Bruns (2008, 201) asks the question, how can the holders of expertise be distinguished from ordinary folks engaging in the produsage project? Now, with so many produsage based sites, it is almost impossible to draw a distinction between professionals and amateurs and vice versa. By gathering a following, many amateur bloggers have used produsage platforms to create careers of their own and in contrast, many professionals have turned to produsage to further annunciate theirs. Through peer evaluation and generating a fan base, many bloggers have become professionals in their own right. This is a current trend in the fashion industry, with fashion blogs such as Fashion Toast and Satorialist illustrating the Pro/Am divide.
According to Bruns (2008, 216), through produsage it is apparent that the lines between professionals, enthusiasts and experts are nowhere near as defined as before. Accordingly, Pro Ams (professional amateurs) and committed produsers have blurred these lines considerably. Fashion Toast replicates this notion, as the creator Rumi (whose official title is described as blogger, fashionista and model) with the aid of her boyfriend (her photographer) has taken photos of her wardrobe collection. The photos are published on the site with descriptions about the clothing labels and how the clothes make her feel. What defines this Pro/Am blog, is how Rumi, an amateur publisher, has become a professional in her own right. Her reputation has been attributed to her trendy wardrobe collection, personal style and photography. This reflects the nature of produsage, as this blog is not located in any particular community (e.g. a particular designer), but rather in Rumi who is not associated with any official community (Bruns 2008, 211).
It must be noted, that although representing the Pro/Am, this site could not operate without the traditional expert support. Due to the success of fashion toast, professionals now send her pieces of clothing to model. An example of this is her recent trip to Paris, courtesy of designer of Ungaro Esteban Cortazar, to see his show in the Louvre. The designer then followed up with a package of his favourite pieces for her to photograph. Although this is an advertising platform for designers, traditional experts do have a role to play in complementing amateurs (Bruns 2008, 216). Furthermore, fashion toast relies on publicity via traditional media, such as Rumi’s recent fashion spread in the June issue of Metal Magazine.
While Fashion Toast, represents how an amateur can harness produsage technology to create a professional expertise, by contrast the Satorialist (fashion blog) demonstrates application of produsage to an established professional. Here, the creator saw a need for a blog that translated street level culture to designers, after working 15 years in the fashion industry. This blog’s purpose is to foreground international trends, (mainly New York, Paris, Milan and Sydney) by taking photos of fashionable people. This blog’s popularity is defined by Time Magazine, which voted it one of the top 100 designer influences. Accordingly, this blog through the creators individual merit and reputation, has given rise to greater recognition amongst their peers and therefore to emerge above the waterline into the traditional expert model (Bruns 2008, 216).
I recieved great enjoyment out of this particular post, Hannah. The application of the fashion industry to blogging and its fashionista victims (produsers) gives great perspective to the subject, assisting in building a clear understanding of the AM/PRO divide that so many people are unaware of. Toffler (cited in Bruns 2008, 397) argues “the application of the imagination to the future…requires an environment in which it is safe to err, in which novel juxtapositions of ideas can be freely expressed before being critically sifted. We need sanctuaries for social imagination”. Your examples of ‘Fashion Toast’ and ‘Satorialist’ perfectly demonstrate the innovative nature of their creators, and evidence the positive effects of allowing creative ideas some room in the cyber sphere to settle and be adopted/followed by fellow produsers. After all, notions of collaborative intelligence and user participation embody freedom of expression and creation of novel ideas. With particular regard to ‘Fashion Toast’; what a great site to review and give a short bio on – now us girls have a better excuse for longer periods of web browsing!
Your concepts mirror many discussed in mine this week and are intrinsically linked to your previous discussions featured on this page that discuss other new media concepts, giving them a sharp new edge and providing a more comprehensive view for the reader. I will be sure to keep updated with your dynamic perspectives on wide-ranging new media issues.