Participatory Prosumption as Cosplayers’ Self-Techniques: The Learning-Token Continuum

ABSTRACT Objective: the study examines how the participatory consumption of cosplayers manifests techniques of the self. Theoretical approach: based on Michel Foucault’s concept of techniques of the self, we explore how cosplayers govern themselves through participatory consumption. Thus, the study contributes to understanding how individuals shape their subjectivities through participatory consumption practices. Methods: Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA) was employed in a netnographic research corpus conducted over five years. Results: two techniques of the self were identified in the participatory consumption of cosplayers: learning manifests as self-improvement through skill development, experimentation, and peer exchange, promoting personal and technical growth; token emerges as symbolic recognition obtained through visibility, validation, and adherence to social expectations. We propose a theoretical framework based on the interpretation of these poles as part of a new continuum of consumption. Conclusions: the negotiation between learning and token highlights both agency and constraints within participatory culture, where cosplayers navigate between self-expression and social conformity under the influence of community expectations and digital visibility. Participatory prosumption and its continuum of consumer self-governance advance consumer culture theory (CCT) studies on the subject, reflecting changes in which self-expression becomes work, blurring the boundaries between passion, work, and visibility.