The Coming of Age of the Prosumer

Abstract

This essay provides an introduction to prosumption, the topic of this special double issue of American Behavioral Scientist. The term prosumption was coined by Alvin Toffler in 1980 and refers to a combination of production and consumption. In this introduction, the authors first argue that prosumption is not new but is actually primordial. Many scholars have dealt with the issue, at least implicitly, but only recently have they begun to deal with it explicitly as prosumption. Prosumption has always existed, but various social changes (e.g., the rise of the Internet and of social networking on it) have greatly expanded both the practice of prosumption and scholarly attention to it. Prosumption has its most obvious and direct relevance to the economy. As a result, the authors also frame it in terms of contemporary capitalism. Finally, they offer a brief overview of the articles in the double issue, included under the headings Theoretical Contributions to the Concept of Prosumption, The Role of Prosumption in Politics, and Meaning Making Within Prosumption.