A Case for Convergence

Jenkins makes a very strong argument in favor of media convergence for his introductory chapter (Jenkins, 2008). He does this by making the process itself clear, ensuring there are no misunderstands regarding the process of media convergence and the fact that no one media appliance can incite it, "(...) however sophisticated they may become." (Jenkins, 2008, p3). The reason for which being that as a process, "Convergence occurs within the brain of individual consumers."  (Jenkins, 2008, p3). Jenkins makes it explicitly clear he believes convergence is a natural process, powered by the demands of the consumers rather than the whims of the producers.

Jenkins goes on to further debunk any ideas of a fully fledged digital revolution forcing old to new media in a short time frame, he directly quotes Gilder, "The computer industry is converging with the television industry in the same sense that the automobile converged with the horse." (Gilder, 1994, p189). However, as Jenkins (p6) mentions all motion behind any revolution burst with the dot-com bubble.

The burst had shown that unless you had a very solid business plan such as Amazon or eBay, simply being digital, or labeling yourself as such on the stocks was not enough. To further debunk the idea, Jenkins cites the work of historian, Lisa Gitelman. Gitelman argues that there are two components to media, the delivery system and the protocols. Protocol can be carried across multiple delivery systems as they are improved over the years. As is so aptly quoted by Jenkins (p14), "Printed words did not kill spoken words. Cinema did not kill theater. Television did not kill radio." (Gitelman).

This is demonstrably clear, delivery systems are simply becoming more specialized. For example, you simply cannot watch a television in the car. You can however definitely listen to radio, thus the medium lives on as a niche that is only consumed within a specific context such as driving a car. The same can be said for the television, which is going to be the preferred delivery system of choice within the context of your living room. By considering real word examples, the idea of a complete displacement of old media seems erroneous as long as situations which restrict modes of consumption, or are unfavorable to new modes exist.

References

1. Jenkins, H., 2008. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide Revised, New York University Press.
2.  Gilder, G., 1994. Life after Television: The Coming Transformation of Media and American Life (New York: W. W. Norton)
3. Gitelman, L., Introduction: Media as Historical Subjects