This week the topic of the produser was introduced in the readings (Bruns, Towards Produsage) and lecture. Unlike the traditional producer, the produser is a user-producer, which introduces the ‘user-led production of content’ (Bruns).
A produser could be anyone. For example, we will all be produsers when we complete our videos. Other examples of produsage include: the collaborative development of open source software, Wikipedia, use-led multi-user online games (e.g. The Sims) and collaborative online publishing, particularly news and information sites (e.g. Slashdot and OhmyNews) (Bruns). Admittedly I have found it a bit difficult to get my head around this topic. The term produser is very similar to producer, which does not help. The fact that they are both producers of sorts can also cause confusion.
Producers are involved in the ‘traditional form of content production’ whereas produsers are user-led. The user is the producer and this can sometimes take the form of a collaborative project involving many produsers (Bruns). A prime example of produsage in action is Youtube. Many of the videos on Youtube have been made by produsers. These people are not professional filmmakers; they are users of Youtube who want to share their work with everyone else, this then makes them produsers rather than producers.
Bruns, A. Towards Produsage: Futures for User-Led Content Production, viewed 8th September 2011, < http://produsage.org/files/12132812018_towards_produsage_0.pdf>.
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