ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Create a “mind map” (using whatever tool you please) for the concept of ‘media convergence’ that sets out, with examples, the 5 processes of convergence that Jenkins distinguishes. Then, in a <5-minute MAX video (try to go beyond the ‘talking head’ format) explain your mapping of these aspects of media convergence, and conclude with a thoughtful and well-justified account of what you think are some key educational implications of media convergence.

Production format

A (digital) mind map and a <5-minute video walkthrough explaining your mind map.

Click on the video below to view my assignment (see text below for full transcript).

Final Mind Map for Media Convergence

Transcript for the video:

ETEC 511 – Module 4 Notes: Media Convergence 

In this video, I will walk you through the mind map I created for my IP#4 on Media Convergence.

I’ll outline what media convergence is, how Henry Jenkins categorizes media convergence into 5 different processes, and its educational implications.

SO, WHAT IS MEDIA CONVERGENCE?

• Media convergence is where all media are blending into one.

• It is not a hypothetical black box, but instead an ongoing process that changes how media is both consumed and produced.

• But what’s happening is that we’re living in this diverse media world, where media consumption is making users participants that engage with different forms of media, often at the same time.

• Media is all around us and we’re developing new skills to manage all this information.

• There is the coming together of these previously separate technologies that are now sharing tasks and created this place where media, industries, content, and audiences intersect.

 
JENKINS’ 5 PROCESSES OF MEDIA CONVERGENCE

• Jenkins states that when we talk about media convergence, we’re usually referring to 5 processes

1. Technological Convergence

   • Technological convergence is the digitization and integration of many forms of media into one ecosystem

   • We expand these relationships between digital media and enable them to flow across platforms allowing different kinds of technology to merge.

   • EXAMPLES ARE

     • Smartphones, IoT, smart home technology, wearable devices, AR/VR, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, e-books, gaming consoles

   • So phones are no longer just for making phone calls, and video game consoles aren’t just for playing video games – we can use smartphones to play video games, and also watch shows, access the internet, text friends, and more; and we can use video game consoles for gaming, social media, or streaming services.

2. Economic Convergence

   • Economic convergence is when companies control entertainment franchises across multiple forms of media; or, as Jenkins describes, the horizontal integration of the entertainment industry

   • It involves the financial and business aspects of integrating different media types.

   • EXAMPLES

     • Broadcast tv (Fox), cable tv (Nat Geo), digital advertising, subscription models, news papers now online news companies  (NYP, WSJ)

3. Social or Organic Convergence

   • Social or organic convergence is when people multitask and integrate technology across many platforms.

   • It reflects how individuals blend and share media content in everyday communication.

   • EXAMPLES

     • Watching netflix on a tv, texting friends on an iphone, writing a paper on a laptop

4. Cultural Convergence

   • Cultural convergence is where culture is merged with many forms of media through participatory culture and storytelling.

   • Anyone with access to the internet can use the affordances of different types of media to tell stories or engage with other people’s content by commenting, sharing, etc

   • EXAMPLES

     • Books becoming TV shows or movies; fan communities creating fan fiction, art, videos; remix culture where existing content is recombined and repurposed; globalization or pop culture through the spread of music, movies, and TV across borders; interactive museum exhibits combining traditional artifacts with digital technology for immersive experiences (ChatGPT)

5. Global Convergence 

   • How media is interconnected around the world and when geographically distant cultures are able to influence one another

   • Can have its advantages but could also just perpetuate the dominating structures at the centre of the system

   • EXAMPLES

     • Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+; access content anytime, anywhere, any device with internet access)), global news networks (CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera English – 24 hour worldwide news coverage), digital journalism (Huffington post, Buzzfeed, The Guardian), Global advertising campaigns (Google ads, Facebook ads – allows advertisers to target specific demographic groups and geographic regions with personalized ads), viral content and memes (transcending language and geographic barriers – on TikTok, Reddit, other social media platforms), cultural influences and trends (Hollywood movies, K-pop, etc)

So, Let the DIGITAL RENAISSANCE begin…

• Jenkins argues that these forms of media convergence are leading us toward a digital renaissance – a period of transformation that will affect all aspects of our lives.

• And that a new cultural order is going to emerge, for better or worse.

• We’re still unsure how these different types of convergence will affect society and individuals, including the educational impacts.

• The POSITIVE educational implications include

  • Having better access to information (there are no longer gatekeepers of information);

  • Being more cost effective to access information (no more expensive university tuition);

  • We are likely to see more innovation and diversification of content;

  • And that this content can be personalized to the learner.

• However, there are NEGATIVE implications to education that may happen such as

  • Having information overload;

  • It creating an even further digital divide with learners;

  • And the homogenization of information as powerful companies have monopolized media platforms

I guess we’ll see how it all unfolds as media convergence as we experience this digital renaissance together.

Thanks for watching!
/ end of transcript

References:

Jenkins, H. (2001, June 1). Convergence? I diverge. MIT Technology Review.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

University of Minnesota. (2016). Understanding Media and Culture: 1.4 Convergence. https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/1-4-convergence/