Blend
of
producer
+
consumer
,
coined
by futurologist
Alvin Toffler
in his book
The Third Wave
(1980). Concept based on suggestion by
Marshall McLuhan
and Barrington Nevitt in their 1972 book
Take Today
(p. 4) that consumers would take on producer roles in
mass customization
.
prosumer
(
plural
prosumers
)
- A person in
postindustrial
society who combines the
economic
roles of
producer
and
consumer
.
[
1980
, Alvin Toffler,
The Third Wave
:
During the First Wave most people consumed what they themselves produced. They were neither producers nor consumers in the usual sense. They were instead what might be called "
prosumers
."
]
person in postindustrial society
Blend
of
professional
+
consumer
.
prosumer
(
not
comparable
)
- (
marketing
,
of a consumer product
)
Targeted at serious,
enthusiastic
consumers
, incorporating
professional
features
but often modified for non-professional use.
- (
marketing
,
of a consumer product
)
High-end
.
The line between consumer and professional equipment, and hence
prosumer
, is fuzzy, as consumers can purchase and use professional equipment, while professionals may use equipment targeted at consumers; conversely, a professional
person
is unambiguously one who is paid for their work.
Any product may be marketed as
prosumer
(compare
gourmet
), but generally professional equipment differs in being high-volume, while consumer equipment is more designed for ease of use. For example a professional espresso machine is designed for commercial use, for repeatedly and rapidly making drinks throughout a day, while a prosumer machine is designed for home use, especially making a single or a few drinks without extensive preparation (“walk-up use”).
The use of the term varies significantly between products ? it is frequently used to describe still cameras, but virtually never used to describe sports cars.
prosumer
(
plural
prosumers
)
- A serious, enthusiastic consumer: not professional (earning money), but of similar interest and skills to a (generally lower level) professional, or aspiring to such. The target market of
prosumer
equipment.