Round one: Producer VS Consumer.

Before technological changes and advancements within society occurred, relationships between producers of media and their audiences were very different. The shift from the stereotypical couch potato, the audience now plays a role in determining what, when and how he consumes media. The audiences now have the option to play the role of the producer, consumer, distributor, media fan and critic. (Jenkins, 2002) Audiences play an involved, critically aware and discerning position in their relationship with the media. The rise of the participatory culture has presented a more level playing field between the media’s producer and the audience giving them more freedom and influence in the constructs of social and cultural ideologies present within media. Even with this newfound power of consumers the question still lies; do producers still have the upper hand in dictating the media?

New media technologies have had profound changes on the relationship between consumers and media producers. Adoption of these technologies means that “audiences are gaining greater power and autonomy as they enter into the new knowledge culture.” (Jenkins, 2002; p187) The interaction of new media and knowledge provides audiences with the tools and technology to store, alter, redistribute and interpret the media which surrounds them. The gap between consumers and producers has most definitely diminished over the years but is uncertain to what extent of power the producers really have over consumers.

Producers are using the new participatory culture in a way to essentially cater to their needs. “Producers are incorporating ideas, including social and cultural influences of viewers into their design process.” (Jenkins, 2002) An example can be taken from the producers of Xena: Warrior Princess, and their convergence with consumers.
“Producers … were fully aware that some fans wanted to read Xena and Gabrielle as lesbian lovers.” With the knowledge in mind thanks to the participatory culture producers began “to consciously weave ‘subtext’ into the episodes.” This example shows the impact consumers had on influencing the cultural and social connotations of the text; producing content which goes against traditional societal norms. If technological changes were not prominent producers may not be aware of what their consumers want and often wouldn’t dare challenge cultural and societal norms without the backup by their consumers for fear of possible backlash. This participation by the audience within the text depicts a change in the relationships of producers and consumers and the example above highlights the influence in cultural power that consumers now have.

The rise of new technologies has, without a doubt broken down traditional barriers between media consumption and media production.
There is no question that a changing relationship between consumers and producers, due to technological advancements, is taking place. However the extent to which the cultural and social power consumers have is questionable. It is clear that consumers to some extent have impacted the social and cultural norms within the media they consume. In the end the producer has the upper hand, ultimately implementing changes which will most viably serve them. The advances in technology have provided consumers with greater power, working towards creating a more level playing field between consumers and producers in the actual content they produce.

References:
Jenkins, H. 2002. Interactive Audiences. In The New Media Book, ed. D. Harries, 157-170. London: BFI Publishing.