There Is No Room for Apocalypse: Digitalization, Prosumers, and Transhuman Identity

What is this text about?

This prologue, written by Luis M. Romero-Rodríguez, sets the tone for the book Emerging Prosumers: Social Media, Literacy, and Content Creation by critiquing outdated apocalyptic views of digital change and embracing the transformative roles of prosumers, transhumanist culture, and online performative identities. It calls for media literacy among adults, not youth.

Why is it important?

This article explains that debates between utopian and apocalyptic thinkers (e.g., Eco’s Apocalípticos e integrados) are obsolete. Instead, we must focus on how digital natives, especially centennials, build identities, exercise microcelebrity, and live digitally under new forms of sociotechnical interaction and emotional validation.

Key Concepts

1. Prosumers as digital citizens

• Today’s youth don’t just consume content—they create, distribute, and commercialize it.

• Digital identities are performative, shaped by likes, views, and social validation.

2. Transhumanist experience

• Unlike millennials who witnessed analog-digital transitions, centennials live fully in digital ecosystems.

• Their experiences of entertainment, education, and even intimacy are digitally mediated.

3. From fun to dependence

• The shift from entertainment to existence-through-interfaces fosters voyeurism, disconnection, and depersonalization.

• Happiness is redefined as visibility; success, as virality.

Call to Action

Romero-Rodríguez argues that:

• It is not youth who need media education, but adults and institutions.

• Researchers must adapt to youth realities, not force outdated paradigms.

• Educators should embrace prosumer culture, not fear it.

FAQs

Q: What is a prosumer?
A: A digital user who simultaneously consumes and produces media, influencing trends and narratives.

Q: How does transhumanism relate to digital media?
A: It frames digital living as an extension of human experience—bodies and identities mediated by technology.

Q: Is influencer culture harmful or empowering?
A: Both. It can empower youth through self-expression but also risks superficiality and social pressure.

Q: What should researchers do differently?
A: Avoid utopian/purist lenses and embrace inclusive, generationally aware frameworks rooted in media literacy.