CONVERGING MEDIA:A NEW INTRODUCTION TO MASS

COMMUNICATION

5th edition

John V Pavlik & Shawn McIntosh

Chapter 1:Mass Communication and Its Digital

Transformation

TELEPHONY: EXPLORING CONVERGENCE The telephone played a

major role in changing patterns of communication

Adapted telegraphy’s point-to-point, instantaneous communication, adding the element of voice

Not immediately thought of as an interpersonal communication device

How did the telephone become what it is today?

TELEPHONY: MAKING SENSE OF CONVERGENCE

Novelty: New communication devices fascinate us, but often do not have a clear initial purpose

Early “mis-application”: Not sure how to use new communication devices, we test out various ideas

What is “new” often has deep historical roots: We share similar information with each other through various communication devices

Ownership & control: Will industries be privately owned or regulated by government?

3 TYPES OF CONVERGENCE:

What is convergence? The coming together of computing,

telecommunications and media in a digital environment

Three types: Technological Economic Cultural

TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE

Rise of digital media and online communication networks

Digital media help change the way we use technologies

ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE Merging of Internet or

telecommunication companies with traditional media companies

Corporate umbrella includes formerly independent and dissimilar companies

CULTURAL CONVERGENCE Globalization of media

content: When an American television show is popular in other countries

Production and distribution of content: ‘Traditional’ media implies an audience of

passive receivers; new digital media invites an active audience who may make and distribute their own media.

8 IMPLICATIONS OF CONVERGENCE Media organization changes Media type changes Media content changes Media use changes Media distribution changes Media audience changes Media profession changes Attitude and value changes

MEDIA ORGANIZATION CHANGES

Centralized vs. converged media organizationsCentralized: functions of media - including production, distribution, marketing & advertising - are controlled by a single individual or unit

Converged: Functions of media may be de-centralized via the Internet, inviting more diffuse methods of production, distribution, marking and advertising

MEDIA TYPE CHANGES

How we engage with media in a state of flux: Where do we listen to the radio?

Different media are regulated differently and enjoy different freedoms and restrictions

MEDIA CONTENT CHANGES

Traditional content: Broadcast through a pre-determined, pre-arranged schedule with little if any consultation with audiences

On-demand content: Audiences have more control over when they attend to content

Digitized content: Through digital production & distribution methods, content can be available at any time of day

Wiki content: Audiences contribute to production and distribution of content

MEDIA USE CHANGES

“24/7” media environment: Always able to be “on” and “connected”

Mobile technology: We can take our media “everywhere”

Assumes equal access to, and knowledge of, variety of advanced technologies

MEDIA DISTRIBUTION CHANGES

Internet enables a global dialog; content can be more fluid, dynamic and rapidly transmitted

Audiences increasingly active in media use and distribution, bypassing corporate control, through:

Viral marketing: Rapid information travel; Internet equivalent of ‘word-of-mouth’

Peer-to-peer (P2P): Individual file sharing

User-generated content: Digital media enables audiences to develop own content

MEDIA AUDIENCE CHANGES

Traditional mass communication: One way communication from source large, anonymous, heterogeneous audience

Converged audience communication: Interactive model, able to create and distribute own content, if desired

‘Produsers’: How audiences use and consume contemporary media; can be both passive recipients and active creators

MEDIA PROFESSION CHANGES

Journalists and advertisers, for example, have increased competition with rapid changes in technologies and market place

Citizen journalism: interactive relationship where audiences contribute to story content and/or correction (with no corresponding formal training in principles of journalism)

ATTITUDE AND VALUE CHANGES With increased global, digital

communication comes increased desire for transparency and methods for gaining trust

Confusion over traditional notions of privacy for individuals and companies

Behavioral targeting: Advertising technique drawn from information we readily share through our digital footprint

Cookies: Digital tracking of our web habits, automatically archived

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION WITHIN MASS COMMUNICATION

Interpersonal communication (traditional): Interactive, face-to-face, generally one-to-one, between individuals familiar with each other

Mediated interpersonal communication: Interactive, generally one-to-one, between individuals familiar with each other, through an external medium, such as a telephone, IM, text, chatroom, or Twitter, for example

MASS COMMUNICATION

Mass media: Technologically based means of communicating between large numbers of people distributed widely over space or time

Media companies create and distribute content they believe audiences want; in traditional model, content creators represent and define reality

Synchronous media: Audiences assemble simultaneously with the broadcast/event; for example: live TV or radio show

Asynchronous media: Simultaneous assembly not required; audiences can attend on own time; for example: Newspaper or magazine reading

MASS COMMUNICATION AND CONVERGENCE

In current environment, lines between interpersonal and mass communication blurred: Each adopts characteristics of the other

Examples: Email: a form of mediated interpersonal communication that can

also be sent to mass numbers Weblogs (blogs): Individual writing that can also be followed by

mass numbers Twitter: Individual tweets can be sent to small or mass number of

people Web: quantity and fragmented nature of websites means a small,

dedicated follow or a mass following

FUNCTIONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Surveillance Correlation

Cultural transmission Entertainment

SURVEILLANCE

Information about the processes, issues, events and other developments in society; primarily connected to journalism

Consequence of surveillance: potential for too much ‘bad’ news, resulting in apathetic, disheartened audience

CORRELATION

Ways in which media interpret events and issues and ascribe meanings that help individuals understand roles within larger society

Journalism, advertising and public relations help shape public opinion; media can help maintain social stability

CULTURAL TRANSMISSION Transference of

dominant culture and subculture(s) from one generation to the next or to immigrants

Includes socialization, which helps people learn the rules of society

Potential for homogenized culture that promotes mindless consumption

ENTERTAINMENT Content designed

specifically and exclusively to entertain

Critics argue mass media encourages lowbrow entertainment and escapism

Entertainment can serve to perpetuate certain stereotypes

THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION Transmissio

n models Critical theory and

cultural studies

TRANSMISSION MODELS Shannon & Weaver

(1949): information source transmitter channel receiver destination

Schramm (1954): source (encodes) message/signal (transmitted directly or via medium) destination (receiver decodes)