Convergence Culture

In the Introduction of Henry Jenkins' Convergence Culture, he defines "convergence" as the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who would go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they wanted. Convergence is a word that manages to describe technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes, depending on who's speaking and what they think they are talking about. In today's society, people expect all forms of technology and media to converge. However, these things are able to co-exist, rather than taking over a means of communication or technology all together. Participatory culture is in contrast of a convergence culture, a culture in which fans and other consumers are invited to actively participate in the creation and circulation of new content. People get to take part and voice their opinions on the changes that occur everyday. This feedback allows producers to understand what consumers do and do not agree with. With his experiences at MIT and publishing other books, Jenkins brings a unique perspective to culture and communication. The intended audience is all users of media, which is ever growing.