We live in a world of algorithms, with
data driving our choices and digital presence driving success of people and
organizations. In the current scenario of overcrowded digital spaces at times
it becomes difficult to leave lasting digital foot prints. Communication has
become incredibly fast paced and extremely transitory in the modern world, it
is estimated that an idea or thought can be retained till 8 seconds only.
Communication has undergone a sea change from Shannon and Weaver Model which was considered a linear model to the more current model by Gamble and Gamble.
This
model makes the sender not only a receiver of the message but also creator of
one. Earlier communication practices made communication a linear or one way
process where the sender appeared to be talking at the receiver, the receiver
was simply a consumer of information, news or any other article of
communication. Yet today’s digital communication breaks the barrier where in
the receiver is no longer just a consumer of message or information but becomes
creator of the same thus a Prosumer.
The word prosumer is a combination of producer
and consumer, this word had been
introduced by Alvin Toffler in 1980, an American Futurist who foresaw the
events unfolding in the on onslaught of unfolding of technological
advancements.
A
prosumer can be defined as a person who both consumes and produces value,
information or idea either for self-consumption or by consumption by others.
This has been widely used to define the DIY culture or the buying behavior of
online consumers who not only buy but also shape the buying patterns or
behaviors of others.
In
the current digital landscape it is futile to imagine a communication which is
not creatively crafted and positions itself in the mind of the user or end
receiver.
Organizations
and individuals need to move away from ‘talking
at you’ phenomena to ‘talking with
you’, through user engagements and participatory methods. A campaign has to
be creatively crafted to touch the heart and mind of the user who contributes
to the ongoing process of communication through share, likes or other
engagements driving the consumer engagements and paving the way for a more
successful communication.
In
the transitory era of digital communication and crowded digital spaces the
receiver of the information becomes the sender, cutting through the clutter of
NOISE and acting as a prosumer.
