If network production undercuts professionals in favor of the masses of producers and consumers, one expects not only individual photographers would be harmed economically from a crowdsourcing initiative like iStockphoto but other actors would be harmed as well, such as big commercial agencies of stock photography. The reality, however, proves otherwise. These companies have been adapting to the new realities of network production by various measures. For example, Getty Images, the largest stock photography agency in the world, overcame the threat of economic damage by purchasing iStockphoto for \$50 million in February 2006. Getty’s CEO explains the move: “If someone’s going to cannibalize your business, better it be one of your businesses” (Howe 2006).
Indeed, large companies, staples of the old capitalism, have been adapting to the new realities of network production by incorporating the new spirit of networks into their operating scheme. This, in turn, radically transforms the nature of production and indeed social relations as a whole. Another case study in the article focuses on the VH1 television channel hit show Web Junk 20, a compilation of videos shot by amateurs and posted on the Web. According to the article, this is not a solitary example; both network and cable television channels increasingly rely on crowdsourcing as a new mode of producing content on television. These channels include Bravo, USA Network, E!, and NBC. For example, more than 30 percent of Current TV’s programming consists of materials submitted by viewers (Howe 2006).
Here, a somewhat different facet of prosumption is revealed, as the practice is presented from the point of view of large media corporations, who are able to take advantage of the crowd. As the article points out, as prices for the professional video clips that VH1 had been using rose, Michael Hirschorn, an executive with the channel, realized he could use “the growth of video on the Internet . . . and build a show around it.” In a similar move to that made by Getty Images, Viacom—VH1’s parent company—bought iFilm.com, a Web archive of video clips and VH1’s main source for videos, for \$49 million.
The new productive model offers obvious financial gains: “The model’s most winning quality, as Hirschorn readily admits, is that it’s ‘incredibly cheap’—cheaper than almost anything else on television . . . Hirschorn thinks the crowd will be crucial component of TV 2.0. ‘I can imagine a time when all of our shows will have a user-generated component’” (Howe 2006).
Network Production
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