What is convergence? It refers to the flow of content across multiple media platforms (such as smart phones, CDs) have migrated or mutated in between of the company and media industries. To make it simple, convergence means the media platforms change the behaviors and usages. For example, you can use mobile phone to log in Facebook, Microsoft Xbox 360 allows you not only play games but also playing dvd, music, and online.
Next, due to media and networks are converging , now we have two new terms "prosumer" and "produser". Both terms are similar, they describe a person is a consumer or user and producer at the same time. For example, I am the user of Google blogspot but at the same time I am the producer too because I am writing blog post like this. I produce information. "Prosumer" and "produser" are the new phenomena of media and networks convergence.
One of the characteristics of convergence is change from analogue to digital. A good example would be newspapers. Newspapers from printed copy shift to online one such as The Star, www.thestar.com.my. Readers could obtain news either from hard copy or through online. Online copies are more updated and timeliness. Besides, certain media also use analogue medium to perform well such as the DJ uses vinyl to do music but there are new type of vinyl that allows DJ produce music with CDs.
In addition, the advantages of convergence are able to multitasking and high availablity. Able to multitasking refers to convergent technologies like Internet allow users to do various works at the same time and also by the use of one medium only. For example, information search, social networking by using personal computer or laptop. While, high availability refers to the media, information, and other kinds of materials are available 24 hours and 365 days. Internet would not sleep thus, we could obtani to all the contents that available within the networks at anytime. Moreover, it is easier to access the contents if compare to old media such as newspapers, magazine, you have to search contents from a bulk of newspapers which is not effective.
Then, the disadvantage is hard to categorize the media and also the content. For example, smart phone. Nowadays, we can use smart phone to email, text, call, and even log in Facebook or twitter. Smart phone allows multitasking and look like it is not longer like a phone that for phone calls only. Therefore, how should we define the smart phone as what kind of media? Is it a phone? or multitasking gadget?
Last, the old media would not die but it change its form or the ways to deliver is mutated. We are not longer only receive information from old media such as newspapers, books and we actually can read books in digital forms such as e-books, or via Kindler reader. It is interesting to see the media converged and share information without charging. Like we could search information through Google.com and it is free. But, we do need the gadgets to access to free services and also obtain information. For example, we need a computer to use Google search engine.
