Just like an many other chapter of the Theory Toolbox, the writer poses many interesting ideologies and pushes us – the readers – to draw our own conclusions about what is being presented. However, this time more than usual the writer seems to have a forthright concept to share that deserves a bit or critiquing, or at the very least, concern. In the chapter on Life, the writer calls us all “prosumers” who essentially express our individuality and create our distinct personalities from what we consume. I find this to be a chicken-or-the-egg situation, though; does our personality, what makes us “unique” (if this text hasn’t totally ruined that word for you), really come solely from what we consume? Or could it be more innate? Could it be that our personalities are molded by the people who impact our lives and really its those people who in turn lead to what we consume? The term “prosumers” is a distinctly negative criticism of Western culture. We do not necessarily create a personality through the medium of consumerism; consuming is the afterthought, the response to our distinct personalities and tastes. Although of course, these things we choose to consume do in turn begin to mold our personalities as we find people with similar interests, but its those people themselves, not the movie or magazine, that hold weight.
2 Responses to “Prosumers”
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I think that some personality traits may be innate, but I also believe that the people that you meet and bond with may affect the development of your personality, too. Personally, I’ve always been an introvert, but I find that I’m more likely to speak if I feel that I’m in a comfortable, familiar environment. I also think that the things I consume (such as music, TV shows, movies, books, video games, etc.) reflect who I am, rather than mold me. I think your blog post poses an interesting question to think about when it comes to determining how a person becomes who they are, and what caused them to be who they are.
Great reflection! Even if we are influenced both others in our life, the point about the way we construct identity through consumption perhaps more than in the past is certainly an interesting one. Do we enter media environments already “formed” as individuals? Or do these context form us more than we know? And as young people grow up increasingly plugged into contexts of media consumption (and live their lives through it) is this “prosumption” increasingly going to be what drives their identify formation? I think that’s the cautionary note here.
For future posts, make sure you make the 250-word mark for full credit, and feel free to quote more to include those ideas you’re reacting to in more detail (though quotes don’t count in the word count).