Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

Henry Jenkins

Published by New York University Press 2006

Convergence Culture

Where Old and New Media Collide

Henry Jenkins

https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814743683.001.0001

Overview
Contents

About this book

Winner of the 2007 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Katherine Singer Kovacs Book Award
2007 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A classic study on the dynamic between an individual and different media channels

Convergence Culture maps a new territory: where old and new media intersect, where grassroots and corporate media collide, where the power of the media producer and the power of the consumer interact in unpredictable ways.

Henry Jenkins, one of America’s most respected media analysts, delves beneath the new media hype to uncover the important cultural transformations that are taking place as media converge. He takes us into the secret world of Survivor Spoilers, where avid internet users pool their knowledge to unearth the show’s secrets before they are revealed on the air. He introduces us to young Harry Potter fans who are writing their own Hogwarts tales while executives at Warner Brothers struggle for control of their franchise. He shows us how The Matrix has pushed transmedia storytelling to new levels, creating a fictional world where consumers track down bits of the story across multiple media channels.Jenkins argues that struggles over convergence will redefine the face of American popular culture. Industry leaders see opportunities to direct content across many channels to increase revenue and broaden markets. At the same time, consumers envision a liberated public sphere, free of network controls, in a decentralized media environment. Sometimes corporate and grassroots efforts reinforce each other, creating closer, more rewarding relations between media producers and consumers. Sometimes these two forces are at war.

Jenkins provides a riveting introduction to the world where every story gets told and every brand gets sold across multiple media platforms. He explains the cultural shift that is occurring as consumers fight for control across disparate channels, changing the way we do business, elect our leaders, and educate our children.

Author / Editor information

Jenkins Henry :

Henry Jenkins is Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education at the University of Southern California. He is the author or coauthor of twenty books including Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture, and By Any Media Necessary: The New Youth Activism.Henry Jenkins is Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education at the University of Southern California. He is the author or coauthor of twenty books including Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture, and By Any Media Necessary: The New Youth Activism.

Reviews

Jenkins tries to bring clarity to cultural changes that are melting and morphing into new shapes on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly basis. Convergence Culture provides a view that looks at the restless ocean and tracks the currents rather than just looking at the individual rocks on the beach.

Jenkins is an astute observer of media culture and his insights are spot-on.

Remarkable . . . Jenkins insights are gripping and his prose is surprisingly entertaining and lucid for a book that is, at its core, intellectually rigorous . . . Jenkins impressive ability to break down complex concepts into readable prose makes this study vital and engaging.

For any Sony PS3 execs out there wondering why their technological masterpiece is being ridiculed by customers before its even released . . . Convergence Culture is a must read . . . Jenkins offers numerous insights on how technology and media professionals can forge better relationships with their customers.

Steven Johnson, author of the national bestseller, Everything Bad Is Good For You:
One of those rare works that is closer to an operating system than a traditional book: it's a platform that people will be building on for years to come. What's more, the book happens to be a briskly entertaining read—as startling, inventive, and witty as the culture it documents. It should be mandatory reading for anyone trying to make sense of todays popular culture but thankfully, a book this fun to read doesn’t need a mandate.

Will Wright, creator of SimCity and The Sims:
Jenkins offers crucial insight into an unexpected and unforeseen future. Unlike most predictions about how New Media will shape the world in which we live, the reality is turning out far stranger and more interesting than we might have imagined. The social implications of this change could be staggering.

Bruce Sterling, author, blogger, visionary:
I thought I knew twenty-first century pop media until I read Henry Jenkins. The fresh research and radical insights in Convergence Culture deserve a wide and thoughtful readership. Bring on the monolithic block of eyeballs.

The standard convergence narrative of recent years presents media concentration as a threat both to the diversity of communication channels and to individuals' opportunities to engage in public discourse. A respected and well-established media scholar, Jenkins here counters such pessimistic perspectives on the brave new media world with theoretical and evidentiary attestations to the growing power of individuals and grassroots groups to affect the larger media landscape.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction:“Worship at the Altar of Convergence” A New Paradigm for Understanding Media Change Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Spoiling Survivor The Anatomy of a Knowledge Community Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
2. Buying into American Idol How We Are Being Sold on Reality Television Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
3. Searching for the Origami Unicorn The Matrix and Transmedia Storytelling Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
4. Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars? Grassroots Creativity Meets the Media Industry Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
5. Why Heather Can Write Media Literacy and the Harry Potter Wars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
6. Photoshop for Democracy The New Relationship between Politics and Popular Culture Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
Conclusion Democratizing Television? The Politics of Participation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	240
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	308

Language: English
Publisher: New York University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Keywords: cultural; Survivor; American Idol; The Matrix; Star Wars; Harry Potter; arts and culture; art and social change; art and social justice; new media; technology; photography; film; creativity; pop culture; computers; communication

eBook

Published: August 1, 2006
ISBN: 9780814743683