Convergence Media Summary

Background of Convergence Media

  • Emergence of the internet has drastically changed media.

  • Rapid technology development in communication (e.g., from cell phones to smartphones).

  • Shift from industrial society to the information age.

Definition of Convergence

  • Derived from the Latin word convergare.

  • Paul Horrocks: Newspapers must reinvent to meet consumer demands for information in multiple ways.

  • Convergence involves merging different media or technology (e.g., computers with telephones to create smartphones).

  • Larry Pryor: In newsrooms, convergence means producing multiple products across various platforms for a mass audience.

Reasons for Media Convergence

  • Shared reporting and business benefits (saves costs).

  • Combining various media enhances audience reach in different segments.

  • Increases capability and quality of media.

Types of Convergence

  1. Technological Convergence: Merging of media (print, audio, video) into digital forms.

  2. Economic Convergence: Merging of internet/telecom companies with traditional media (e.g., Comcast and NBC Universal).

  3. Cultural Convergence: Impact of global media on multiculturalism and diversity, including content consumption, creation, and distribution.

Forms of Convergence in Broadcast

  1. Ownership Convergence: Cross-promotion and content sharing within a single large media company.

  2. Tactical Convergence: Partnerships among media companies with separate ownership for content sharing.

  3. Structural Convergence: Changes in newsgathering and management practices.

  4. Information-gathering Convergence: Debates on the ability of one person to produce quality content across all media forms.

  5. Storytelling/presentation Convergence: Journalists needing support in acquiring appropriate equipment for content delivery.

Positive Effects of Media Convergence

  • Widens access to information globally due to the internet.

  • Provides users with more choices to select desired information.

  • Makes access easier, more efficient, and simpler.

  • Enables direct feedback to information provided.

Negative Effects of Media Convergence

  • Changes in lifestyle lead to technology addiction (cybermedia, cybersociety).

  • Emergence of a digital society may exclude traditional media.

  • Potential for an increased social gap between different segments of society.