Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Technological Convergence
• Economic Convergence
• Social or Organic Convergence
• Cultural Convergence
• Global Convergence
JENKINS AND MEDIA CONVERGENCE
The term ‘Media Convergence’ refers to a range of media merged into one. Jenkins argues that media will be
everywhere and that it does not exist in one form. “There will never be one black box controlling all
media”. He also believes that media will continue to grow in multiple ways through computing and
communication. “A medium’s content may shift, its audience may change and its social status may rise
or fall, but once a medium establishes itself it continues to be part of the media ecosystem.”. Here,
Jenkins is referring to old/traditional media. Rather than old media simply dying it only ‘evolves’ in a new
form. For example: cassettes to MP3 file, although very different in appearance, the idea behind both is
very similar, if not the same. Jenkins feels that media is affecting us as consumers and that its also on
the ‘verge of transforming our culture as profoundly as the Renaissance did’. Jenkins believes that user
interaction and participation are very much ‘the work—and play—spectators in the new media system’.
Overall, Jenkins describes convergence culture as a collision between old and new media. This collision
has an effect not only on the consumer but the media producer as well.
CULTURAL CONVERGENCE
Jenkins describes ‘Cultural Convergence’ as an ‘explosion of new forms of creativity at
the intersections of various media technologies, industries and consumers’. The
way in which we find ourselves affected by different mediums is leading us towards
a ‘digital renaissance’. Jenkins believes that media culture is allowing us to be a
part of the media we experience and that interactivity is becoming an integral part
of the industry. Media culture gives “average people the tools archive, annotate,
appropriate and recirculate content”. According to Jenkins, convergence also
allows for a different kind of story telling. Narratives can be communicated through
a variety of different mediums, this is known as ‘transmedia’ story telling.
Depending on the subject matter, story tellers will use a type of media best suited
for that narrative. Cultural convergence means the uses of culture to create media
on a profit scale. This means a lot these days as You tube is creating new talent
and content. Writers would take ideas that are popular in the public and that are
popular. They will also use different cultures to put across messages in their films
in certain directions. Hence why social networking and social broadcasting is prime
in cultural convergence at present.
TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE