De consumidores a criadores

«Most of those in our respondent pool said that in their early days on the internet they acted largely as individuals and consumers. That is, they used search engines; got news; played games; conducted research; downloaded software and emailed friends, family and colleagues. Many of these activities consisted of serial connections -- people querying systems, communicating privately with other individuals or with highly-defined communities. It would take a couple of years (and the addition of new tools) before people in this group engaged in creative and community processes. Once they had easier-to-use online tools, faster connections, and more familiarity with the online environment, they say they began to create and share photos, pieces of writing, videos and audio files. They also began rating products and tagging content. (...) The responses of these early internet adopters suggest they saw themselves more as co-creators of the online environment than, say, car owners felt about the auto environment. There is a relationship between the internet and its user base that didn't exist with the previously mentioned technologies. Clearly, the technology itself exerted influence on users: they wrote email the way the technology allowed them to and they browsed web pages in the format that the technology afforded. (...) These early adopters are quite proud of these contributions. They see themselves as doing more than manipulating the exterior of the internet. (...) What feels old and "traditional" about the internet to our respondents is that it's a voluntary social sphere where people can give and can take. What's new about the internet to these enthusiastic users is the rate at which it is influenced by people who use it for new kinds of social purposes. People aren't waiting to figure out its proper use, or for clear "rules of the road" to be articulated, they're simply taking it for a spin.»

fonte: A Portrait of Early Internet Adopters: Why People First Went Online --and Why They Stayed by Amy Tracy Wells, Research Fellow, Pew Internet & American Life Project February 20, 2008