Convergance: Content through a multitude of platforms!

Back in the day when Fleet street was in its element the mediums of the media were clearly seperated. TV, Newspapers and Radio all had there own specific content and never the three should meet. As our technological society has grown so have our methods of connection, the internet has developed to such an extent we are now able to sit on a bus playing Texas Hold'em Poker whilst our Smart phone downloads the latest article from the Guardian! This opens up levels not possible for industry and content and convergence plays a significant role in doing so.

Convergence is a term now used to define different types of content that can converge over a multitude of media based platforms. With convergence it can be broken down into two categories, Technological convergence would for example be something that an industry has been able to create a brand synergy from for instance the movie The Godfather. The movie has been converged over different platforms; it’s now available on a console game, mobile phone game and a variety of different merchandised items.

The effect of this creates a whole new dimension to industries development of income. It begins to reach consumers on levels that were not possible in its original form. One of the important points to note about this is that it is not to be confused with intertextuality. Intertextuality is effectively way content and texts refer to others, such as when the Simpsons spoofed an episode portraying Homer Simpson as the Godfather:

Another component of convergence could be participant convergence. New technologies now allow us as the public to participate n not just creating our own content but the retransformation of it. Consumers can now become the creators; with the rise of Photoshop we can put our own faces (or anybody’s for that matter) into media content. As consumers we have learned how to connect and interact with media content in a variety of different ways.

 This level of participatory convergence will fast outgrow what industries and media executives can create as we as consumer create content dependant on our own popular cultures. As we embark on new developments of technology and digitality convergence helps define the imaginative and creative methods that develop along with it.