Convergence Culture – Summary and Questions-Daniel
Convergence Culture
By Henry Jenkins
First published in 2006, Henry Jenkins’ book, “Convergence Culture – Where Old and New Media Collide” discusses the intersection of three central ideas in a growingly interconnected world.
Media Convergence – defined as the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences across different media platforms.
Participatory Culture – is a concept where the publics are not merely consumers (of media) but also producers and contributors. Jenkins states that consumer’s active participation is one of the driving forces in the circulation and propagation of media across international boundaries and media systems.
Jenkins looks at media producers and consumers as participants who interact
with each other. But corporations still exert greater power than any individual consumer or even the aggregate of consumers.
Collective Intelligence – Because there is more information on any given topic than anyone can store, collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and collective efforts of many individuals.
“When fans or users work as communities to leverage their combined expertise, a collective intelligence process is generated.”
What is Media?
Jenkins begins by trying to define media. He turns to historian Lisa Gitelman’s model where on the one hand, a medium is a technology that enables communication while on the other, it is also the set of associated protocols and cultures that spring up as a result of that technology.
Jenkins calls these “communication enabling technologies”, delivery systems(cassettes, DVDs, mp3) – they become obsolete with time. But the set of social and cultural practices associated linger on adding to the layers of communication and information stratum.
Based on Gitelman’s model, Jenkins constructs an argument that convergence should not be understood merely as a technological process but also a cultural one.
According to Jenkins, convergence is a two way street where both media companies are looking to push content across media platforms for added revenue while the consumers are learning how to make media and become active participants, shifting the control of the flow of media.
Sometimes these corporate and grassroots efforts converge to form a synergy that is rewarding for both the consumer and media companies. But in some cases, these forces are at odds with each other and this constant push and pull is what is going to determine the future of American popular culture.
Transmedia Storytelling (The Matrix)
One of Jenkins’ most well known concepts has been his “transmedia story telling”, which has become influential not just within academia but also in media arts and advertising/marketing circles.
Jenkins describes transmedia as “a new aesthetic that has emerged in response to media convergence.” A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole.
What is the Matrix ? (film, game, comic, animation)
The Matrix, by the Wachowski brothers, is one of the best examples of transmedia content.
The Matrix universe consists of a trilogy of films, a ninety-minute program of short animated films (Animatrix), a series of comics from cult writers and artists and also two games—Enter the Matrix and a massively multiplayer game, The Matrix Online.
The story of the Matrix is very rich and elaborate unfolding across multiple platforms. There are narrative gaps and jumps in the films that are explained and expounded in the comics, games and animated shorts. While each component tells a contained story, all of them are interconnected by a central narrative and idea.
Characters in transmedia do not necessarily need to be introduced because they are known from other sources and audience familiarity with this structure allows scriptwriters to spend less time on expositional elements of the story.
In response to the mixed reviews the film got from traditional critics, Jenkins argues that we do not yet have the aesthetic criteria to evaluate works that unfold on multiple platforms because critics are not yet accustomed to reviewing not just the film but also the surround apparatus.
Some critics were also suspicious of the economic motives behind the Matrix calling it smart marketing more than smart storytelling. Jenkins also admits there are strong economic motives behind transmedia story telling. “Everything about the structure of the modern entertainment industry was designed with this single idea in mind—the construction and enhancement of entertainment franchises. “
But for all its innovation and experimental qualities, transmedia is not an entirely new concept. There have been previous examples in history. For example, the story of Jesus told through poem, songs, the bible. Jenkins also refers to greek mythology and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) as transmedia content.
The Art of World making
As more artists start creating transmedia stories that cannot be fully contained with a single work, they are more interested in the creation of “worlds” rather than stories.
Jenkins says that the “world” created is not just bigger than the film abut also the franchise – since fans add more layers to expand it in a variety of ways. (eg: Star Wars fan films)
Participatory/Fan Culture
In chapters 4 and 5 Jenkins demonstrates the growing visibility and influence of fans in participatory culture using the Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises as examples.
- Star Wars fan filmmakers and gamers, who are actively reshaping George Lucas’s mythology to satisfy their own fantasies and desires and how LucasArts has had to continually rethink its relations to Star Wars fans throughout the past several decades, trying to strike the right balance between encouraging the enthusiasm of their fans and protecting their investments in the series.
- Harry Potter fans who are writing their own stories about Hogwarts and its students.
In both these cases, grassroots artists are at odds with media companies who want to exert greater control of their intellectual property.
The reactions of media companies to this ever-growing visibility of fans have been twofold.
Prohibitionists, mostly film studios and record companies who are very protective of their work, with lawsuits directed against people who download pirated music or movies.
Collaborationists – experimenting with collaborating fans in the creation of content and considering them as grassroots intermediaries helping to promote the franchise. Eg- Star Wars Galaxies, Matrix Online,
Jenkins draws an important distinction between interactivity and participation when he talks about participatory culture – the limitations of interactivity are technological whereas participation is more open-ended and more “under the control of media consumers”.
Jenkins considers the gaming industry as a good example of a collaborationist approach where creators of multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have already established a more open-ended relationship with their customer base. As for the film studios, although making concessions may be hard to swallow, Jenkins says it will be inevitable if they are to curb the piracy of their content, which is integral to their economic livelihood.
In conclusion, Jenkins claims convergence culture represents a shift in the ways we interact with media. This shift is not instant but rather a process and we are already living in a convergence culture. We may be making this shift first through our relations with popular culture, but “the skills we acquire through play may have implications for how we learn, work, participate in the political process, and connect with other people around the world. “
Jenkins acknowledges not all consumers have access to the skills and resources needed to fully participate; yet he maintains as long the focus is on inaccessibility, the associated reforms will only be technological. But soon as we start talking about participation, “the emphasis shifts to cultural protocols and practices.”
Questions
•How would media convergence affect media literacy as people move from consuming media to producing and sharing it ?
• What would a copyright law that encourages user participation look like? When does participation become interference? Who decides?
•How do transmedia projects redefine traditional film criticism?