In “Worship At The Altar of Convergence”, Henry Jenkins discusses the concept of convergence, where

Technology is always advancing and evolving in ways many people would have thought impossible or mere science fiction only a few years ago. Every day we come closer to dreams of robot servants, virtual reality, and phones that have more than 2 slight changes to them. These advances while awe inspiring and standing as testaments to human ingenuity, many people ask how we deal with such changes. Many people ask “what will I do when my job becomes null and void? How will I manage to learn when it becomes useless in 7 years? And how will I live in my nation if it becomes overpowered by other countries?” all these questions are concerning and understandable, many people simply find change worrying. Many people worry about china and India becoming world leaders (ignoring the fact that they both lie all the time and in china’s case is trying to destroy their own culture) but that’s besides the point. In this essay we’ll talk about 3 different forms of media

The evolution of mass media has affected our social institutions: family, religion, morality and education, on an unprecedented scale. For most of us in the American culture, the new forms of mass media are entwined with both of our personal and professional lifestyles. Understanding how the development of these forms of mass media has been and continues to influence our American culture is vital. It will help us appreciate the role media plays in our life and will also help us to be more informed as citizens, consumers, and employees. Barnett, 2004 noted that “The Internet is the decisive technology of the Information Age, and with the explosion of wireless communication in the early

“Media change does not necessarily result in equilibrium. It sometimes creates more than it destroys. Sometimes, it is the other way around. We must be careful in praising or condemning because the future may hold surprises for us” (Postman 29). Media critic Neil Postman published those words in 1985 in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Yet, as we find ourselves in 2015, his insight seems written for today. In our age where society is still elusively trying to grasp and figure out what place new media and technology hold within our lives, and where debating the merits and flaws of an increasingly technological society seems to be a hot-button issue, Postman had already commented on such

I agree with Jenkins’s assertion that “when people take media into their own hands, the results can be wonderfully creative; they can also be bad news for all involved” (qtd. Maasik and Solomon 39). In fact, it can benefit human beings if it is used properly, and it can also be harmful to human beings if it is negatively exploited. To illustrate, one example regarding convergence culture and positive media usage is the invention of our current smart phones. Around 15 years ago, human beings were familiar with using their traditional cell phones, which only enabled people to call or text messages. Today, with the invention of smart phones, people can not only call or text messages but also take pictures, create video clips, make video calls,

Beginning with an older view of convergence, as society started playing with this old yet unexplored idea, many wrestled with the vast unknown of what would be pushed on consumers. New media forecaster Gary Arlen made a statement about convergence in 2002, “As the processes and applications are honed, we'll see a recrudescence of convergence. In other words, convergence will finally be about getting it all together.” What Arlen saw was a media industry looking at a concept without directions how to use it. At that time, one and a half decades ago, Arlen foresaw a successful future for media convergence, but to get there he knew “marketing packages and technology rollouts are the necessary prelude to true convergence” (Arlen,

Steven Pinker in “Mind Over Mass Media” tries to demonstrate the benefits of having technology, and refutes other beliefs that believe technology to be harmful. Explaining how for centuries, new forms of media have always caused a stir, and those concerns are usually proven wrong. While admitting that people should practice self-control while using this new technology, the author encourages these newfound connections, stating that technology “...is the only thing keeping us smart. ”

As in this example, Convergence relies extensively on the active participation of the medium 's users. In this vein, the producers of convergence media actively encourage users to explore and make further connections between multiple media outlets, creating in the process, a shift in the cultures of the users (Jenkins 2006). Convergence of media doesn 't simply happen across various media sources within one culture, but can also connect varying media outlets in differing cultures simultaneously. Johnny made a phone call from Newark to Beijing via the Net. The Net is convergent technology using electricity, video software to project a 3 dimensional version of the internet that allows users to interact directly with the Net, audio adaptations to allow for audio interactions with the servers, and a connection from the individual terminal to the main server of the Net.

According to Jenkins ‘Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide’, It spectacles that the entertainment industry has taken the advantage of harnessing ‘New Media’ on traditional formats by focussing on the logistics and practices. This evidently helps to increase the popularity and the availability of audience participation through the use of updated technology. This is denoted through old technological formats via applying new interactive media to heighten the participation for numerous audiences. For instance, back in the day many industries i.e. entertainment had to depend on broadcasting and radio for the viewers to receive their audio or visual content. To do these industries had to send out signals globally through a large transmitter so that people can receive their content. Transmitting these signals

Convergence, according to our text on page 19, is the process of coming together or uniting in a common interest or focus. This could be the combining of multiple products into one single product, but in the world of mass media there are two main communication and media processes; content and distribution. Our text, The Dynamics of Mass Communication, talks about what is called corporate convergence. Author Joseph Dominick says corporate convergence would involve media companies that were focused on providing content (movie. television and music studios) acquiring companies designed to distribute content (cable and satellite companies).

Marshall McLuhan’s and Lawrence Alloway’s writing looks at how technology, such as radio, tv, etc., affects the world and how mass media affects culture through its opinions, art, and political influence. Their thoughts, though somewhat difficult, are similar to the current reality and therefore easier to relate to. In their collective writings they discusses five key points: technologies as extensions of ourselves, the electrical age bringing a global embrace; sense ratio and the impact from technology; the artist’s role to model coping with change, and humanities understanding of the artist's role.

a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology." (McLuhan, 1964, p. 7) Thus begins the classic work of Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media, in which he introduced the world to his enigmatic paradox, "The

Theories in mass media play an important role in society which provides a lens to observer communication in a medium. There is a multitude of media theories, but I will explore those of Elizabeth Noelle-Newman and how people use media for their need and gratification. The spiral of silence theory and the uses and gratification theory both give convincing and detailed explanations that link the media and the audience. There is a likeness in both but there are also many difference between the two. After reviewing each theory and proving examples that relate to each, I will then follow by examining the differences between the two and ways they complement one another.

The textbook, Media and Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital Age, written by Mr. Campbell, mentioned, “The historical development of media and communication can be traced through several overlapping phases or eras in which newer forms of technology disrupted and modified older forms—a process that many academics, critics, and media professionals began calling convergence with the arrival of the Internet.” Through a process and development, the internet came about and made things faster and more accessible. The development of the media and technology, has helped the media communicate with people from all over the world. With the internet, people are able to communicate with others,

According to Jenkins (2006) convergence describes the technological, industrial, cultural and social changes in the ways media flows within our culture. This includes content circulation across multiple media platforms, cooperation between multiple media industries, search for new structure of old and new media financing, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences who can interact in multiple environments (Jenkins, 2006). Media convergence can be described as the phenomenon involving interconnection of information and communication technologies, computer networks, and media content. It is a direct consequence of media content digitisation and internet popularisation. It has transforms established industries and services enabling emergence of new forms of content. The long established media industry and content has been

Media has been changing definetely since it’s inception; developing with new innovation and changing the way individuals see the world. Well before current types of media happened, individuals saw media through verbal connection and compositons like newsletters. Today, media is seen in many structures: TV, radio, cell phones, web, satellites, daily papers, and more. To comprehend broad communications totally, the concentration must move toward the real improvements in the advancement of mass media in the most recent century, America’s impact from the real improvements, the significance behind media union, and the suggestions towards regular daily existence.