Henry Jenkins - Notes on Understanding Convergence Culture

November 21, 2008

Henry Jenkins of MIT's Convergence Culture Consortium begin with a slide that said, "If it doesn't spread -- it's dead!" and then a picture of a Dr. Seuss-like creature with the words: "Amazed I was, it made such sense. And it was at so little expense! No press release, no ad campaign. Those days are gone, the rules have changed!" And thus began MIT's Futures of Entertainment 3.

What is the magical black box that all data will flow through? We see various images of what media might flow through. There's the iPhone, the computer -- the Mp3 Player.

If you look up "Convergence" on Google, you also get the picture of blanket with patterns of different shapes on it. Henry pointed out that we need "a cultural understanding of what convergence means", and that is is, "not simply a magical set of links between technologies," but different cultures mingling together.

Choice in New Media

"We are selectively choosing what media to pass on. There is a rational way in which we pass media along."

Convergence as Culture

I'm talking about Convergence as a cultural rather than a technological process .We now live in world where every story, image, sound, idea band, and relationship which will play itself out across all possible media platforms. We have to understand the social context in which media is shared, because, "convergence is in our social interactions with each other -- not necessarily in technological devices".

Network Societies

"In a networked society, people are increasingly forming knowledge communities to pool information and work together to solve problems they could not confront individually. We call that collective intelligence.

Dispersed Media Communities

We're seeing the emergence of a new for of participatory culture (a contemporary version of folk culture) as consumers take media in their own hangs, reworking is content to serve their personal and collective interests. We live in a world without gatekeepers. The ability of almost anyone to put anything into mass circulation ---the shattering of gatekeepers created by the Internet.

Convergence culture has represented a transition in our media culture. What takes us beyond what What were' going now is uncharted territory. It has become an industry preoccupation to try to understand participatory culture. How do businesses understand the new business model, the new consumer? We're going into a space that we don't know how to understand yet -- and we're trying to figure out how to describe it. What tools, what ideas can we use to understand it?

"Web 2.0 starts as a booster," he said, "we have an increasingly aware consumer base that is increasingly question the database of people that make money off of the things we make. We need to bargain for what our identity and our relationships look like".  What I was really excited about is that he dissolved the idea of "viral media" as a magical media that people can just apply to a product -- and that the simple application of that product will make everything wonderful.

He also brought up the idea of hybrid spaces, that different motivated groups operating side-by-side in the same spaces . Non-profit, government, educational, business, individuals. New kinds of collaborations and interests between those entities.

The Shape of Convergence Culture

"What are the ways we're going to live in this new convergence culture? Where is this content coming from? Who is making it -- who is watching it? How to get people to watch it?" What does the entertainment industry have to morph into as it courts its consumers? These were some of the questions asked by Henry Jenkins. There will be more as the conference progresses. Thanks for tuning in!