Prosuming Identity: The Production and Consumption of Transableism on Transabled.org

Prosumption refers to the blurring of production and consumption. Although this has always been present (Ritzer, 2009), the contemporary era creates an environment in which prosumption can flourish. Specifically, the presence of Web 2.0 has led to an abundance of user-generated content, produced by those who consume it. I wish to argue here for an extension of the theoretical idea of prosumption into the arena of identity. Currently, prosumption is conceptualized in a way that understands as separate the prosumer of content, and the content that is prosumed. I argue that this is a false distinction, as content that is prosumed can also signify an identity for its prosumer(s). I illustrate this argument by qualitatively analyzing the introduction statements, subsequent entries, and public comments of the bloggers and participants on transabled.org, a user-generated website for people who believe that they were born in incorrectly-able bodies. By prosuming the content on transabled.org, members of this online community simultaneously prosume their own transabled identities, and construct transableism as a culturally available identity category.