Digital Prosumerism is a term to describe the way we interact with technology and online media. It refers to the way we both produce and consume data on the internet.
Prosumption = Production + Consumption
People use the internet to various degrees, but most people aren’t able to use it optimally to improve their quality of life. Users are either uninformed or caught in an information overload. On one hand, some users underestimate the weight of digital actions and become increasingly dependent on the internet for daily activities. On the other hand, some users simply don’t understand the internet and the way it could be used positively.
On a macro level, we looked at the effect of the internet on society, economy and human psychology. On a micro level, we looked at the problems of regular users of the internet. By simplifying internet usage into production and consumption activities, we were able to compare a variety of users on common ground and understand how social media platforms aid or prevent digital prosumption.
We have explained the system via unique, simplified parameters of production and consumption, making it easily digestible. The central objective is to connect our studies from the macro and micro perspectives and design and suggest interventions. These interventions have been categorized two ways: in phases of awareness and action, and based on the stakeholders i.e. users and social media platforms.
The aim is to design a better internet experience that considers more than just economic value. We intend to facilitate this change by empowering various types of users. Low or non-users of the internet need to be aided in learning about it and utilising its best features. Moderate or high users need to regain ownership of the internet instead of being owned by it.
As regular users of the internet before the project started, we realised that we consider the internet as a commodity and human right, similar to electricity and water. However, so many people around us have completely different perceptions about it. This contrast is intriguing and is unique to the Indian context. We wanted to understand these perceptions around us, and through them, the larger effects of the internet on the world.
The interactive graph below shows our primary research.
