Converging Communication,

Colliding Cultures:
Shifting Boundaries and the Meaning of “Our
Field”
 Media Convergence Areas
 Convergence occurs at various
levels throughout society and
institutions
 1. Technological convergence
 2. Organizational convergence
 3. Convergent journalism
 4. Media Use Convergence
 Diffusion of Convergence
 Media convergence spreading to
non-media fields
 Important to Media Scholars,
practitioners because it represents
external competition
 Social Darwinism at work
 Closed Media
 50 years ago, media scholars could
conceptualize Mass Communication as
follows:

Source Message Channel Receiver

Media News, TV Audiences
Companies Information,
Radio
& workers Entertainment
Newspape
r
 Old Model Assumptions
 1. It is directed toward relatively large,
heterogeneous, and anonymous audiences
 2. Messages transmitted publicly, often
timed to reach most audience members
simultaneously, and are transient in
character
 3. The communicator tends to be or operate
within a complex organization that may
involve great expense
New Model Assumptions
 1. Previously distinct technologies
are merging
 2. Shift from media scarcity to media
abundance
 3. Shift from content-geared-to-mass
to content-geared-to-groups or
individuals
 4. Shift from one-way to interactive
Implications of New
Assumptions
 The Source (Creator) no longer limited
to complex organizations & great
expense
 Message (Content) is being redefined
because we now have an abundance of
creators
 Channel (www) is open to everyone and
is increasingly two-way/interactive
 Receiver includes consumers and even
media companies!
 Expanding Media
Source Message Channel Receiver
Professional Information Visual One
Amateur Message Text Many
Consumer Education Animation One-time
Corporate Entertainmen Still/moving Repeat
Educator t Graphics Consumer
Marketer WWW Corporate
Media Network Media
Information and
Entertainment
 Neither either/or, previously exist
 Historically, information (serious)
and entertainment (light) have
been separate
 Only recently are Entertainment
and Information being consciously
blended, enhancing both
Ideal Content Blends Both
 Information that entertains is most
attended to, remembered
 Entertainment that informs teaches skills,
values, most benefits society
 These principles increasingly practiced by
creators in designing CONTENT
 At Techno-social level this is “Diffusion of
Convergence”
Implications & Suggestions
for Change
 Embrace non-media convergence
applications
 Look for ways to link Journalism &
Communication to other fields
 Example: Videoconferencing for
Journalism students under the
“cross-cultural language learning”
 Conclusion
 Media convergence extends beyond
traditional boundaries
 Diverse sectors and fields are embracing
and employing the same tools and
principles to create content
 Journalism and Mass Media and
Communication must expand to survive