Prosumers enhance the market that interests them through their own production.
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) does not include the term prosumer in its dictionary. The concept, however, is frequently used in the field of economics .
Consumer involved in production
The notion is usually attributed to the American writer Alvin Toffler . This futurist combined the ideas of producer and consumer to give rise to prosumer : a consumer who is involved in the production of the services and goods that he or she acquires, consumes or uses .
It is important to keep in mind that the word prosumer can be used in different ways. This is because it is used in dissimilar contexts, from technology to agriculture through multiple industrial sectors.
At a general level, it can be stated that the prosumer is an individual who, thanks to his or her knowledge and critical capacity, influences the market and drives innovation . This double condition may or may not be for profit.
A subject who exchanges information through the Web and who acquires knowledge to generate his or her own products is considered a prosumer. In this case, the person actively intervenes in production to make use of what he or she created, without participating in a commercial activity.
Examples of prosumer
He who grows tomatoes, consuming a percentage of his production and marketing the rest, is also a prosumer. Even this producer can exchange tomatoes for other foods (such as onions or wheat), developing barter .
For the energy industry, a prosumer is someone who consumes electricity from a grid and, in turn, generates energy by taking advantage of renewable sources . Since the energy it produces is injected into the network in question, the prosumer manages to save money.
Internet users who test products and services with a certain degree of technical knowledge and then write a review that they share through their social networks also fall into the group of prosumers. The reason is that thanks to their work, the quality of the market is enhanced and, in the best of cases, companies benefit from a more direct form of advertising. According to some statistics, more than 90 percent of consumers resort to these analyzes before deciding to make a purchase.
Criticism and analysis
Given the characteristics exposed so far, we understand that the prosumer has a very particular profile. This is not a simple consumer, but must have a critical outlook, a well-defined perspective that allows them to analyze the products and services that interest them from a technical point of view.
Far from being a user who simply shares with his contacts "if he liked something" or "if a company treated him badly", the prosumer sees beyond the specific situation, can detect the cause of the successes and failures of an organization and Share your study with others. Therefore, their work is constructive.
The theoretical basis of the prosumer is solid and provides him with reliable criteria.
Furthermore, the prosumer does not look at trends before sharing their point of view, since they rely on solid knowledge , built through their own experience. His arguments have depth, and he defends them without problem.
Regarding their personality, the true prosumer usually pursues excellence in almost all aspects of their life. He begins by demanding this degree of correctness of himself and, when he goes out into the outside world, he does not expect anything else from others. By excellence we understand the ability to solve problems, to work on the small details to offer the best possible result. In fact, it is not uncommon for you to spontaneously collaborate with companies whose products or services do not satisfy you, offering them possible ways to improve.