapers. Nowadays, even ordinary citizens can challenge their leaders and get a direct answer from them through media channels. Infact, nowadays it's proven people think a candidate who sends out her own online messages and interacts with voters electronically is more honest.

With the use of social media, politicians have a lot more exposures than ever before and definitely put themselves at an advantage than those who don't. Politicians are no longer just the mysterious figures who we only see on TV. We now can interact with the leaders. In many cases, the integrated use of social media has proven to be much more effective than just one used alone.

http://thefw.com/funniest-memes-of-the-week-2/

The use of social media by politicians takes many forms. There's of course your standard facebook/twitter feed (which truth be told is probably run by their press agent with minimal politician input) all the way to using more engaging forums like a Google+ hangout or even a Reddit AMA. Barrack Obama infact did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit in 2012, inwhich he allowed the userbase of Reddit to ask him anything (though obviously he didn't answer some of the more ludicrious questions like "Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?").

Hey, everyone: I'll be taking your questions online today. Ask yours here: OFA.BO/gBof44 -bo
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 29, 2012

You can read Obama's AMA here.

Basically, it's probably fair to say Social Media in politics is almost becoming an arms race to see who can get their message out to their costituents in the most creative and engaging way.
 

To continue using Obama as an example, social media has made political campaigns never before reach out to and interact with as many young people as it does today. The youth vote played a pivotal role in Barack Obama’s presidential victory. The Obama Campaign in 2008 has proven online engagement can lead to enormous influence—he had more than 3 million Facebook friends, 8.5 million monthly visitors to MyBarackObama.com and 135,000 Youtube subscribers. He's presence was everywhere in the youth-dominated media. By adding Obama as a friend of your own social network, you feel as if you knew him and connect with him. It is at your fingertip to get to know a politician's childhood, life stories and political ambitions and make your own judgement who to vote for. The American youth were never so motivated and engaged with their national election before Obama. Traditional forms of campaign are more targeted at the general public, and have often ignored the importance of a more specific youth group.

Bill O'Riely, destroying balanced politics with all kinds of media.

Even in non-Western countries the use of social media in politics is taking off. In China where no votes are needed for election, politicians have also begun to embrace micro blogging, but just like in the west it's a double edged sword with social media even being used to leak things from within the communist party (formely seen as infalible).


There is no doubt that social webs have been big contributors to the political landscape. It can be used effectively to get your campaign message out and will become increasingly important in presidential political campaigns in the years to come.