[gnso-consumercci-dt] Fwd: Reservations regarding the "consumer" term in German

[Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond <ocl@xxxxxxx>]

Dear Consumer CCI Team:

whilst well aware that its use was a Board choice, please find enclosed
the explanation from one of our colleagues at EURALO, regarding the use
of the "consumer" term in germanophone countries, for your information.

Warm regards,

Olivier


-------- Message original --------
Sujet:  Reservations regarding the "consumer" term in German
Date :  Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:06:27 +0100
De :    Wolf Ludwig <wolf.ludwig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Pour :  Annette Mühlberg <annette.muehlberg@xxxxxx>, Wolfgang
Kleinwächter <wolfgang.kleinwaechter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Desiree
Miloshevic <dmiloshevic@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sébastien Bachollet
<sebastien.bachollet@xxxxxxx>, William Drake
<william.drake@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Rudi Vansnick
<rudi.vansnick@xxxxxxx>, Lutz Donnerhacke <lutz@xxxxxxxxxxx>, sandra
hoferichter <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond
<ocl@xxxxxxx>, Dragoslava Greve <dpefeva@xxxxxxx>, Manuel Schneider
<manuel.schneider@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Yrjö Länsipuro
<yrjo_lansipuro@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Jean-Jacques Subrenat
<jjs.global@xxxxxxxxx>, Oksana Prykhodko <sana.pryhod@xxxxxxxxx>



Dear all,

this is just to inform you that I forwarded the remarks below to CLO and 
Olivier regarding ALAC's debate on consumer metrics. This is not a statement on 
behalf of EURALO but some remarks or reservations regarding the "consumer" term 
an its perception in German.

Best, Wolf

____
Reservations regarding the „consumer“ term in German

The notion of “consumer” or “Konsument” in German language offers divers 
connotations, depending on context and circles where it is used. Many of 
EURALO’s German (or germanophone) ALSes may challenge this term because it 
offers a dichotomous and rather traditional understanding particularly if 
adopted for the Internet age.

A consumer or “Konsument” in German is somebody who is mostly interested in 
general consumption. Commercial offers should be inexpensive and of decent 
quality or providing a good value-for-money ratio. Consumer trust is considered 
important. Besides a certain purchasing power, “der Konsument” is rather 
inactive than pro-active, or sort of “couch potato” in a traditional sense. 
Consumer associations are still confined in the analogue age and remarkably 
reluctant to broaden their scope to the Online world. 

The notion of “consumer” or “Konsument” is more and more generalized up to 
whateverism and political abuse. In the area of media for example, recipients 
are no longer and more precisely specified or characterized as readers, 
spectators, audience, public or the like but reduced and generalized as 
“Konsumenten”. And whatever pleases a certain majority of “consumers” must be 
good, even if bare of substance. Institutions of public broadcasting are 
increasingly affected by this tendency.

When you refer to consumer choice, trust, protection and the like, you imply 
conventional commerce, consumption and markets but not obviously Online and the 
Internet. As this notion in a German language context doesn’t offer much 
specification or clarification but more likely nebulisation, our community 
prefers and mostly uses the Internet user notion (“Internetnutzer”). The 
Internet user won’t reconcile him/herself with a role of conventional passive 
consumption but insists on inter-activity, surfing, commenting, down/uploading, 
and the whole variety of options provided by the Internet. To our 
understanding, the “Internetnutzer” is comparably younger with certain skills 
for the use / Nutzung of the Internet (factor of empowerment) and showing a 
certain political sensitivity when key issues and principles of the Internet 
like access or openness etc. are at stake. In related terms, we also talk about 
Internet-Nutzung (usage), Nutzungsgewohnheiten (habits) and more of such user 
specifications, whereas “consumption of the Internet” simply sounds strange and 
dissociated in German. These are some brief reflexions explaining our 
reservations regarding the “consumer” term.

EuroDIG Secretariat
http://www.eurodig.org/
mobile +41 79 204 83 87
Skype: Wolf-Ludwig

EURALO - ICANN's Regional At-Large Organisation
http://euralo.org

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