Convergence

John Carey

Convergence is the merging or melding of media, for example, the merging of newspapers, radio, and television on the web, and the creation of multiple versions of a story for different media. There are many dimensions to convergence, including business consolidation, technology integration, functional convergence of news services, audience fragmentation, geographic convergence and changes in government regulations that make convergence possible. Convergence is a once popular buzzword that has fallen out of favor, and returned to popularity again because, while the term may have been overused, it captures a process that has been underway for some time, with significant implications for journalism. It is a response to both rapid changes in technology and shifting consumer behavior. Some scholars view convergence as inevitable (a result of the changing media environment); others view it with alarm, arguing that it is driven primarily by the profit motivations of large media conglomerates. For Media ...

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