History and Analysis of New Media 3: Convergence Culture

The rise of convergence in the media industry could arguably be one of the most important creative movements in history, if not the 21st century. What was once exclusively the domain of a select few in the industry, it is now possible for anybody to create, publish and critique their own productions though a single device.

“...Convergence culture, where old and new media collide, where grass roots and corporate media intersect, where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways.” (Jenkins: 2006, 2)

Media platforms are being revolutionised, as their ‘all-inclusive’ nature develops. Where even a decade ago, it was essential to use many separate devices to create a respectable production, it is now possible to do everything, right down to editing, on a mobile phone. The portable and all inclusive nature of modern phones allow us to capture much more of the world practically, and simply. BBC World News recently experimented by filming an entire report on an iPhone. [2] Essentially, this makes the camera, lighting, sound and accompanying crew redundant, by a device that can fit in the palm of said crew's hands. The fact that the worlds largest broadcaster is showing interest in convergence is significant. It closes the gap between what a major corporation can produce, in comparison to the average person.

Today, the PC has become a window to the world, both gripping and insightful. Web surfers can download and share music, television shows, games and books, without moving from their chair. The nature of convergence culture, and the internets influence on it is perhaps best reflected by one of its early examples. ‘Bert is Evil,’ a simple joke image, edited in a bedroom, slowly became an international controversy due to its misuse and provocative nature.