My Analysis of Convergence

By definition, convergence is the process by which several things come together from different directions so as to eventually meet. Or as Henry Jenkins states on the cover of his book Convergence Culture, "where old and new media collide." It was interesting when Jenkins talked about the reactions from the salespeople when he asked to buy a cell phone that would just make calls without all the bells and whistles. They probably thought he had been living under a rock to not know that those types of phones don't exist anymore. I do remember some years back when I had my iPod shuffle and flip mobile phone and must admit, now with my iPhone, I do like having both my music and my phone in one device. Let's not forget, I can also take pictures, surf the internet, watch movies, and so much more with one "simple" device. Knowing that you could do multiple things with one device makes me question why Jenkins does not believe that a single black box will ever exist. Probably because as he states in his book, "convergence refers to a process, not an endpoint."  However, I must admit, it was true when he said he is seeing more and more boxes instead of less and less. I look at my game room and surrounding my TV is a DVD player, multiple game systems, cable box, etc. I guess the future will tell if a single black box option is just a misconception or not.

 Another interesting point that Jenkins touches on is transmedia storytelling which he indicates came to light in response to media convergence. This involves active audience participation in the telling of a story across multiple platforms. The end result - the audience enjoys a "richer entertainment experience." One of the examples Jenkins uses is The Matrix franchise; read more about what he has to say about this and transmedia storytelling in general by clicking here.

 Convergence is bringing about change and lots of it; in fact, Jenkins says so much so that he wouldn't be able to describe or document all of the changes. I believe that change can be good because many times with change comes improvement. After all, it isn't that old media is going away, it is just going to look new and different as it emerges through each stage in the process. I will be curious to see how the convergence culture plays out especially technologically.

 For more insight into the connection between convergence and DH, check out Defining Digital Humanities where convergence is listed as one of the top ideas and practices that begin to describe DH.