Georgina Gonsalves- Supplemental Post #4

 TV & Industrial Studies

I personally favored Jenkins' article 'The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence'. Comparing to Holt, I felt Jenkins tone in the article was much more relatable while Holt felt much more concentrated on history and facts. I also appreciate the integration of consumer creativity rather than focusing solely on the corporate ownership and business elements.

I agree that the idea of convergence is central in today's world more than any other time in history. At a time where more technology and communicative/expressive tools and outlets are accessible to consumers, creativity amongst consumers is exploding and contributing to media change on both ends. New developments in technology and communication inspire creativity in consumers whether they realize it or not. On the media production end, creation of new media fuels consumer use, which in return fuels the media economy even further, They are almost interdependent on each other for growth, however, the balance of power between the two is constantly shifting with cultural and technological advances, making it difficult to predict the future of the media.

I especially favored the words of Pierre Levey, which Jenkins referenced in her article. His idea of "collective intelligence" where the internet forms a community of shared values, goals, and objectives, through sharing individual experiences. "No one knows anything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity". This reinforces Jenkins' idea of convergence in human experience and connection. 

I agree with Jenkins' statement "Convergence is both a top-down corporate-driven process, as well as a bottom-up consumer-driven process." On a corporate level, consumers accelerate the flow of media to be returned to consumers to further develop , where consumers seek more control from their position to contribute their own appropriation of media content. I felt a deep sense of understanding while reading tis article and found more interest because of its integration of consumer creativity and the interdependence between users and makers. In the past, consumers were much more passive and less engaging with the media, absorbing information like sponges, where as current consumers have developed an active drive to contribute, improve, express themselves and cultivate a media that is more personalized and self-driven.