Institute for Distributed Creativity

Produsers and Produsage

• 28 September 2005, 1-3 p.m., Suny Buffalo (room DMS 247)

Workshop Outline

1. Introduction and exploration of the produser concept:
   Overall features of produsers; distinctions from related concepts (Toffler's 'prosumer', Leadbeater's 'pro-am'); potential applications.
    
2. Key sites of produsage:
   Indymedia and other forms of collaborative online news, open source software development, Wikipedia, Flickr, Google Earth and other geographical annotation systems, The Sims and other online gaming communities, Cellphedia, …
    
3. Implications and uses:
   Economic possibilities, legal frameworks, educational applications, uses in strengthening democratic participation.
   
4. Open discussion

Readings

Little has been published using the term 'produser' as yet, but the articles below describe produser activity in all but name. Some of them are also deliberately entrepreneurial and commercial in tone - this demonstrates the potential for commercial exploration (and exploitation) which is inherent in the concept, and points to social, ethical, and legal issues which will need to be addressed.

• Trebor Scholz, Axel Bruns. (2005) "Share, Share Widely: Technologies for Distributed Creativity." Pixelache 2005. Available from http://www.pixelache.ac/2005/archives/share-share-widely-technologies-for-distributed-creativity/.
• JC Herz (2002, 18 Oct.). " Harnessing the Hive: How Online Games Drive Networked Innovation." Release 1.0. Available from http://www.oss.net/dynamaster/file_archive/041017/ 96a13ea1954b4fa57ad78d790077637a/JC%20Herz%20on %20Harnessing%20the%20Hive%20Via%20Online%20Games.pdf.
• Trendwatching.com. (n.d.) "Customer-made." Available from http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/CUSTOMER-MADE.htm.
• Trendwatching.com. (n.d.) "Generation C." Availavble from http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/GENERATION_C.htm.

Bio

Dr Axel Bruns teaches and conducts research about online publishing, electronic creative writing, online communities and popular music in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. He is the author of Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production (New York: Peter Lang, 2005), and a founding editor of the online academic publications M/C - Media and Culture and dotlit: The Online Journal of Creative Writing.

He is currently preparing Uses of Blogs (with Joanne Jacobs), an edited collection of scholarly work examining the range of current approaches to blogging (forthcoming from Peter Lang in 2006). More information about this book and other research projects and publications can be found in his blog at snurb.info.