Week 8

For centuries people have merely been 'consumers', only able to buy what is offered with little alternatives. Suggestions fell on deaf ears as consumers were seen as powerless. However with the introduction of citizen journalism, consumers have transformed into 'prosumers'. People are able to write their own opinions, free of charge and with an absolute guarantee it will be published on a page albeit in cyberspace. This expansion of free and extensive publications whether it is news, opinions, reviews or articles, has meant that the fate of traditional media is that it will soon become merely a tradition. As discussed in previous posts physical information will not die such as newspapers, CDs and other outlets, yet they are doomed to become the new vinyl attracting only a small niche market.

The catalyst of this surge in citizen journalism is that it is free from editors and hence the thoughts of the writer are published unaltered. There is no gatekeeper, nor is there any filtering. This has meant that prosumers have gained a sense of freedom that of which previous generations could not experience. It is no longer 'All the news fit to print', instead it is all the news plus everything else uncensored. A great example is the blog http://www.abeerfortheshower.com/. Written independently it is a genuine good read that would never have seen the light of day if sent to the New York Times.

This prosumer revolution has not only created an excess in information, it has become some people's source of income. It would be hard to write a blog about citizen journalism and not mention the website YouTube (i assume you've heard of it). YouTube is one of the most popular viewed sites everyday and is mostly filled with prosumer material. Probably the greatest prosumer on YouTube and is ironically the most subscribed person in the world, is Ray William Johnson. I say greatest because of the fact that he has become so popular by talking about other people's viral videos. Hence he is a prosumer of prosumer information (a double prosumer?). This new wave of free, uncensored information has meant that traditional controlled media is losing its effect on people and in the future we will see a vast decline in traditional media.

Week 7

The long tail is a very interesting concept which explains why so many businesses have survived the dot com crash of the late 90s and have excelled. With fixed costs at an all time low, virtual businesses are able to offer goods and services and unbeatable prices compared with shop fronts. Also the ability to cater to the infinite amount of niche markets has resulted in a dramatic increase of profits. However the way in which these businesses reach these niche markets is somewhat intrusive. A users movements online are tracked and recorded. These records are then used to 'suggest' to the user what they might enjoy. Although this is a clear breech of privacy, people are generally unaware that this is happening right in front of their eyes. The documentary Erasing David explains this issue and is clearly shown when the creator receives requested documents concerning what information certain businesses have about him. When comparing the amount the government knows to what private companies know is staggeringly one sided.

There is a reason that Facebook has become one of the hottest companies in the past decade. Of course it is a way of communicating with people from all corners of the globe, but what does Facebook actually own? What are its assets?  The reason why it is so valuable is because it is the largest free marketing database. The asset that they have is all your information and states in the terms and conditions that they can do what they like with this information. Henceforth advertisements are catered for your page, companies can find out exactly what makes you tick.

This however can be deemed as a good thing and a new and innovative way to target marketing. Personally i have discovered many a new bands and movies through what was 'recommended for me' and i am thankful that i was able to experience them. However it does raise the ethical issue of privacy and begs the question, who is really reading your Facebook profile?

Week 6

Everything you buy is multi-functional in this day and age and almost nothing is made for a specific purpose, nothing electrical anyway. Manufacturers have worked out that we like as many functions as possible no matter how insignificant and mundane they may be. New products being released are not simply a phone or only transmits TV signals, not at all. Now they can access the internet, download apps, record programs and even tell other electronically devices what to do without actually physically picking them up. Is this the dawn of innovation or the beginning of a new age of laziness?

The internet itself is constantly spreading to every inch of the globe through portable devices such as phones. This has left users with a constant stream of information and has given us endless applications. Users are now able to listen to music, read a newspaper, download a documentary and watch a cat play a piano all by looking at a 12cm x 6cm piece of plastic. Innovative, yes. Necessary, hardly. It now seems to be the lazy mans way of releasing a 'new and improved' product into the market place. Instead of really altering the product e.g. a phone, by means of making it faster or changing designs, instead they install every single piece of technology that is on every other phone on the market. At the present time finding a phone which can simply make calls is almost impossible, instead they all have to have WI-FI with 3G and be able play music while shooting birds at pigs. It seems as though these manufacturers have found this inspiration in the strangest places. In the words of Homer Simpson: "People are afraid of new things. You should have just taken an existing product and put a clock in it or something."


I personally have around 6 different electronic devices in my room alone, whether it be a phone, an iPod, a computer or an alarm clock. All of which serve a similar function: they tell the time.