Convergence Culture

"convergence culture, where old and new media collide... the flow of content across multiple media platforms". (Jenkins, 2008 pg 2)

Henry Jenkins give us a in depth insight into how convergence culture surrounds us every day. Each media platform we use is a combination of old and new media. Companies such as Apple have taken old media such as a personal music player and combining it with a new media mobile phone which allows us to access many different platforms within one device.  Therefore, the boundary between new and old media is beginning to become a small fading line. 

However, Jenkins believes "convergence represents a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed media content" (Jenkins, 2008 pg 3) Jenkins persuades the reader to believe that we, the consumers of media platforms have a influence on convergence culture. In my opinion, I agree with Jenkins. Today the consumers have such a high demand for more actions to be performed on one device. Producers therefore try to satisfy our demand. We have realised the power we have to create basically, what we want. Through this power, we have pushed the shifts of old media to new. We can now access any content across the internet through our new media. This relationship between the consumer and producer has been named by Jenkins as 'participatory culture'. 

Jenkins speaks of 'delivery technologies'. In my opinion I feel participatory culture has an immediate effect upon delivery technologies.  Jenkins explains, "old media never die... what dies are simply the tools we use to access media content" (Jenkins, 2008 pg 13). Take music for a example, it is the medium. The old media cassettes are the delivery technologies. As the years have passed, we have seen new media delivery technologies from the cassette to CD's which are slowly going to be replaced. In reality though, all media content will not be able to flow through one single black box. Devices have become so in depth that it has lost the ability to serve its original function.

We are surround by convergence culture. It changes relationships, it alters our thoughts and our ability to process media.

Bibliography

Books
Henry, J (2008) Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press: London

Convergence Culture

Jenkins stated "we are entering an era where media will be everywhere and we will use all kinds of media in relation to one another" (Jenkins,2001). This is based on Jenkins' theory of Convergence Culture where old and new Media collide, facilitated by new media devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. I agree with Jenkins- "old media[s] never die" (Jenkins,2008,P130). For example I can read a hard back book, but it could just as easily be accessed as an eBook. Media does not disappear, but shifts and changes across various platforms over time.

Media convergence is where "important stories gets told, every brand gets sold, and every consumer gets courted across multiple media platforms" (Jenkins,2008,P3). An example would be how the 'Bert Is Evil' image crossed several platforms from America to the Middle East. Moreover convergence allows the consumers to connect to disparate media which allows more information. Consumers don't have to experience "the old idea" which was where, all devices would converge into one central device" (Jenkins,2008,P15). They can for example now instead experience the second screen, thus creating a unique feeling, where one device can be as good as the other. This shows that "television did not kill radio"(Jenkins,2008,P14) instead the old mediums developed. However negatively- now consumers can access any media content from across the globe allowing easy access to and spread of child pornography. There are no restrictions on media content in general, and this may have serious repercussions for the old moral order.

Participatory culture see's the rise of the consumers forming fan club communities, interacting with corporate businesses and media industry producing collective intelligence " none of us can know everything; each of us knows something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills"
(Jenkins,2008,P4). Convergence is shaped by the individual consumers who interact with others through the new media devices, and each individual is thus able to will gain a "personal mythology (...) [which is] extracted from the media flow" (Jenkins,2008,P3). Consumers are now realising that their input will allow them to slowly control the media flow. Quality is an issue here an individual consumer producing media content can produce an amazing artefact, or a disastrous one; this individualism may balance the growth of media power and affect how we consume media content and what may be consumed. It is hard to argue against the view that "the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want" (Jenkins,2008,P2).

Bibliography

Books
Henry,J (2008) Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press: London

Websites
Henry Jenkins (2001) Convergence? I Diverge [Online]. Available at:
http:/www.technologyreview.com/article/40102/convergence-i-diverge/ (Accessed: 08/10/2013)