Prosumption and maker culture
According to E. Toffler's concept, presented in his book "The Third Wave" in 1980, a prosumer is both producer and consumer. Prosumers are characterized by a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach based on manual work and use of electronic and household appliances in order to improve and modernize consumed economic goods. In many ways, the do it yourself trend is based on subcultural and underground practices of the second half of the 20th century.
The new cybernetic reality Web 2.0, described by Tim O'Reilly in 2005 in his article "What Is Web 2.0", created a new type of prosumer, which tends to engage in mental activity and, based on new information technologies, solve some of the problems associated, for example, with improvement of projects and services created in the network.
The principles of prosumption and maker culture are available, they have a low entry threshold : they do not require participation of large governmental or economic structures to be implemented. Initiative of the Kruzhok or workshop members, individuals and groups is enough. Thanks to proactive attitude, a person becomes more than just a consumer susceptible to manipulation. He\she takes responsibility for his\her life, affects the environment and interfaces they interact with directly.
The new cybernetic reality Web 2.0, described by Tim O'Reilly in 2005 in his article "What Is Web 2.0", created a new type of prosumer, which tends to engage in mental activity and, based on new information technologies, solve some of the problems associated, for example, with improvement of projects and services created in the network.
The principles of prosumption and maker culture are available, they have a low entry threshold : they do not require participation of large governmental or economic structures to be implemented. Initiative of the Kruzhok or workshop members, individuals and groups is enough. Thanks to proactive attitude, a person becomes more than just a consumer susceptible to manipulation. He\she takes responsibility for his\her life, affects the environment and interfaces they interact with directly.
Universal Problem
In the situation of a globalized market and a rigid separation of consumption and production, people do not understand how objects are created and promoted, therefore they are subject to an imposed and thoughtless desire to buy something.
Solution
Actor reassembles reality for himself and his needs. More specifically, consumers participate in the processes of improvement, and sometimes development of an innovative product at the early stages of its development and production, sometimes for quite a long time.
Target Image
In the future, human life and work will be individualized, the influence of the consumer market on human life and mode of thinking will be reduced. A person does for himself what he needs, in cooperation with like-minded people.
Experiment Framework
Prosumption implies active participation of users in creation and customization of products and services that they will use themselves . A prosumer saves on purchase of mass-produced goods and services and spends more on funds for independent production, which in the short term increases its costs. However, the means of production are returning to the household, which narrows the financial gap. In the long run, consumer is not forced to buy new goods at rising prices,, and sometimes it is even possible to receive income from the created goods.
Tools and Technologies
- Web 2.0, actively improved by the users themselves
- Cloud services for storing public knowledge bases (for example, Github)
- Collaboration through network media and social networks
- Easy-to-use microcontrollers and single-board computers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black), open source software
- The internal currency of the workshop ("tokens"), allowing you to buy and sell within the community and encouraging development in that community
Scaling Plans
With the rise of digitalization, prosumption is penetrating different areas of life, from making food, clothing, accessories and gadgets to various forms of human-created content. Makers create a unique, inimitable product. It cannot compete in price with mass production, but the production of one-off, custom-made goods is stable and continues to be cost-effective on various markets.
Standards and Values
- Proactivity, independence, responsibility
- Reuse and repair instead of throwing away and buying a new one
- Intensive use of resources
- Ingenuity
- Knowledge sharing
Communit
- Makers Movement (Dale Dougherty) is the main center of the makers movement
- Fablabs and Fablab.org are small workshops, providing an opportunity to everybody who wants to produce the items or their parts individually
- TOM is a global movement uniting communities of makers that create and disseminate affordable solutions to the challenges faced by older people, or people living in poverty / with disabilities.
- SoundCloud is one of the first platforms to publish your own music content.
Allies
- Citizen journalism and blogging, "citizen science"
- Downshifting and alternative approaches to a career ladder, based on building skills for job tasks, not a "career history" and "profession"
- Amateur crowdsourcing (such as NASA data collection - photos or videos - from amateur astronomers)
- Crowdfunding
What you could do in the Kruzhok for joining the approach:
- Join a club, workshop or fablab, start designing and prototyping your own solutions.
- Instead of buying tools and gadgets, make them yourself and adapt them to your needs.
- Learn to code, solder microchips, paint, or learn other crafts that will constructively improve the quality of products or create your own.
