Postmodern Theory and Internet George Ritzer

rather than being tools of ‘the machine’, their exceptional capabilities might 

enable them to use ICTs as tools to redress alienation.

19

But again, we should be cautious. The ongoing predominance of exchange 

relations (involving the commodification of both use values and human labour) 

‘depends on actors repressing consciousness of the socialness of their act’ 

(Morris, 2001: 88. Emphasis in original). The universal institutionalization of 

commodified relations (i.e. the commodity form) itself mediates a repressed 

existence; one in which the mind sees socially constructed relations as 

‘voluntary’ and ‘empowering’ (which at a lived, concrete level, they are) yet,  

in some fundamental respects, they are not.

Let me develop this point by elaborating what, precisely, the prosumer is 

producing. One way to do this is to assess the prosumer’s role in co-creating 

either use or exchange values—asking if her labour serves the dead world of 

things (exchange values) or the living world of human needs (use values)?

While all commodities entail both exchange and use values, under capitalism 

exchange values dominate. For prosumption to constitute a truly new direction 

in socio-economic relations—to, in effect, prioritize use values—prosumers will 

need to work primarily for their individual and collective needs directly rather 

than for exchange. Whether or not what is prosumed benefits the individual 

or the group, if the purpose and result of prosumer labour is the advancement 

of exchange values, status quo relations are likely to remain unchanged. To 

put it more simply, beyond the prosumer’s economic exploitation vis-à-vis the 

production process, if prosumption is a tool to make money existing relations 

dominated by capital will be perpetuated. On the other hand, if the prosumer 

creates non-commodified products and services—things crafted primarily 

for their material, psychological or social usefulness—those who argue that 

prosumption is a potentially progressive development have an intriguing point.

The difficulty of achieving such potentials can be appreciated once we 

comprehend how extraordinarily hard it is for alienated individuals to recognize 

their state of alienation before pursuing activities and relations that enable them 

to recognize their state of alienation! This structural tendency for alienation 

to be self-perpetuating goes some way in helping us explain its historical 

longevity. Furthermore, if we accept Marx’s observations about capital’s role 

in forging an ersatz humanity among the bourgeoisie, still more clarity emerges 

when we recognize that most workers in ‘developed’ political economies 

now surround themselves with mediating technologies—TVs, computers, 

cellphones, automobiles, etc.—that are routinely fetishized as being ‘freeing’ 

Digital prosumption and alienation ………………………………………………………… Edward Comor

http://openfile.org.uk/archive/gil-leung-things-are-circulating/

13/18 

---

and ‘empowering’. Arguably, such fetishes further obfuscate the individual’s 

recognition of his alienated condition.

20

According to Zygmunt Bauman, in our increasingly digital technology-mediated 

culture, where the alienated are seemingly empowered through their use of 

ICTs, unprecedented opportunities emerge for people to seek their sense 

of self-worth by marketing themselves to others as if they are genuinely 

autonomous, valued members of their communities. In other words, the online 

prosumer may be motivated to take part as a way of promoting and selling 

himself to others as yet another commodity (Bauman, 2007). The prosumer, 

in this sense, may be motivated to re-capture his humanity by being included 

in a cultural tapestry of exchangeable commodities, even if this only involves 

posting a blog, attracting Facebook ‘friends,’ or being credited with a LEGO 

design.

Directly or indirectly, most contemporary expressions of individualism and 

one’s pursuit of social connection are taking place in ways that elaborate 

exchange value interests or capital’s general reproduction. The individual 

therefore can be understood to be prosuming in response to his alienation 

while, in so doing, deepening this very condition.

21

Before concluding, it is revealing to note the nature of the ‘communities’ 

that most prosumers are participating in. According to Jose van Dijck, these 

overwhelmingly focus on celebrity culture, heavily marketed brands and other 

relatively apolitical or commodified activities (van Dijck, 2009: 45). Following 

her definition of a community as a group of people involved in a common 

cause or interest, surely the predominance of Internet pornography sites 

constitutes another pervasive hub in which tens of millions share a common 

interest. As George Ritzer (2007) points out, perhaps the largest segment 

of online porn is being created by ‘amateurs’ who produce, disseminate and 

consume much of their own video and photographs. What these and other 

such communities tell us about the priorities of the heralded prosumer is 

an area of research that has been (predictably) neglected by the concept’s 

enthusiasts.

Conclusions

Beyond product- and process-alienation, for Marx, the denial of humanity’s 

essence is linked primarily to our roles as tools of capital. It is in this context 

that I have assessed digital forms of prosumption as perpetuating this position 

or, prospectively, facilitating our liberation from it.

Digital prosumption and alienation ………………………………………………………… Edward Comor

http://openfile.org.uk/archive/gil-leung-things-are-circulating/

14/18 

---