Consumerism is Dead. Is Producerism the Behavior of 2015?

I have always loved five things the most in my life. My family, soccer(futbol!), reading, learning and broadcasting on the radio.

From 1990 until 1996 I produced a radio show on 91.3 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. WLVR were the call letters on the FM dial and I hosted a weekly show called "Furthur." I loved the show and every week for four hours I played some of the top on the edge tunes from around the globe for an audience that could hear the signal (which was very small, maybe around 800 people tuned in).

This was during an era where the producer tools were in the hands of big companies who could afford the technology. The cost was ten of millions of dollars for entry. Fast forward to 2006 while working for a startup in New York City I discovered a company out of San Francisco called Podsafe Music Network. It was a podcast hosting and discovery network prior to the mainstreaming of podcasts on iTunes. They hosted and promoted hundreds of podcasts that replicated radio shows like the one I had produced in the 90s during my non-commercial radio tenure. However the tools to produce a podcast were still not simple and had a high cost barrier to entry. I loved listening to some of those early podcasts but didn't have all the technology required to get back into the broadcast booth to produce my own. Fast forward to 2012 and a startup called Spreaker emerged allowing anyone to use their tools to create and distribute podcasts. The barrier to entry was practically a few hundred dollars and whatever I could make up in my creative mind.

As a result of this new level playing field I did what all people who love broadcasting would do. I started recording a podcast called Disruptive FM. I tried to do it every week but sometimes I would miss a week here or there. I eventually then moved into recording myself on video and would edit both for distribution across social networks. Spreaker gave me the creation tools, social networks gave me the distribution, my creativity gave me the ideas for programming and content. Instead of reaching 800, I could reach 8 million or more. The world was my audience. I also learned something from those early days of experimental production on radio. Like all good startup thinking goes, I ripped the template of my old analog radio show to apply to the digital transformative world of now. Instead of cutting edge music, I started focusing on the cutting edge businesses of the startup economy. Instead of a Top 5 tunes of the week, I talked about the Top 5 startups of the week to watch. Instead of giving out a number to reach me on, I told people to connect with me on Twitter. Business shows that exist on CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business are still produced with an older demo of Wall Street investors in mind. It's doubtful those in Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley who are in their 20s have any interest in said content offerings. However, like all disruptive ideology, there is a whole area of commerce to be discussed and covered beyond what appeals to that demographic. This was my niche and my long tail. Because the cost of production was low, it was worth the risk of producing the content I enjoyed that others may enjoy as well.

In the past if I didn't have access to media creation tools, I couldn't take action. I couldn't produce anything. I simply had to consume what outlets wanted to push on me. That all has changed. In 2015 it will tip even further (no pun intended). We no longer are simply consumers. We are also the producers. The best term to help describe this human behavior? Producerism. Producerism is the ability of anyone to create anything as long as they have the creativity and willingness to do so. Productivity technology exists in so many shapes and sizes now that it's up to the individual to take action. It also represents a pitfall for brands and mega corporations. Self-made content and controlling the market isn't the theme anymore. The ability for people to create on your behalf is the new behavior to tap into. Marketing now opens up to the masses rather than the boardroom where employees ran all the messaging and produced all the content and products.

Some examples of what we will see more of in 2015 include: 1. Companies that crop up in a matter of days, not months, due to the power of cloud computing 2. Short form videos and commercials produced by people, not professionals or agencies 3. Fashion design that is replicated via 3D printing 4. New food sourcing opportunities that tap into natural ingredients and not chemicals 5. Broadcasts created and distributed by anyone who has something creative to say or showcase 6. Self-published books that incorporate embedded Vines and Instagrams 7. The first mobile social network that goes beyond "sharing" and gives one the tools for actually "creating."

Instagram, one of the fastest growing social networks is more than a distribution platform but also about creation. From this platform sprung the popularization of the "Selfie" behavior. Although weird sounding, the term ultimately became the word of the year in 2013. In 2016 will we be looking back at 2015 and saying the same thing about "Producerism?"

Geoffrey Colon is a Group Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft. Follow his left-of-center business thinking on Twitter or listen to his weekly podcast DISRUPTIVE FM on the Spreaker app where he talks business in the era of the startup economy, digital trends, social media technology, disruptive innovation, digital transformation. Broadcasting from Seattle on the world wide mobile web.