Convergence culture
Convergence culture is a cultural phenomenon that arises from the blending of old media and new media, characterized by the collision of traditional communication methods and modern digital platforms. Old media includes established forms like newspapers, books, and broadcast television, while new media incorporates platforms such as social media, blogs, and streaming services that utilize the Internet. The concept, popularized by media scholar Henry Jenkins, is structured around three key components: media convergence, collective intelligence, and participatory culture.
Media convergence refers to the way information is disseminated across various platforms, allowing consumers to access the same story in multiple formats. Collective intelligence highlights the collaborative nature of media consumption, where groups share knowledge to enhance understanding of content. Participatory culture acknowledges the shift from passive consumption to active engagement, where creators and consumers interact dynamically, reshaping the traditional roles of content creation. This evolution has made information more accessible and interactive, fostering a rich environment for both creators and audiences to contribute and engage with media in diverse ways.
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Convergence culture
Convergence culture is a cultural phenomenon caused by the collision and gradual merger of new media and old media. Old media refers to methods of communication and forms of media that reached their peak before the onset of the Digital Age. New media refers to modern methods of communication, most of which utilize the Internet and computers. It includes social media, blogs, Internet videos on platforms such as YouTube, and many other forms of media.
Convergence culture is commonly divided into three parts: media convergence, collective intelligence, and participatory culture. Media convergence is the process by which information spreads across multiple platforms. For example, the same story may be told in a film, online in a blog, and in a printed book. Collective intelligence describes the phenomena in which groups of people combine their knowledge of media, gradually coming to understand media that they may not have consumed. Participatory culture acknowledges that old rules of content creators and content consumers have been replaced by a new form of etiquette in which both media creators and media consumers are expected to communicate with one another.
Background
Convergence culture is the gradual collision and blending of old media and new media. The term was coined by the writer Henry Jenkins in his 2006 book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide.Old media refers to forms of media that reached their peak before the information age. It includes various forms of print media, such as newspapers, books, magazines, and printed journals. It also includes physical advertisements, such as billboards and fliers.
Some forms of early or obsolete electronic storage may also be considered old media. This includes floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and certain forms of digital photography. These technologies may still be used in the contemporary world. However, they are rapidly being replaced by fully digital devices.
New media refers to technologies and means of communication that take advantage of computers and the Internet. New media is a relative term and evolves over time. Technologies that were once considered new media, such as television, may now be considered old media.
Most forms of Internet content are types of new media. This includes social media, blogs, personal video channels, and online news outlets. This style of content typically requires less infrastructure to produce, allowing individuals or small organizations to take the place of media giants. Streaming companies, such as Netflix, can also be considered a form of new media.
Old media tends to be mass-produced and tailored for a wide audience. In contrast, new media is often aimed at a smaller subset of the population and relies on the average person’s ease of access to the Internet to spread. Additionally, new media is typically highly interactive. Users can also be producers of content, participating in online discussions and reaching out to high-profile individuals. Old media tends to be less interactive and typically involves one person or corporation creating content and consumers receiving it.
Overview
Convergence culture comprises media convergence, collective intelligence, and participatory culture. Media convergence is the process by which information spreads across multiple platforms. Consumers are presented with a wide variety of media choices, including both new media and old media, to view their preferred content. This gives consumers greater access to information than ever before. It also provides consumers with the ability to consume the same content in multiple media. For example, one consumer might decide to view a particular news story on cable television. Another might choose to read the story in an online newspaper or watch the story on a video blog. In some cases, all of this content might be provided by the same subscriber.
Collective intelligence is a result of the drastic increase in the average person’s rate of media consumption. No matter how much media a single person consumes, no one can know everything. However, through new media, consumption has become a collective process. Together, through pooling resources, a group of people can drastically increase the amount of information to which they have access. Many media companies are working toward harnessing collective intelligence, using it to better inform consumers of current events.
One method by which media providers are utilizing collective intelligence is transmedia storytelling. This is a method by which a coherent narrative might be split across several different media. For example, one part of a story might be told through a video game, another through a movie, and the conclusion might be told through a television series. To appreciate the entirety of the story, viewers must split their time and money across multiple viewing platforms. Alternatively, viewers can choose to appreciate parts of a narrative as an individual product, accepting that they will receive only a fragment of the whole story.
Participatory culture is a different manner of consuming media. In the past, one creator would develop content, and consumers would view that content. For example, one network might broadcast a news program, and consumers would watch that show. The interaction moved entirely in one way. In both new media and converging media, content producers and content consumers have been transformed into participants, resulting in the rise of interactive media. Media producers and consumers are expected to interact with one another through digital communications, content promotion, and many other means. However, the rules by which participants in new media are expected to participate are constantly evolving. As new and old forms of media interact, participants often discover new ways of interacting as well.
Bibliography
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