MAKING THINGS: CREATION – INVENTION- DIY
‘New model of media production is recursive and ongoing, and it involves the media to consume in production at various stages.’ S. Humphreys, 2005.
Nowandnext.com and Future Exploration Network have once again collaborated to create a trend map for 2008 and beyond based on Shanghais’ underground routes. I've chosen to develop an interesting trend which is Making Things. Making things is all about creating something, as a result of your hands or mind in order to save money, to make money or just to have fun.
The rationale behind Making Things is to embody the spirit of DIY Culture - an attitude of independence and self-reliance. According to Wikipedia, DIY means “Do it yourself or DIY refers to the practice of fabricating or repairing things on one's own rather than purchasing them or paying for professional repair.
Making things requires creativity and innovation. And by using this self-expression concept, business ideas can be generated through providing a platform for the creators to express themselves or present their works, such as Blogs do.
People want to prove to themselves that they are capable of making something, and if they think they are talented, they are willing to show it to the entire world! Internet has allowed people to express themselves and consequently created this tendency. You just have to publish a page and the world can see you, it’s that simple. So why wouldn’t I allow myself to create something and make it know?
Making things- Being Part of the Creation Process
Increasingly, consumers want to participate instead of following. They want to be a part of the creation chain. They are switching place with creators, designers, publicists, painters, photographers and so on.
Several business models have risen from the concept of DIY: Do It Yourself! One’s can be a photographer and publish pictures on Flickr, be a creator and design shoes on Eshoe, manage a store on Magento, putt in location objects on Zilok. And all this apart of work and private life!
Making things requires creativity and innovation. And by using this self-expression concept, business ideas can be generated through providing a platform for the creators to express themselves or present their works, such as Blogs do.
People want to prove to themselves that they are capable of making something, and if they think they are talented, they are willing to show it to the entire world! Internet has allowed people to express themselves and consequently created this tendency. You just have to publish a page and the world can see you, it’s that simple. So why wouldn’t I allow myself to create something and make it know?
Making things- Being Part of the Creation Process
Increasingly, consumers want to participate instead of following. They want to be a part of the creation chain. They are switching place with creators, designers, publicists, painters, photographers and so on.
Several business models have risen from the concept of DIY: Do It Yourself! One’s can be a photographer and publish pictures on Flickr, be a creator and design shoes on Eshoe, manage a store on Magento, putt in location objects on Zilok. And all this apart of work and private life!
Internet users are taking part of the creation process once reserved to professionals. They choose the colour, model, fibber of their object and can even be rewarded for having the best design.
Customize your Nike (NikeID), Converse (Converse One) or woman shoes (Eshoe).
Design your dress on Catwalkqueen.
Design your dress on Catwalkqueen.
It is even possible to design your Kleenex.
Personnalizing all kind of objects with your own picture is easy and fast.
Making things- Becoming an Entrepreneur
However, participating to the creation process isn’t enough; users sometimes want to take the place of the Creator. An army of consumers are turning entrepreneurs. Why? Internet gave them the possibility to do whatever they want. Having more insurance, the new generation (also called Generation C) has wings and feels capable to accomplish their dreams.
Personnalizing all kind of objects with your own picture is easy and fast.
Making things- Becoming an Entrepreneur
However, participating to the creation process isn’t enough; users sometimes want to take the place of the Creator. An army of consumers are turning entrepreneurs. Why? Internet gave them the possibility to do whatever they want. Having more insurance, the new generation (also called Generation C) has wings and feels capable to accomplish their dreams.
What Internet allows users:
- Make their TV Channel (Createtv; Vpodtv ).
- Create their website ( Blue Voda).
- How many websites promises mountains? They all have the best strategy, the best tools, best advices. The buzz is to become an entrepreneur. Take a look at Buzz Booster; Lifestyle Entrepreneur or InternetMillionaireStrategy and you'll understand what I'm talking about.
- Opening a merchant shop is possible: (Zlio; Magento; Createyourshop).
The Network offered by Internet allows Entrepreneurs to sell their talents or hire easily others: GetAFreelancer; Contracted Work; LinkedIn; VisiblePath are some of the websites creating contacts.
Making things- Innovating
This trend is also about how to combine technology to the ability of making things. Generation C, having fun in creating and customizing anything they want, are stepping the next frontier: digitally designing products, then having them turned into real physical goods as well. Who never fantasized in becoming the future creator? Today, with digital tools, you can make things and sell them to the world!
- Ponoko is the world’s first personal manufacturing platform. It allows to convert an idea into a material object and to sell it. It’s that easy! The purpose is bring the manufacturing to the mass. Anyone can become a creator into 5 steps: 1.Imagining; 2.Designing; 3.Making; 4.Redifining; 5.Selling.
- Swedish design group FRONT has launched Sketch Furniture, which is a method to materialize freehand sketches. Pen strokes made in the air are recorded with Motion Capture, and the resulting 3-D patterns are output digitally to a laser sintering machine. Over several days, the machine produces the object by shaping and hardening 0.1-mm layers of liquid plastic. Sketch Furniture is on view and on sale (about USD 10,500 per piece) at the Barry Friedman Gallery in New York.
- 3D Printer: An incredible invention is already on sale at 4995$ on Desktop Factory, while the company says the price will increase to 1000$ in four years. Is it the future of our dektops? Well, according to The New York Times, some 200 customers have already ordered the printer. 3D printer turns digital data from computer-aided design (CAD) programs, 3D graphics and animation software, and scanners into sturdy physical models. It reflects the demand of materializing objects. A return to “real” objects that you can feel is occuring. Making objects and having them at home quickly will somehow be possible! For now, however, the machine seems to have some limited applications, but think of the first camera or first television and you’ll realize that the future is here.
Making things- With hands!
As life becomes more virtual, people are looking back to the old ways of doing things, with the hands: painting, pottering, gardening, creating objects is still a hobby! At least, they are able to touch the things, which they can’t in the virtual life.
Cooking has never been so trendy: Group cooking sessions, cooking coachs, and speed dating meetings around cooking are in vogue. Community groups on the Web as blogs share their interests. It is a way of meeting other people with the same hobby and hanging out.
How it will influence E-Business Models
The trend of ‘making things’ has already influenced the e-business models.
With the quick spread of Internet, e-business has been entering a new phase: Instead of the basic models B2B, B2C; the world has seen the potentiality of Internet.
- Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce refers to electronic trade or partnering between businesses over the Internet, and it involves businesses dealing with each other as opposed to their customers. (Ex. Alibaba.com).
- Business to Consumer or B2C e-Commerce for short refers to a typical e-commerce site selling products or services to end-user consumers or individuals rather than to businesses.(Ex.Amazon; ZShops).
The ‘Making Things’ trend has changed the way of selling on Internet. The Consumer To Consumer model (C2C) appeared in 1995 with the launch of EBay and spread out.
Direct sales can nowadays be made from a consumer to another consumer. No need to have merchants anymore! Everyone can become a seller. Looking at future, we can be sure C2C models will increase with the number of Internet users. The “DIY” trend is becoming so strong in the spirit of Internet that we can even talk about a Making Things E-Business Model. In fact, some website are entirely dedicated to the creation of something (Ex: Artiz; Chicko Shoes); or to the customization (Ex: customize your life; customize.org).
In existing e-business models, the option of “Making Things” tends to become obvious. If you do not offer an extra tool to internet users, you’re not ‘In’. Our days, an effective e-business model should enable users to express their creativity by customizing or creating their own content.
(Example: Starbuck offers to costumers the option of customizing their card on Starbuck's website).
The modern Web is increasingly turning into a Web built by its users. The ‘Making Things’ phenomenon on the Web is being driven both by the technical tools offered to easily create something out of it, but also the comfort with which users have with controlling all aspects of the Web.
- Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce refers to electronic trade or partnering between businesses over the Internet, and it involves businesses dealing with each other as opposed to their customers. (Ex. Alibaba.com).
- Business to Consumer or B2C e-Commerce for short refers to a typical e-commerce site selling products or services to end-user consumers or individuals rather than to businesses.(Ex.Amazon; ZShops).
The ‘Making Things’ trend has changed the way of selling on Internet. The Consumer To Consumer model (C2C) appeared in 1995 with the launch of EBay and spread out.
Direct sales can nowadays be made from a consumer to another consumer. No need to have merchants anymore! Everyone can become a seller. Looking at future, we can be sure C2C models will increase with the number of Internet users. The “DIY” trend is becoming so strong in the spirit of Internet that we can even talk about a Making Things E-Business Model. In fact, some website are entirely dedicated to the creation of something (Ex: Artiz; Chicko Shoes); or to the customization (Ex: customize your life; customize.org).
In existing e-business models, the option of “Making Things” tends to become obvious. If you do not offer an extra tool to internet users, you’re not ‘In’. Our days, an effective e-business model should enable users to express their creativity by customizing or creating their own content.
(Example: Starbuck offers to costumers the option of customizing their card on Starbuck's website).
The modern Web is increasingly turning into a Web built by its users. The ‘Making Things’ phenomenon on the Web is being driven both by the technical tools offered to easily create something out of it, but also the comfort with which users have with controlling all aspects of the Web.
Future
Nevertheless, like all new things, particularly on Internet, it's likely that the long-term advantages and weaknesses still aren't well measured. While it sounds compelling to let users innovate using your content and services on the Web, theoretically letting it be used in thousands of creative news ways, there are surely important things to consider when you prepare to embrace this new model:
First, there is a danger in letting users have the entire control of a website. Some websites completely depend on the content that the users publish, and will stop turning without them. (Ex. EBay; Facebook; You Tube). Some websites have a short life because the consumers quit and turn to another concurrent (Ex.The decline of Xanga and Hi5 after the launch of Facebook).
In another hand, the idea of making things exists from long ago, and now that people finally realized the power of Internet and the options offered, this trend is still going to grow up. We can even talk about a New Age of Internet where Customers dictate their own roles and expectations.
In another hand, the idea of making things exists from long ago, and now that people finally realized the power of Internet and the options offered, this trend is still going to grow up. We can even talk about a New Age of Internet where Customers dictate their own roles and expectations.
This trend is indubitably sustainable and enables the creation of infinite new e-business models by mixing the tools and ideas. Maybe we will one day be able to bake online and send a cake to our mother-in-law, who knows! In fact, expect MIY (MAKE IT YOURSELF) and then SIY (SELL IT YOURSELF) generation to become increasingly sophisticated in the next 12 months.
