Convergence in the Media

Convergence in the media was the topic for discussion today in my journalism class. Convergence in the media is the connection between old and new forms of media and the transition where one media paradigm dies out and another is reborn.

Back in the old days, we refer to media as traditional or heritage and it composed of newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. These media platforms were mainly instrumented as a mass form of communication to target large aggregated audiences with their own specific market in mind. Back then people didn't check their Facebook or twitter accounts for information. People tuned in every night to listen to the news anchors that would report on the daily events.

For example, Walter Cronkite was a broadcast journalist for CBS network for over 19 years. He reported on events between 1937-1981, including World War II, Vietnam War, Watergate, the murders of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.. People considered him the most trusted man in America and considered him the voice of reason because of his honesty, impartiality, and level-headedness. There is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Here is a youtube clip where Cronkite announces the death of John F. Kennedy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8Q3cqGs7I 

Now during the 20th century, people rely on the internet for the majority of their news intake. Convergence in the media includes new media which is everything that is not covered by the notion of old. New media refers to things we use to get information, listen to music, watch movies, and anything we use to access the web. The web has been broken down into three platforms: web 1.0,  web 2.0, and web 3.0. Web 1.0 is a straightforward information gatherer. Web 2.0 is a social web without much interaction between people. Throughout the growth of web 2.0, people became producers of content with the use of Facebook, myspace, and twitter. With web 3.0, people are able to receive hyper-localised news, meaning news specific to them. This has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages being you are kept up to date on issues you are interested, but if you only hear news specific to you and your interests you'd be unaware of things happening everywhere else in the world.

The convergence in the media is not only technological. News outlets are wanting to make their audiences more comfortable and more at home when they view their news programs. For example, the news anchors maybe sitting on a couch instead of a usual news room set up. This is trying to develop the relationships between audiences and TV personal like the old days in media when people would tune in every night to listen to the news. Also, the way stories or issues are reported are differently. For example, discussing gay parenting and how their children may be affected by having two fathers would have never been a topic for discussion 30 years ago. The tones taken when delivering the news have changed. For example, the Colbert Report or the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. These are programs that deliver the news in humorous ways, but this can lead to unreliability and people can begin to trust this type of news outlet over a traditional journalist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fhs8foqnv8