Electricity: The father of controlled chaos

I bet German physicist Otto von Guericke, English physicist Stephen Gray, Benjamin Franklin, Alessandro Volta, and George Simon Ohm didn't know their fascination with electrical currents would one day be the start of the controlled chaos of media convergence we today embrace as our beloved cable programming, world wide web, cell phones and video games systems? As Federman states McLuhan realized that the "effect of electricity and what he called 'all-at-once-ness' was implosive."

I found both readings fascinating, yet disturbing at the same time, to say the least. The introduction of Convergence Culture gives us a solid foundation to build our knowledge of the convergence platform by explaining the history or timeline of different types of media and how they relate. The Cultural Paradox of the Global Village snaps us into the reality of the multiple "digilives" many of us are leading with and without knowing. This article also eloquently revisits the concepts of acoustic versus visual space, but in a much easier to read format than our week one reading. There were several key ideas in the readings, but the three that stand out to me the most are: a) Our inability to shut out the effects of the Internet on our culture and society, b) the realizition of multiple digiSelves on the internet, and c) media convergence being more than a technological shift.

We learned that we cannot shut out the effects of the Internet on our culture and society. A prime example as stated in the text is the case of Senator Trent Lott who made racist comments that the conventional news media was going to ignore and not put a spotlight on it. We may never know why they weren't going to, but one thing we learned quickly as a result of the internet: Conventional journalists aren't the only ones with access to millions of "viewers". In this case, readers and writers of weblogs caught wind of the comments and decided it was newsworthy and began posting comments about the incident. With pressure and continuous focus from internet journalists, the mass media had no choice but to also feature the story and report on it in detail, and thus Senator Lott had to step down from his position.

The key idea that personally has had the most impact on me is the realization that many if not most of us have multiple digiSelves on the internet. As I began to read this section I thought of the multiple networking accounts I personally own and how different parts of my personality prevail on each site. The harsh reality sunk in that I have multiple digital personality disorder! I say that jokingly, but as Federman states "...manifestations of our identity exist on the web, in chat avatars, among weblogs, web page postings and other digital media, and thereby create numerous digiSelves." Jenkins supports this and states "Our lives, relationships, memories, fantasies, desires also flow across media channels. Being a lover or a mommy or a teacher occurs on multiple platforms." The possible ENVU avatar account that portrays this woman as a lover will probably have a completely different look than her Facebook account where she proudly displays pictures of her children, or the school networking site that she shares lesson plan ideas. What is disturbing about this concept is that although one may think they own or in full control of their digiLife, there has been no legal recourse establish to ownership, and thus once created it feels like your life is subject to open season to the government, savvy computer hackers or maybe just some high school student that's adept at programming. It's a vulnerable feeling, yet leading multiple digiLives can be addictive.

Jenkins states "Media convergence is more than simply a technological shift. Convergence alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres, and audiences." A great example our text gives of this concept was the author's inability to buy a cell phone that was just a phone. "On the other end of the spectrum, we may also be forced to deal with an escalation of functions within the same media appliance, functions that decrease the ability of that appliance to serve its original function, and so I can't get a cell phone that is just a phone." Demand drives the quality and content of our supply. When the salesperson said they no longer carried cell phones that only make and receive calls its because convergence has altered the way the end consumer processes information and communicates. We live in an age when people want the ability to communicate multiple ways from one device. With the right phone someone can be holding five or more conversations at once. Web enabled cell phones with text messaging allow users to hold simultaneous conversations by talking, texting, emailing (on multiple accounts), and instant messaging. This does not even include messaging via Facebook mobile. And so this media convergence has altered how we communicate and the number of people possibly in different parts of the world we may communicate with all at one time. Federman's take on this issue is similar "What is the culture of a place that is everywhere and nowhere, that is at once global but renders the globe obsolete, that globalizes the individual yet strips our individuality?"

Although I did find many of the concepts enlightening I did find one theory challenging. Federman states "It will not be long before we see the next phase of this evolution: theatres equipped so that patrons will actively engage in an online webgaming experience, while simultaneously watching the theatrical release of the film. The networked film-goer will simultaneously interact with the two entertainment media, and other audience members world-wide." This concept seems very far-fetched to me and I doubt that convergence will go to this extreme. Although we already see the motion picture industry collaborating with the gaming industry, I believe that watching a film fulfills a different need within a person at that time. Later when desiring to have interaction, then is when consumers will decide to play the game, but not at the same time. Additionally, although I agree with Jenkins that convergence is a process, not an endpoint, I do not agree that "There will be no single black box that controls the flow of media into our homes." I think products like the I-Phone are the first glimpse at this possibility.

The readings have prompted a couple of questions for me:

1) Will it ever be possible for the government to effectively monitor or regulate the internet and limit identity theft and fraud?
2) Will there always be a generational gap that will keep "obsolete" products around? Eg; Will some older people refuse to use a digital camera and thus a traditional camera and film always be around?