Title: Converging Communication, Colliding Cultures: Shifting Boundaries and the Meaning of Our Field
1Converging Communication, Colliding
CulturesShifting Boundaries and the Meaning of
Our Field
- Jeff Wilkinson, PhD
- Assoc Prof, Journalism
- Regent University
- jwilkinson_at_regent.edu
2Media Convergence Areas
- Convergence occurs at various levels throughout
society and institutions - 1. Technological convergence
- 2. Organizational convergence
- 3. Convergent journalism
- 4. Media Use Convergence
3Diffusion of Convergence
- Media convergence spreading to non-media fields
- Important to Media Scholars, practitioners
because it represents external competition - Social Darwinism at work
- To better understand how media should respond,
revisit our assumptions
4SMCR revisited
- 50 years ago, media scholars could conceptualize
Mass Communication as follows
5Old Model Assumptions (Wright, 1959)
- 1. It is directed toward relatively large,
heterogeneous, and anonymous audiences - 2. Messages transmitted publicly, often timed to
reach most audience members simultaneously, and
are transient in character - 3. The communicator tends to be or operate within
a complex organization that may involve great
expense
6New Model Assumptions (McManus, 1994)
- 1. Previously distinct technologies are merging
(note have merged) - 2. Shift from media scarcity to media abundance
- 3. Shift from content-geared-to-mass to
content-geared-to-groups or individuals - 4. Shift from one-way to interactive
7Implications of New Assumptions
- The Source (Creator) no longer limited to complex
organizations great expense - Message (Content) is being redefined because we
now have an abundance of creators - Channel (www) is open to everyone and is
increasingly two-way/interactive - Receiver includes consumers and even media
companies!
8Expanding SMCR
9Back to the Beginning Key Constructs, Components
- Social Psychology and Neuropsychology consider
Cognitions and Affect as basic building blocks
for human beings - Cognitions Information
- Cerebral cortex centered, rational thinking
- Affect Entertainment
- Mid-brain centered, emotions/feelings
10Information and Entertainment
- Neither either/or, exist on continua
- Historically, information (serious) and
entertainment (light) have been separate - Only recently are Entertainment and Information
being consciously blended, enhancing both
11Ideal Content Blends Both
- Information that entertains is most attended to,
remembered - Entertainment that informs teaches skills,
values, most benefits society - These principles increasingly practiced by
creators in designing CONTENT - Macro-social level this is Diffusion of
Convergence
12Modeling the Diffusion of Convergence
13Examples of Collision 1 Art Architecture
- Full-service architecture firm
- http//www.3dworks.com/code/frameset_e.htm?view/c
ode/info_e.htm - QTVR Photography and imaging
- http//www.panoramas.dk/architecture.html
- http//www.qtvr.dk/uk/arkitektur.html
14Examples of Collision 2 Law
- http//dmoz.org/Society/Law/Services/Litigation_Su
pport/Evidence_and_Presentations/ - Animation
- http//3dcrimescene.com/
- Standard news documentary
- http//www.settlementvideo.com/
15Examples of Collision 3 Medicine
- http//www.symmation.com/content/medical-animation
.php - Images
- http//www.medtecimaging.com/
16Examples of Collision 4 Education
- Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) - Video for cross-cultural communication
- http//www.geocities.com/ehansonsmi/video_referenc
es.html - NECC podcast demonstrated interviewing on-air
skills of non-media educators
17Examples of Collision 5 Business
- Google search 10/11/05 for business school
multimedia yielded 32,600,000 hits - Online Design School-Graphic Web Multimedia
Business Marketing ... Online Design
School-Graphic Design, Web Design, Multimedia,
Business Marketing Design, Digital Arts
accredited certificate programs and
courses.www.sessions.edu/ - 10k - Cached -
Similar pages - Business School Multimedia Development and
Business BA (Hons) A Joint Degree in Multimedia
Development to provide broad knowledge of the
design, technical, social and legal issues that
organisations have to ...www.uce.ac.uk/web2/busin
ess/multimedia_business.html - 18k - Cached -
Similar pages - Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. Releases
First Multimedia ... Harvard Business School
announced commercial launch of the first
multimedia case ...www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/
1997/04.24/HarvardBusiness.html - 8k - Cached -
Similar pages - Rutgers Business School Multimedia Spring 2005
Rutgers Business School offering undergraduate,
graduate and doctoral programs.business.rutgers.e
du/default.aspx?id737 - 19k - Cached -
Similar pages
18Examples of Collision 6 Government
- Hong Kong
- http//www.policyaddress.gov.hk/05-06/eng/webcast.
htm - United States
- http//www.whitehouse.gov/news/
- http//www.whitehouse.gov/kids/videos/index.html
19Revisiting the Diffusion of Convergence Model
20Implications Suggestions for Change
- Embrace non-media convergence applications
- Look for ways to link Journalism Communication
to other fields - Example Videoconferencing for Journalism
students under the rubric of cross-cultural
language learning
21Journalism Cross-cultural communication, Spring
2005
- RU Journalism student met with students from
Tamkang University - Discuss perceptions, attitudes of Taiwanese
students regarding identity with Mainland China - Topic is political and very sensitive
22Conclusion
- Media convergence extends beyond traditional
boundaries - Diverse sectors and fields are embracing and
employing the same tools and principles to create
content - Journalism and Mass Media and Communication must
expand to survive