From Consumers to Producers: How Social Media Rewrote the Rules of Engagement
The Democratization of Creation: Lowered Barriers, Higher Engagement
We've shifted from consumers to producers. On YouTube, we craft our own commercials. On Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, we design our own ads. Twitter and WordPress become platforms for our headlines. We can even produce our own radio spots! Why has the market changed so dramatically? The answer is simple: the cost to do these things is now little to nothing.
As 9Clouds.com aptly points out, "Throughout history there have always been barriers to communicating to the masses. You might need an expensive printing press, access to one of a handful of radio airwaves or a thirty-minute time slot on one of three TV channels. The major media: radio, newspaper, movies and television, have always had gatekeepers deciding what content was 'good enough' for their station, paper or film." If you wanted to write, you needed an editor's approval. To make a film, you required the backing of a major company. Today, we reach the world with a few clicks on a blog or social media profile. A quick video of your child at the dentist or your cat on a treadmill can easily garner millions of views, clicks, and shares.
The Demand Side Supplies Itself: Consumers as Unpaid Innovators
As Debbie Weil notes on debbieweil.com, "The demand side is supplying itself. Dealing with that fact, and taking advantage of it, is the biggest challenge and opportunity for everybody who wants to succeed in the live Web." Producing content has become so accessible that even non-tech-savvy individuals are participating, often generating significant revenue.
Author Clay Shirky highlights that consumers are not just producers, but also hold the key to understanding what's being consumed. Consumers inherently know what products they enjoy, so much so that they now willingly generate advertising revenue for brands, often without direct monetary compensation. This is where brands truly leverage the untapped creativity of their audience. For years, companies relied on advertising agencies for their core ideas. Now, by inspiring creativity among consumers, brands gain free producers. Even if a brand chooses to reward consumers for their ideas, by the time rewards are distributed, the brand has often amassed hundreds, if not thousands, of new concepts they can utilize for years to come.
The Consumer's Gain: Voice, Control, and Real-Time Influence
So, what does the consumer gain by becoming a producer? Often, it's invaluable experience and personal satisfaction. If a consumer produces for their own benefit, they can potentially attract millions of dollars for a product or service that resonates with others.
As Clay Shirky famously stated in his TED Talk, "Every time a new consumer joins this media landscape, a new producer joins as well, because the same equipment — phones, computers — lets you consume and produce. It’s as if you bought a book, they threw in the printing press for free."
As producers, consumers gain immense power: a voice and control over the future of products and services. Whether you're voicing displeasure about an airline on Twitter, outrage over a movie, or joy about a great-tasting product, today's consumers have significantly more influence over whether a business thrives. Through social media, we can relay our thoughts in real time—as quickly as possible—to a vast audience eager to listen.
Love it or hate it, the lines between big business and consumers are rapidly fading away.
References
9 Clouds. "Consumers Are Producers." 9Clouds.com, 2015.
Bowe, Marvin. "Creating A Yes Brand: A New Approach To Product Positioning: Consumers Are Now Producers Making Media More Personal." Personalizedpositioning.blogspot.com, 2009.
Debbieweil.com. "Web 2.0: Consumers Are Now Producers." Debbieweil.com, 2015.
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