정보화는 소비자에게 많은 변모를 가져왔다. 특히 ‘프로슈머’라는 용어는 변화된 소비자의 모습을 설명해 주는 핵심어로 학계 뿐 아니라 실무자들 사이에서 빈번하게 사용되어지고 있다. 또한 프로슈머는 소비자주권 및 소비자임파워먼트(consumer empowerment)와 매우 밀접한 관련을 갖고 있어 소비자학적으로 매우 의미 있는 개념이라 할 수 있다. 하지만, 프로슈머는 그 중요성에도 불구하고 개념 및 범위에 관한 정확한 규정 없이 무분별하게 사용되어지고 있다. 이에 본 논문에서는 현대 소비사회에서의 새로운 소비생활 및 소비현상을 프로슈머를 통해 이해하고자 하였으며, 이를 위해 프로슈머의 개념화와 프로슈머 성향을 측정할 수 있는 척도를 개발하였다.
먼저 디지털 사회에서의 프로슈머는 어떻게 개념화 될 수 있는지 알아보기 위해 소비자학, 경영학, 기업, 소비자 관련 기관, 언론계의 전문가를 대상으로 2차에 걸친 델파이 조사를 실시하였다. 델파이 조사를 통한 프로슈머의 개념화 작업을 거친 후 프로슈머 성향을 측정할 수 있는 척도를 개발하였다. 프로슈머 성향 측정 항목은 델파이 조사에서 프로슈머 활동에 대해 전문가들이 합의를 이룬 활동을 기준으로 구성하였다. 그리고 측정 항목에 대한 신뢰도와 타당도 검증은 두 차례에 걸쳐 온라인 소비자조사를 통해 실시하였으며, 최종적으로 프로슈머 성향을 측정할 수
있는 총 20개의 문항이 개발되었다. 프로슈머 성향을 분석한 결과 프로슈머 성향은 참여적 프로슈머 성향, 관계적 프로슈머 성향, 유희적 프로슈머 성향과 창조적 프로슈머 성향으로 구성되고 있었다.
Alvin Toffler, the distinguished futurologist, claimed that advancements in information and communication technology would break the barrier between producers and consumers and thereby enhance the role of consumers. In actuality, informatization has been effecting several changes to add value to consumers. The term “prosumer” is now a common buzzword in business
and academic circles to denote the evolution of the concept of consumer. The concept of prosumer is very meaningful in consumer studies since it is closely related to consumer sovereignty and consumer empowerment. However, despite its prevalence and relevance, the concept of prosumer has not been defined accurately as yet. In an attempt to understand the new role
of consumer and the phenomenon of consumption in modern society, this study conceptualized prosumers and developed methods to measure and evaluate the propensity for prosumption in Korea.
First, we proposed to conceptualize prosumers in digital society, and conducted a Delphi survey with experts on consumer studies and business administration, and from enterprises, consumer-related organizations, and the press. On analysis of the first and second Delphi surveys with the expert group regarding the definitions, properties and activities of prosumers, we could first understand prosumers through consumer participation in various forms. Secondly, the development of digital technology enabled collaborations such as sharing and interaction among all members of the market, and we realized that the true value of prosumers lay in the balance of power between producers and consumers when they collaborate in the hope of a win-win relationship. Thirdly, we found that prosumer is an extended concept of consumer that encompasses all of the existing types of consumers but is different from the traditional concept of consumer with its consumer-centeredness in terms of consumer sovereignty and consumer profit creation. Lastly, we understood that prosumers are creative consumers, who are proactive and willingly participate in the production process.
After the conceptualization of prosumers, we developed a tool to measure the propensity for prosumption among Korean consumers and also determine the characteristics of consumers that affect this propensity for prosumption. We chose these scales for measurement on the basis of prosumption activities that experts agreed upon in the Delphi surveys. We conducted a test, a retest, and an item-to-total correlation analysis of these scales of measurement.
Next, we conducted two online surveys to verify and re-verify the validity of the scales of measurement. The first online consumer survey was performed on 300 consumers aged above 17 years. We first performed an exploratory factor analysis using the statistics program SPSS 12.0, and then a confirmatory factor analysis using the statistics program AMOS 7.0.
In order to retest the measurement tool thus developed, we conducted a second online survey on 1,000 Korean consumers. In order to re-verify the reliability and validity of the measurement tool, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis again to check there liability coefficient. Finally, we framed 20 questions to measure the propensity
for prosumption. The each 20 questions are like below.
① I keep an eye on the corporations to do social responsibility. ② I advise against corporations for their productions and distributions. ③ I participate a public hearing or events for products. ④ I actively participate consumer experience group(product tester).
⑤ I participate naming events for a new products. ⑥ I participate a beta-test of a new products with professional knowledge. ⑦ I complain about the services and products to improve. ⑧ I order personalized products on the web-sites. ⑨ I participate recalls or class actions to uproot the products and services. ⑩ I write my products experience on the internet to share my information with other people. ⑪ I make club or society to exchange products information. ⑫ I participate favorite brands or products communities. ⑬ I put D.I.Y information on the websites for other consumers to help. ⑭ I post pictures and video clips on the internet for fun.] ⑮ I make UGC for sharing information with other users. ⑯ I always bring digital cameras to take interesting pictures and show them in websites. ⑰ I use the products with
other purposes . ⑱ I always think and curious about the products for new way of usage. ⑲ I try to make or create products and goods by my self than buying manufactured. ⑳ I recreate or redesign the products to satisfy my taste and for distinction. An analysis of the factors that decide propensity for prosumption revealed the four driving factors of the propensity for prosumption: first, the propensity to participate by which consumers voluntarily participate in the activities of companies to realize consumer sovereignty; second, the propensity to relate by which consumers try to directly and indirectly influence the market through active feedback and interactions among consumers; third, the propensity to amuse by which consumers try to maximize satisfaction by creating, sharing and enjoying information, knowledge, and amusements through such media as user-created contents (UCC); fourth and last, the propensity to create by which consumers have evolved from passive consumption of products produced by manufacturers to creation of products of great value.
The significance of this study is that it analyzed the various aspects of modern consumers in depth through the concept of prosumer at a time when the market environment is undergoing several changes with the development of digital technology. In particular, many discussions in this study were meaningful from the perspectives of consumer studies and business
administration in that this study explored different routes toward a win-win relationship between consumers and companies moved beyond the perspective of consumer protectionism, through a study of the process of co-development between companies and consumers and between consumers and consumers. Another significant aspect of this study is that at a time when
studies on prosumers are inactive domestically as well as internationally, this study presents a new methodology for consumer studies by exploring the different ways in which consumers consume and create and build value, rather than resort to the old paradigm of consumer studies, which largely focus on the ways in which consumers buying behavior and what they purchase.
