Media Convergence - Book Report/Review Example

Media convergence worksheet 1. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence is simply the coming together of computing (information technology), communications and content. This means that the television and other forms of media have converged with computers which are deeply embedded in the world of technology. This convergence has ensured that the media is not redundant and not left behind with the influx of technology age that has engulfed the continent in the past decade (Dwyer, 2010). There are also other effects of this convergence both negative and positive as will be discussed below; but all in all, the convergence is a great thing. One effect of this convergence is that instead of having to own a television set and a computer at the same time to perform different functions like was the case in the past, a television set can be used to perform the roles the computer does for example browsing on the internet. This saves not only money and other resources but also time which used to be taken in movement from the television to the computer and vice versa. The convergence has also increased the choices for consumers who previously had limited ones. These choices are mostly to do with social networking and an increase in more information than people could possibly imagine. This therefore means that cultural globalization which is embedded in technology and localization which is in the media merges and the effects are magnanimous (Dwyer, 2010). The convergence may however not be all goodies all the way. Research has shown that with the convergence, the content may be interfered with politically now more than ever and hence having more political watch and debates which cannot be avoided since the technology and the television have merged and there is no escape. This is just one downside of this whole new exciting content which may happen or not happen at all. 2. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life? Previously, the media used to have its own business model and ways to generate its own revenue based on advertising and buying of stocks and shares of the media companies from the media owners to the public. These two ways generated a lot of revenue and is what made the media houses richer. With the convergence of technology and the media, there is a threat to the business model as previously known and this may mean a decline in revenues for some media owners and an increase for others. Advertising generates the most income for the media houses. With the convergence, there is an over-supply of advertisements and this makes the customers not pay attention to most of them for simply lack of time or just because they are too many for all to be viewed. The only advertisements that generate revenue with the convergence are those that are deemed as attractive, relevant and take very little airtime in play. This therefore means that the rest of the advertisements do not earn any revenues and hence affecting the profits (Dwyer,2010). The media houses before relied on competition of their products like movies and other programs to attract more consumers. The convergence of the internet and the television has made the competition redundant because it does not matter to the consumers which media house has what since all the products previously offered by different media houses are under one giant content. This means no competition and hence a reduction in profits. All is not lost however to the media owners and the business success of this convergence may still take place. All that is needed is more research on what the consumers prefer or what interests them the most and which is likely to bring in more revenue. The media owners may also decide to merge and surface as a strong team that will revolve the media convergence to their own advantage. Creativity is therefore the key and as long as the content is good and appealing to the public, the business will rise dramatically. 3. What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. The modern media brings about dependency and especially for those who are constantly consumers (majority are the youth and children). The issues can be categorized broadly into three different effects: cognitive, behavioral and affective (Potter, 2010). Each of these categories of issues will be discussed broadly below. When talking about cognitive issues, they have to do with the mind and its abilities which are interfered with by the dependency with the modern media. The modern media has influx of technology and information all which literary beg to be viewed and analyzed by the consumers. This influx means that the consumers have more than they can chew and this therefore starts to bring about confusion and eventually stress (techno stress) due to the fact that one has no idea which information to view or use and which to leave. The other dependency issue is affective. This has to do with emotions of those who consuming the modern media information. Dependency on the media means that people function as zombies and act according to what they have viewed on the television or internet. The constant viewing and dependency also brings about numbing feeling on its consumers whose level of emotions is largely controlled and dependent on what the media dictates. This therefore means that the consumers will have emotions of fear or anxiety not because it’s generated from within but because the modern media has dictated that, and this according to psychologists is the beginning of psychological conditions. Lastly, behavioral issues also result from dependency in modern media. This issue has been studied and researched widely and the conclusion is still the same. Constant exposure to the internet and media brings about dependency which in turn dictates the behavior of the consumer. The behavior is also dictated largely by the program the consumer is constantly exposed to which in most cases is action-oriented programs with many aspects of violence or romance programs. The behavior of the dependent consumer therefore becomes inclined to that: either a lot of sex or violence. 4. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media literacy brings about the issue of censorship of the content being aired according to the age of the viewers. This therefore means that behavioral issues which crop up as a result of age-inappropriate programs and other media convergence content will be curtailed. Media literacy also means that educational material will be more in the media than the entertainment material. The effect of this is that the media will not lead to production of zombie-like children and adults in future who have no other information other than entertainment but will yield a generation with children and adults who are knowledgeable in any all fields. This will turn around the negative effects associated with media dependency to positive outcomes. Literacy of the media is also associated with reduction of dependency on the media. This is possible by mixing of the content being viewed on the media. For example instead of having entertainment or education throughout, segments of “boring” programs which do not interest many people can be introduced. This way, during these “boring” programs, the consumers who are not interested can detach themselves from the television or any other form of media and go rest or do something else meaningful. This will have reduced the media consumption intake of many individuals (Potter, 2010). References Dwyer, T. (2010). Media Convergence. New York: McGraw-Hill International. Potter, W. J. (2010). Media Literacy. New York: SAGE. Read More