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prosumer

noun, adj — 4 senses

prosumer

noun

UK /pɹəʊˈsjuːmə/

Etymology 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.

1

A person in postindustrial society who combines the economic roles of producer and consumer.

  • 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."[1980, Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave:
Related terms
prosumerism

prosumer

adj

Etymology Blend of professional + consumer.

1

Business, Marketing Of a consumer product Targeting serious, enthusiastic consumers, incorporating professional features but often modified for non-professional use.

2

Business, Marketing Of a consumer product High-end.

prosumer

noun

Etymology Blend of professional + consumer.

1

A serious, enthusiastic consumer: not professional (earning money), but of similar interest and skills to a (generally lower-level) professional, or aspiring to that.

Synonyms
amateur, enthusiast, hobbyist, semiprofessional

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.