Professional vs. Amateur Content

Although the use of the web is so popular in society now, I don't think that production value will continue to drop. I think that all there will always be some amateur user-generated content used in production but there will always be professional and high quality production content. In terms of television and commercials I think that certain products will call for a more personal or amateur look due to the content, but there will certainly always be a need for high quality content. Because professionally produced content will always be necessary in society it will always remain in the lead and dominate the production business.

User generated or amateur content is finding a new place in our society and getting more and more present in all types of media. Websites such as youtube.com, Wikipedia.com, blogs, etc. are now being emulated in media such as commercials, reality tv shows, and even in movies. These types of media are trying to emulate a homegrown or amateur look. Some examples of these are movies such as paranormal activity (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDNjFJUyUz4) or commercials such as Sonic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjY9VGEUdGs). We are seeing more and more products looking similar to this in all types of media.

In response to this amateur and “homegrown” looking content the professional content is continually being rewarded and we can see this in their popularity. Our society calls for high quality products and our knowledge and ability to produce those high quality goods is getting better and better. Production content is no different and society demands high quality content. Professional production teams are gaining popularity and continue to improve. We can see the improvements in recent movies such as Avatar, or even Alice in Wonderland. The production quality in these movies and many others is exceeding any expectations and continually improving. But, I also think that the amateur user-generated content will get better over time as well. This can be proven by comparing the user-generated content produced ten years ago compared to content being produced now.

Technology has played a large role in the capabilities of amateurs producing user generated content competing with professional content. As technology advances it allows "amateurs" to have better tools in order to produce material that is closer to a professional quality. High quality technological tools are available to everyone all over which can allow for anyone to produce a better quality product. Through these technologies and practice people can produce content that competes with professional quality content.

I think that the advancement in technology affects both professional and amateur produced content though; the professional quality content is improving as well. As said before, society is constantly demanding high quality content. The comparison between amateur and professional is always relative to each other. Both user generated content and professional content being generated is constantly improving and evolving as technology continues to improve.

As discussed in The Experts vs. the Amateurs: A Tug of War over the Future of Media (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1921) each serves its own purpose. Although user generated content is becoming so popular it serves its own purpose and is not necessarily the same as professional quality content. Blogs and user generated content gives us a personal and more informal perspective, but professional content has an upper edge on amateur content because of the reliability and higher quality.

I do not think that amateur user-generated content is the norm in production and I do not think that it will become the norm in the future. In terms of the most popular media available now, the majority is professionally produced and not "amateur" style. Award shows such as the Academy Awards, Emmy's, etc, showcase media which is top notch and the best produced, this does not normally include amateur produced media or even “homegrown” emulated content. Although we may see many commercials or reality tv shows which may appear as user generated content it is not the leader in the production industry. Professionally produced content is being rewarded and as a society we are always looking for the best. Although some amateur emulated media may find its way into the mainstream it will not take over the industry.

User generated and amateur production and professional production content have their own purposes in main stream media. I think that amateur or “homegrown” content is becoming more popular in media but I do not think that it will take over and professional production content values will drop. Our society will always demand high quality products and although amateur and user generated content serves a purpose it will not take over. We will use both types of content and they will both continue to improve but in different ways and measurements.