Question

Define the term media convergence and then identify and explain three examples from three different mediums of media convergence.

Answer 1

• Media convergence is the joining, or 'converging, of distinct technologies into one. It takes completely separate ideas and smashes them together, so that we're left with one big idea. Take, for example, the smartphone from the lesson's opening. The smartphone is the convergence of computing, communication, and content, frequently referred to in convergence theory as the three C's.
• Media convergence has even changed the way we receive data. Instead of getting a news report from TV, we are getting that same report from a television station by way of the internet and social media, in particular. For people who work in media, convergence has changed the way they do their jobs. Instead of reporters simply writing a story to appear in tomorrow's newspaper, they are filming short video clips and tweeting about it, too a smash-up of different digital technologies.
• Technological convergence is the merging of technologies that allows us to access previously-inaccessible technologies on one device. For example, you now have the ability to watch television or movies on your smartphones. You can also play video games, which previously were only available on a separate home gaming device
• Economic convergence occurs when a company controls several products or services within the same industry. For example, in the entertainment industry a single company may have interests across many kinds of media.
• Organic convergence is what happens when someone is watching a television show online while exchanging text messages with a friend and also listening to music in the background,the “natural” outcome of a diverse media world.
• The entertainment industry was one of the first to embrace and adapt to other types of platforms. HBO began HBO Go in 2010. An advantage of merging the Internet with traditional TV or movie-viewing is that near-instant metrics can influence the creation of new seasons of shows (House of Cards on Netflix) and even new shows that would appeal to audiences of existing popular shows.
• Gaming has grown into an entertainment convergence powerhouse, as gamers are open to and eager for innovative ways to play opponents and engage with their favorite games. Examples include Pokémon; the trading cards have been popular since the ’90s with assorted spinoff TV shows and merchandise. But in the summer of 2016, the mobile game Pokémon Go turned much of America into a real-time scavenger hunt, with explosive popularity.