Convergence brings together different technologies to disseminate information. It gives audiences greater ability to intervene and influence events by producing and sharing symbolic content. The medium itself comes with socio-economic biases based on costs and policies. McLuhan argued that the medium itself carries a message beyond just content. While technology can determine its uses, society also shapes technology deployment based on social groups and power dynamics. Traditional news media are expanding to new platforms but citizen journalism is still limited by established players. 3G enables easier streaming and multi-tasking but remains niche in India. Future news focuses on community empowerment through civic and participatory media projects giving people ownership of local content. Convergence examines changing information environments and heightened expectations of participation.

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What is ‘Convergence’? Simply put, convergence is the bringing together of
different technologies to create a platform for the
dissemination of information. More specifically, the term
media convergence is used by Henry Jenkins to describe
the kinds of technological and economic changes that
foster the flow of media content across multiple delivery
technologies. While cultural convergence describes the
new ways that media audiences are engaging with and
making sense of these new forms of media content.
For example, the development of the web as a distribution
channel might empower amateur filmmakers to not only
make new kinds of films but also to reach new audiences.
How does it change the way Convergence gives the audience greater resources to
we interact with the media? symbolic power which was initially only in the hands of the
producers of media texts, i.e., consumers of the media
now have the ability to intervene in the course of events,
to influence the actions of others and indeed to create
events, by means of the production and transmission of
symbolic forms.
What is the nature of the The medium in itself is not neutral, it implies socio-
medium in the first place? economic distinctions as its cost as well as policy
determine how it will be distributed. This in turn implies
embedded attitudes. The medium will illicit a social
response irrespective of its content.
Moreover, concern with ‘effect’ rather than ‘meaning’ is a
basic change of our electric time, for effect involves the
total situation, and not a single level of information
movement (McLuhan). This can also be understood as
McLuhan’s ‘the medium is the message’, where for
example he states that a light bulb, even though may not
have content like a newspaper or TV program, it enables
people to create spaces during night time that would
otherwise not exist -- it is a medium that has social effect.
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Relation between Technological determinism argues that ‘it is the feature of
technology and society
technology that determines its use and the role of a
progressive society is to adapt to technological change.
Leila Green offers a further alternative perspective which
states that society develops and deploys technology, i.e.
social determinism. According to Green, a technology can
be thought of as a neutral entity only when the socio-
cultural context and issues circulating the specific
technology are removed, it will be then visible to us that
there lies a relationship of social groups and power
provided through the possession of technologies.
Present news media The traditional news landscape is dominated by the
newspaper, broadcast television and the radio which have
established themselves as credible sources of
information. These agencies have further extended to the
web, social networking and mobile applications. The idea
of citizen journalism is still clouded by the hegemony of
the traditional news media (who consider themselves the
watchdog of democracy).
Role of 3G 3G allows greater speeds of data transfer and thus makes
it easier to stream videos, make conference calls and
access high quality audio visual data with ease. This is
not to say that 2G does not facilitate video on the go. The
main difference apart from picture quality is that on 3G
two or more functions can be accessed simultaneously.
Given the presence of a variety of mobile media
applications already, there is no doubt that the way news
is delivered will be revolutionized in the near future.
However, it must be noted that 3G in India will not be
readily accessible to all. It remains, like the internet, a
niche market.
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Future of news media The focus is on close proximity communication, on
developing civic media and developing technology to
create informed communities. The emphasis shifts to
empowering society, empowering community and
empowering the individual but not at the expense of
people around them. Projects like the media bug, freedom
phone, virtual gaza, mobile media tool kit, comm.unity,
snap n’ share, virtual street corners, social reporter, video
volunteers, gram vaani community media and no park
give communities a sense of ownership, an opportunity to
document their own spaces, access the news and
information they need and use the technology accessible
to them to form resources. The future of the news media
is the audience not the institution.
Why convergence? In an attempt to understand what comes after traditional
news, it is important to understand new technologies and
the new social constructions that come about, to see what
the future of having informed communities is going to look
like. After all, as Jenkins highlights, the profound moment
of change in the way our information environment
operates has led to a heightened sense of expectations of
citizens to be able to participate in a meaningful way.
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