Media ConvergenceMap
Social/Organic Convergence
Economic Convergence
Technological Convergence
Cultural Convergence
Global Convergence
Educational Implications
E.g. Watching Tv, texting with friends, and writing a paper on a computer simultaneously
Film, TV, Books, Games, The Internet, Music, Etc.
Smart PhoneE.g. I-phone
GPSDigital Camera
Wrist watch Telephone
E.g. Rupert Murdock's News Corporation
By Meagan Strome
The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
Processes of Convergence
Media literacy - The ability to access, analyze, and create media content
Today's student need to be skilled in multimedia
Cultural Imperialism-one country dominates another’s media consumption and influences their values and ideologies.
E.g. India’s Bollywood, which is influenced by Hollywood in the United States.
Participatory Culture - influence of culture coming from media consumers
E.g. Paw Patrol show, toys, books, lego etc.
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Is the coming together of previously unrelated technologies, often on a single device
Occurs when a single company owns many different products or services within the same industry
The natural outcome of multitasking using multiple media platforms
Fusion of content across media channels.
Media dispersion through international cultures influencing each other
Education is greatly influenced by media
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Converge into
Converge into
Technological convergence: When words, images and sounds are transformed into digital information they become more closely integrated across platforms, and their capabilities are enhanced through this digital integration.
Economic Convergence: The horizontal integration of the multiple means of media. "The result has been the restructuring of cultural production around “synergies,” and thus the transmedia exploitation of branded properties-Pokmon, Harry Potter, Tomb Raider, Star Wars."
Social/Organic Convergence: Jenkins (2001) describes it as the "natural outcome of a diverse media world." With teenagers having grown up as "digital natives" and being used to using multiple media types in their daily lives, to them the colliding and use of "multitasking" media is organic to them.
Here are the educational impacts: Technological convergence – today's students are digital natives – well versed in “new” media. However, most schools and the school system operate predominately by means of “old” media. The social gap between those who grew up with new media and those who didn't. Today’s students must become skilled in multimedia, without digital literacy and media literacy skills success in the education system may be limited. Economic convergence – large companies such as Disney are monopolizing who entertainment sector and are entering into the education market for economic gain, rather than for the benefit of students learning. Cultural convergence – an increase in cultural diversity in media messaging and content being taught and learned in schools. Participatory culture allows students to create and be involved in their own media content creation. Global convergence – no longer acceptable to teach from an ethnocentric perspective, instead global convergence enables the fusion of ideas and teachings and create opportunities for students to encounter diverse content and perspective as well as construct spaces for participants to interact with one another globally. Social/Organic Convergence – students are constantly multitasking, which can be good and bad for educational purposes. Students who are able to manage multiple tasks at once, whereas others may become inattentive, for example social media tools such as Instagram can be very distracting. Technology interventions and safe practice procedures should be taught to prevent the negative impacts of device overuse.
Global Convergence: How geographically diverse cultures influence and are influenced by the movement of various media channels across the globe. Local culture infuses and remixes foreign media to create and shape new cultural media hybridity. (Understanding Media and Culture, 2016). The advantage of global convergence is the widespread sharing and influence of many cultures, the fear, however, is cultural imperialism – cultural values and ideologies imposed on less dominant cultures, which can also result in the homogenization of culture. (Understanding Media and Culture, 2016).
Cultural Convergence: Media users and consumers are now producers and influencers. As Jenkins (2001) states, the explosion of new forms of creativity via various media technologies fosters a new participatory culture, where stories and content can be created, edited, and shared, and "readers or viewers can comment on, alter, or otherwise talk back to culture."
"Media convergence, the process by which previously distinct technologies come to share tasks and resources."
References
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. (2010). Understanding media and culture: An introduction to mass communication. Jenkins, H. (2020, April 2). Convergence? I diverge. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://www.technologyreview.com/2001/06/01/235791/convergence-i-diverge/
