Participatory culture, an opposing concept to consumer culture, is a culture in which consumers act as contributors or producers (prosumers). The term is most often applied to the production or creation of some type of published media. Modern technological advancements (mostly personal computers and the Internet) have enabled private persons to create and publish media, usually through the Internet. Since technology enables new forms of expression and engagement in public discourse, participatory culture supports individual creation and informal relationships that pair novices with experts. This new culture, as it relates to the Internet, has been described as Web 2.0. In participatory culture, "young people creatively respond to a plethora of electronic signals and cultural commodities in ways that surprise their makers, finding meanings and identities never meant to be there and defying simple nostrums that bewail the manipulation or passivity of 'consumers'." The increasing availability of the Internet increasingly enables people to work collaboratively, generate and disseminate news, ideas, and creative works, and connect with people who share similar goals and interests (see affinity groups). The potential of participatory culture for civic engagement and creative expression has been investigated by media scholar Henry Jenkins. In 2009, Jenkins and co-authors Ravi Purushotma, Katie Clinton, Margaret Weigel and Alice Robison authored a white paper entitled Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. This paper describes a participatory culture as one:
With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement With strong support for creating and sharing one's creations with others With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices Where members believe that their contributions matter Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created).
History Participatory culture predates the Internet. The emergence of the Amateur Press Association in the middle of the 19th century is an example of historical participatory culture; at that time, young people were typing and printing their own publications by hand. These publications were mailed throughout a network of people and resemble modern social networks. The displacement of old media such as zines, radio shows, group projects, and gossip by new media such as blogs, podcasts, wikis, and social networks has greatly impacted society. The implications of the gradual shift from production to produsage are profound and will affect the core of culture, economy, society, and democracy.
Forms
Forms of participatory culture can be manifested in affiliations, expressions, collaborative problem solving, and circulations:
Affiliations include both formal and informal memberships in online communities such as discussion boards or social media. Expression refers to the types of media that could be created. This may manifest as memes, fanfiction, or other forms of mash-ups. When individuals and groups work together on a particular form of media or media product, like a wiki, they engage in collaborative problem solving. Circulation refers to the means through which the communication may be spread. This could include blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and even some forms of social media. Some of the most popular apps that involve participation include Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. Fanfiction creators were one of the first communities to demonstrate how the public could participate in pop culture by changing, growing, and altering TV show storylines during their run times, as well as strengthening the series' popularity after the last episode aired. Some fan fiction creators develop theories and speculation, while others create 'new' material outside of the confines of the original content. Fans expand on the original story such as by putting the characters falling in love within the series through different adventures and sexualities. These communities are composed of audiences and readers from around the world, at different ages, with different backgrounds, coming together to develop theories and possibilities about current TV shows, books and films, or expand and continue the stories of works that are no longer in production.
Social media Viewers no longer blindly consume content distributed by large media corporations. Today, many consumers are "prosumers" who produce their own content. Social media platforms make it easier to reach global audiences.
Social media and politics Social media has become a huge factor in politics and civics in elections, fundraising, spreading information, getting support for legislation and petitions, and other political activities. A study that showed the connection between Facebook messages among friends and how these messages have influenced political expression, voting, and information seeking in the 2012 United States presidential election. Social media mobilizes people easily and effectively, and does the same for the circulation of information. The impact that social media can have on elections was shown in the 2016 United States presidential election; hundreds of fake news stories about candidates were shared on Facebook tens of millions of times. Some people get deceived by fake news and vote based on false information.
Web 2.0
With hardware, users can upload content to the internet to be reached by a wide audience. Websites like Flickr, Wikipedia, and Facebook create online communities for content creation. As the mindsets and skillsets of participatory practices have been taken up, people are becoming more likely to exploit new tools and technology in new ways. One example is the use of cellphone technology to engage "smart mobs" for political change worldwide. In countries where cellphone usage exceeds use of any other form of digital technology, passing information via mobile phone has helped bring about significant political and social change. Notable examples include the so-called "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine, the overthrow of Philippine President Joseph Estrada, and regular political protests worldwide.
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