prepare the following reading, available via the Electronic Journals A-Z:

Ritzer, G. & Jurgenson, N. (2010) Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer’, Journal of Consumer Culture, 10 (1) 13-36

Ritzer is well-known for his book, ‘The McDonaldization of Society’, in which he argued that ‘rational’ scientific management techniques had escaped from the factory and were being applied to service industries, and life in general.

In this article, he and his co-author show that the ‘prosumer’ – the person who produces at the same time as consuming – is not a new arrival with Web. 20: e.g., customers at McDonalds routinely fetch their own cutlery and self-clear.

His purpose is to offer an informed appraisal of ‘prosumption’, exploring its origins, its characteristics, and its place in the digital age. He speculates that capitalism, and hence the consumer cultures it spawns, may be entering a new phase.

Here are some points for consideration and discussion:

1) How is it that ‘capitalism is having a difficult time gaining control over at least some of the prosumers on Web 2.0’? (p.21)

2) It is said that ‘prosumers seem to enjoy, even love, what they are doing and are willing to devote long hours to it for no pay’ (p.22). Discuss.

3) ‘In the new worlds of consumer and prosumer capitalism, the brand is all important…whereas earlier… the goal was to create a profitable product with the hope that it, in turn, would generate a successful brand’ (p.29). Discuss.
Richard Voase
January 2015