Produsage

Produsage is the production of something and its usage that is seen in online environments like the use of Wikipedia and blogs and is the “collaborative and continuous building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement” (Snurb 2007).

(Blogspot 2006)

Produsage fits in with Henry Jenkins participatory culture as Jenkins theory shows us that people in modern culture combine many different types of media and media sources (in Swinburne online resources 2013). The whole idea of participatory culture is that we the users of the internet are participating and taking media into our own hands as we are being the makers, curators and distributors of media by remixing, transforming, integrating and innovating media not just consuming media (Jenkins 2010). Participatory culture allows people to take control of their media and media technologies and combine different types of media so that they can share, express their stories and points of views in powerful, different and new ways (Jenkins 2009). The participatory culture fits with Produsage because Produsage is not just about consuming media but is about being a part of media by rethinking, remaking, transforming and collaborating different types of media together and participating in the media and media culture (Snurb 2007).

 Participatory culture and Produsage are interrelated as without participating in the culture you cannot then remix, remake existing content to further improve it or to tell your story (Snurb 2007), by participating in blogging or citizen journalism, creating or editing articles on Wikipedia or remixing music like artists do on triple J’s like a version you are essentially conducting Produsage.

I think a great example of Produsage is the video that artist and performer Will.i.am made in response to President Barak Obamas “Yes We Can” campaign. Will.i.am sung along to a mise en scene of Obamas speech and a film clip he made which included an array of artists and actors singing along, included graphics and texts, and would have resonated well with media users and people following the political campaigns at the time (Will.i.am 2008). I think that is the beauty of Produsage and participatory culture is that it can really help people to learn and be aware of things they might not have known before.

                                                                          (Will.i.am 2008)

Another great example of Produsage and participatory culture is the Like a Version sessions that triple j runs with artists. I count the like a version sessions which allows new and popular artists the opportunity to cover, remix, mashup and put a new or their own spin to older songs as Produsage as the artist is consuming the original artist's work. It is Produsage as the artists performing in like a version are putting their own spin, heart and feeling into the songs they are performing and likely improving older and relatively unknown songs. My favourite example, which I will display below, is Illy’s like a version: ‘Illy covers Silverchair, Hilltop Hoods, Paul Kelly, and Flume for Like a Version’.

                                                                             (Illy 2013)

                                                                              

References

Blogspot 2006, ‘Time Person Of The Year’, [image], accessed 8 February 2014, < 3.bp.blogspot.com>. 

Illy 2013, ‘‘Illy covers Silverchair, Hilltop Hoods, Paul Kelly, and Flume for Like a Version’, [video] triplejtv, viewed 8 February 2014, <http://youtu.be/L13vI3kGMqc>. 

Jenkins, H. 2010, ‘Participatory Cultures’, [video] Education CEMPVideos, viewed 8 February 2014, <http://youtu.be/dc9LK-YtXKY>.

Jenkins, H. 2009, ‘The New Media Landscape’, [video] HCDMediaGroup, viewed 8 February 2014, < http://youtu.be/ibJaqXVaOaI>. 

Snurb 2007, ‘Produsage: A working definition’, Produsage.org, accessed 7 February 2014, <Produsage.org/node/9>. 

Jenkins, H. in Swinburne Online 2013, ‘SLPR100 Professional Communication Practice week 2 Key Theorists’, accessed from Swinburne University of Technology ilearn website: <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2FdisplayLearningUnit%3Fcourse_id%3D_149973_1%26content_id%3D_3796657_1%26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue>.  

Will.i.am 2008, ‘Yes We Can (Obama Song)’ [video] chilloutvids, viewed 8 February 2014,

 <http://youtu.be/UFpDBKQP-HE>.