Jowellyn Carole B.

Tutor August 22, 2018

I – BS Architecture

1. What constitutes a convergent media? How is it differentiated from traditional

media? Would you consider convergent media under the categories of new

media? Explain your answer.

Convergent media is composed of three things: the technological tools

such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops; the media such as radio stations,

television networks, and newspapers; and the internet.

The traditional media is characterized by its physical nature that’s why

it tends to be costly in terms of the distribution and production of its content,

while convergent media is characterized by its digital nature that’s why it has

lesser cost in distribution and production. Furthermore, traditional media has

limited reach and its dissemination process takes time. On the other hand,

convergent media can reach billions of people across the globe in an instant

through the help of the internet and it can even help these individuals interact

with each other.

Based on my perception, convergent media is not under the category

of new media, nor is it under the traditional media because it lies on the

boundary line between these two media. Through convergent media, people

can now access the radio, television, and newspaper and at the same time

play video games and write blogs in one device with the aid of the internet. In

one sense, this media destroys the boundary between the traditional and new
 media and, instead, bridges the gap by combining them into a single media —

the convergent media.

2. How do convergent media empower individuals to assert themselves in the

bigger society? Think of the metaphor of David and Goliath.

In earlier times, only publishers who work for huge media companies

are the only ones who can produce content, thus, information is controlled.

This also means that consumers have no power over the news that these

media firms feed them. But, today, media convergence has empowered

people from all walks of life to produce and distribute their own content to the

world. Furthermore, since consumers have now access to more information,

they have the power to choose what to believe and, at the same time, give

their opinions on certain issues. So, like the story David and Goliath, these

individuals are the modern-day Davids and those in the media companies are

the Goliaths. Through the digitization of media, these Davids can now contend

with the Goliaths with the aid of their one and only weapon, the internet.

3. Compare and contrast the evolution of communication from orality to literacy

and the evolution of media from traditional media to convergent media.

Reflecting on how these developments came about, what could be assumed

(or predicted) for the future of media production and consumption and/or

mass communication?

The evolution of communication from orality to literacy took place

because there was a dire need for faster and effective way of recording and
sending messages, while the evolution of media from traditional to convergent

happened because of the advent of technology and the consumer’s ever-

growing demand for convenience.

With the changes in the user preference, the communications and

media firms will face greater competition in these industries and will be

challenged to create new and improved innovations for the benefit of the

consumers. And because of the digitization and deregulation of media and

communication markets, there will be proliferation of privacy and security

threats online and so, these markets will now have to find ways in order to

eliminate these threats. In one sense, we could assume that in the future the

media consumption and production will increase and that mass

communication will continue to evolve.