Book Review: Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

Convergence Culture

Convergence Culture written by Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at USC Henry Jenkins. Formally the Co director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies program along with William Uricchio, Jenkins did extensive research in the study of media convergence displaying his ideas and findings in various published work in the form articles, books, and workshops. The book published by The New York University Press in 2006 aims at explaining how convergence between old and new forms of media are currently impacting the relationship between media audiences, producers, and distributed content. The book contains glossary with clear definitions to all the media jargon giving the reader a good base of reference while reading the book. The book touches on a few major ideas and concepts such as the notion of Interactive audience, product placement, collective intelligence, and Transmedia convergence. Jenkins is able to convey his message clearly and effectively showing the links between the currently emerging interactivity between media and society.

The beginning of the book touches on the notion of shared knowledge through various communicative venues resulting in mass collection of information sharing. Using Survivor Series as an example the notion of collective intelligence is brought about. Fans of the series engage in communication through various Internet forums, websites, and email in order to uncover the outcome of the show. This activity known as “spoiling” engages the audience in an effort of figuring out the outcome. Through information exchange and communication through various outlets spoilers are able to collectively uncover the mystery behind the show. In order to gain such results a certain level of cooperation between people with the common goal of uncovering the mystery.

“What holds a collective intelligence together is not the possession of knowledge – which is relatively static, but the social process of acquiring knowledge – which dynamic and participatory, continually testing and reaffirming the groups social ties (54).”

The social ties and connection gathered offer these communities a way to utilize technology in order to gain knowledge of the show, actively engaging and participating in the unfolding of the story. The information gathered through various outlets organized through the web show the convergence between old and new media in an effort for collective knowledge. According to Jenkins this engagement to the subject along with the social exchange pave the way for total investment by the viewers creating a more involved and loyal consumer.

These communities however are held together through the mutual production and reciprocal exchange of knowledge. More importantly they serve as sites for collective discussion, negotiation, and development,” and they prod the individual members to seek out new information for the common good (27).” This specific community containing a collective goal is not only limited to the viewers and fans of the show. Along with the viewers there are moles from various companies prodding the Internet forums, television, and music industry in an effort to reach and connect the products with the desires of the consumers.

Jenkins goes on to talk about the interaction between consumers and media. Through product placement companies are able to promote both the series and its sponsors. The television program engages the consumer and subtle forms of advertisement are placed within the show, as the company is able to promote their products without overwhelming the viewer. According to Jenkins producers want to direct traffic from television show to the Web and other points of media gaining entry in the construction of a franchise. Jenkins describes it as convergence between media (show) and audience through real-time interaction toward “asynchronous” participation. American Idol is used as an example showing the spillover into all forms of media making it accessible and available to the public. Jenkins referring to the show as a “trans-media franchise” the television program is visually transmitted; Idol website virtually transmitted; concert tour, and feature film, entitled From Justin to Kelly. Idols success is largely based on the marketing strategies, which allow for crossover into various media outlets increasing the availability and familiarity of their product.

The spillover from one media outlet to the other media outlets as a means to sustain excitement of the consumer is not only seen within American Idol. Jenkins uses the term Transmedia story telling as a way of classifying the integration of all outlets as a means to keep the audience at their heels. Using the Matrix as an example of a story being told through facets of media, with each medium making distinctive contributions to the understanding of the story being conveyed. The idea used by the creators of the Matrix was to create a story so large that one single medium could not fully contain the intricacies of the “Matrix Narrative”.

“The Wachowski brothers played the transmedia game very well, putting out the original film first to stimulate interest, offering up a few web comics to sustain the hard-core fan’s hunger for more information, launching the anime in anticipation of the second film, releasing the computer game alongside it to surf the publicity, bringing the whole cycle to a conclusion with The Matrix Revolutions, and then turning the whole mythology over to the player of the massively multiplayer online game (95).”

The constant publicity and exposure, which the movie garners due to its massive story, spilling over into all forms of media, is an example of the impact of convergence. According to Jenkins this ingestion of material across all forms of media offers depth of experience generating more consumption.

Jenkins goes on to give further example of the infiltration of media into all major facets of society social, economic, political, and cultural. Jenkins stresses that the essential aspect, which makes this convergence possible, is the interactivity between media and society. As a culture which, revolves around consumption, what better way to please the people than to figure out every possible way to attract and entice them into consuming.

Religious Context:

The similarity within popular culture and religion is evident. The concept of religion being sold to the society of consumers is similar to corporation’s effort in attracting new and loyal costumers. Like the American Idol transformation from television series to “ trans-media” empire is exactly the exposure, which religions are aiming for, in their goal to attract the masses. Religious groups are beginning to follow trend in converging their product making information accessible and available through all the mediums of communication. Religious groups are starting to utilize all the technology in the goal to attract the most followers. Religious books, video games, television series, film, and virtual websites have allowed for rapid exchange of ideas and information.

The investment, which is brought about through the media with certain shows occurring once, a week at a specific time and place. This investment shown by loyal fans parallels the participation of the religious activity while practicing their specific faith. Rituals are a large part of religion as producers and the media try to connect with the consumers they look to implement a sense of familiarity when choosing how to interact with the public. Religious groups are starting to use the similar methods in order to promote and spread their faith. The convergence, which Jenkins speaks of, also has hit and impacted the religious market. The exposure, which is accomplished through convergence, is exactly what religious groups yearn for. The collaboration between old and new forms of media has made religion more accessible and opened up a path where people can gather and express ideas from all over the world.

“As cyber space broadens the sphere of our social interactions, it becomes even more important to be able to talk about people we share in common via the media than people from our local community who will not be known by all the participants in an online conversation (84).”

The online communities formed are example to the impact, which the various outlets have on the way; people interact with religion as well as media.

Throughout the book Jenkins stresses the importance and impact, which is occurring between society and media. Jenkins shows with example that convergence culture is enabling new forms of participation and collaboration. The interaction as well as the interactivity between media and society is beginning to be utilized as a tool for the consumption of the public. The participation convergence is defined as a word “ that describes technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in the ways media circulates within our culture” The flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the interstices between old and new media (282).” This very idea is described and analyzed throughout the book by Jenkins, integrating pop culture examples of the present as a means to show the impact and changes, which are ongoing surrounding the interaction between people and media.

Bibliography

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture : Where Old and New Media Collide. New York
and London: New York University Press, 2006. Print.

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