Media Convergence - Explained

Summary

In this educational video, Mark, a newcomer to social media marketing with a background in economics and film, explores the concept of media convergence with the help of a knowledgeable friend. They delve into its five dimensions—technological, industrial, social, textual, and political—highlighting the impact of digitization and the internet on traditional media. The discussion covers the emergence of cross-media content, the rise of tech giants as content providers, social networks' influence, and transmedia storytelling. The video concludes with the implications of media convergence for policy and the PESO model in business communications, emphasizing its importance for modern marketers.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Media convergence is the interconnection of ICT, computer networks, and media content, transforming traditional media industries and enabling new content forms.
• 🔌 Technological convergence is driven by digitization and the Internet, combining computing, communication, and networked digital media platforms.
• 📰 Industrial convergence sees traditional media engaging in digital spaces, with tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft becoming significant content providers.
• 🤝 Social convergence is marked by the rise of social networks and the growth of user-generated content, changing how stories are shared and consumed.
• 📚 Textual convergence, or transmedia storytelling, involves telling stories across multiple platforms, reusing and remixing media content for wider distribution.
• 🏛 Political convergence brings challenges for policymakers, such as ensuring content diversity, regulating community standards, and meeting local content requirements in a global media landscape.
• 📈 The P/ESO model (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned, and Known media) benefits from media convergence, allowing brands to reach customers through multiple channels.
• 🎥 Mark, a talented film operator with an economics degree, seeks to understand media convergence to enhance his professional experience in social media marketing.
• 📈 Media convergence is crucial for professionals like Mark to adapt to the changing landscape of content creation and distribution across various platforms.
• 🌟 The script emphasizes the importance of understanding media convergence for anyone working in the media and communications industry, especially in the context of social media marketing.
• 📚 The five dimensions of media convergence—technological, industrial, social, textual, and political—are key to understanding the current and future state of media and communication.

Q & A

What is media convergence as described in the script?

Media convergence is a phenomenon that involves the interconnection of information and communication technologies, computer networks, and media content, leading to a transformation of established media industries, services, and work practices, and enabling new forms of content to emerge.

How does technological convergence impact the media landscape?

Technological convergence is a result of digitization of media content and the popularization of the Internet, combining computing, communication, and networked digital media platforms, allowing for the creation of cross-media content that transcends specific communication media.

What are the three C's that technological convergence combines?

The three C's are computing, communication, and concepts around networked digital media platforms.

What is the role of industrial convergence in the context of media?

Industrial convergence involves established media engaging in digital space and the rise of companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft as significant content providers.

How does social convergence manifest in the media industry?

Social convergence is characterized by the rise of large social network media and the growth of user-created content.

What is the term used to describe the storytelling practice in textual convergence?

Textual convergence is better known by the term 'transmedia storytelling,' where stories are told across multiple platforms with media content being reused and remixed for further spread.

How can media convergence benefit brands in terms of marketing strategies?

Media convergence benefits the PESO model of paid, earned, shared, and owned media, allowing brands to reach customers through multiple channels that work together to engage consumers exactly where, how, and when they want.

What are the five dimensions of media convergence mentioned in the script?

The five dimensions of media convergence are technological, industrial, social, textual, and political.

How does media convergence affect policy makers and their challenges?

Media convergence adds new challenges for policy makers on ensuring the diversity of ownership and content, regulating excess based on community standards, and meeting local content requirements in the age of global media.

What does the term 'cross-media content' refer to in the context of media convergence?

Cross-media content refers to media material that is transformed into various forms and spread across all available platforms, rather than being limited to a single medium.

How does media convergence enhance a professional's experience in the field?

Media convergence enhances a professional's experience by providing a broader range of tools and platforms for content creation and distribution, as well as requiring an understanding of multiple dimensions of media interaction and impact.