“There is an absence of producers, distributors, or consumers, and the presence of a seemingly endless string of users acting incrementally as content producers by gradually extending and improving the information present in the information commons, the value chain begins and ends (but only temporarily, ready for further development) with content.” Axel Bruns (2008)
Firstly, what is a Produser? Essentially it is breaks down the boundaries between producers and consumers. It enables all participants to be users as well as producers of information and knowledge. As Burns states above is there seems to be an ‘endless string of users’ this is true, as anyone is able to be a Produser. Customers are no longer passive users but rather have an active role in the collaborative, manipulation and continuous building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement.
The great thing about Produsage is that anyone can creative it. With the help of technological advances, information is being embedded and the emergence of Produsage is ever present. Our networked information and communication technologies have helped merely to make more notable, more visible for people to produse and as customer support mechanism.
There are many different forms of Produsage, everything from photos, movies, music. Both Produser and Produsage are ever evident of social media site such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. These mediums allow the spread and sharing of such Produsage. YouTube enables amateur 'producers' to transform old versions of video of music, acting, anything catch on camera really into a new form which has similar aspects but a different.
YouTube gives Produsers space to distributed existing media content such as Lady Gaga’s, Bad Romance video. The first video is the original created by Lady Gaga, however the second is the recreated version of the video with the visual concepts of the original video producing a completely new media output.
Amateurs aren’t necessarily the only Produsers that often take the lead in the development of new content and ideas. Tim Burton’s take on the classic children’s novel, Alice in Wonderland. He was able to engage in the collaborative creation and extension of information and knowledge through he’s interpretation of the original books. The film grossed $300millionUS how could this form of Produsage possibly be a success without using the concept from Lewis Caroll’s original books.
But is it ethical to take someone’s work and manipulate it in something else? I think when Produsage claims to be a unique piece with no credit or acknowledgement to original producer, there is a fine line. I believe that Produsage of content does not aim to take credit but build on the assumption that content created in this process that will continue to be available to all future participants just as it was available to those participants who have already made contributions.
For example, a scene from the popular television show Gossip Girl shows the character Blair Waldorf dream sequence, she was paying a visit to Tiffany & Company dressed as Holly Golightly. It is merely a Produsage representation from the original movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As all Gossip Girl watches know, Blair is a big fan of the film, this could then by fashioned further if a Produser was to mimic Blaire Waldorf’s character.
Finally I that people enjoy Produsage. I have defiantly experience many of laughs watching various Produsers on the internet in my time. I believe that Produsage is proven a positive track record within their communities and the wider online society. Most of the most viewed videos on Youtube are of in fact Produsage at work. I’d like to leave you with this, the 3rd most watched video on Youtube. With 143,707,162 views it is an example of Produser manipulation and recreating a number of already existing media content.
