Media convergence free essay sample

What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology is simply the merging of different content in different media channels. Prime example of this is books, newspapers, and magazines; all of these can be found on the internet using smartphones, laptops, computers, and tablets. All books, newspapers, and magazines can be found places like amazon, ebay, or even on a specific website such as The New York Times. In the past the lines between media with the TV, radio, and newspapers where clear as day. Now with the internet and all of the ways one can access the internet, the methods have recently became blurred. Today you can log on to a local news website and get up to date information on what is going on. Example of this would be last weekend’s top story in celebrity news of Paul Walkers deadly accident. It was all over the internet media as soon as it was confirmed, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. were all hot spots to this news, not to mention websites like TMZ. How media converges regarding technology affected everyday life it has made getting news a lot easier. Instead of waiting for the next news broadcast, you can log on to the news website and get your update in real time. The waiting to hear information that is important to you is your house hold is the thing of the past. Merging the new and the old ways of receiving media is only going to get better and faster. ( The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013) What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence brings together computing, communications, and content. Also known as the three C’s. The two primary levels that convergence has occurred are the technologies level and the industries companies. The technologies level the creative content is converted into digital forms that can wirelessly be routed to smart phones, PDA’s, and DVR’s. The industry companies have merge to form alliances to bulid new business ideas to help the company profit. The business convergence allows the consumer to be more proactive when searching or reasearching a product of choice or interest. With the twilight of the old media, businesses are able to reach out to a larger crowd of people. With the daily use of cellphones, laptops, tablets and social media networks businesses can reach out to more that a certin population, there are no limits to who they can reach. With that being said the companies make a huge profit from the technologies convergence now than they have ever in the past. ( The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013) The media convergence in regards to the effects on the everyday life is substantial. Every day we used our devices to access the media which in turn has a big impact As to the choice people make in their lives. The media can influence what one eats, wears, votes and even how they raise their families. With reports of â€Å"experts† and famous faces linked to certain brands, with the access to the worldwide web, people are influenced even when they do not realize it. The businesses are the ones who benefit the most from the media convergences. ( The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013) What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. Some of the issues I see that result from dependency on modern media would be the influences that the media might have on people. With the provocative commercial for the Revlon Make up products, basically stating you will be viewed sexier if you use their makeup, or remember in the 1980s when the entire cigarette commercial made you think you would be cooler if you smoked. The influence the media has on the public is tremendous. The media can influence children as to what is â€Å"wrong† or â€Å"right† in the view of the producer. You can be influenced as to what to believe in, or if there is any proven fact that there is anything to believe in. The media has tried to pick apart the Bible more times than I can count, or that I am even aware of; for someone who is on the fence with their faith then this could have a horrible effect on their beliefs. The media has too much influence on today’s decision making. It has even been proven that the media can influence what you are going to wear. The next up and coming styles. If that’s not bad enough for you, then the fact that the media can influence what you eat should really have you thinking. The media is always having commercial or a health related show to explain the importance of a good diet. They then tell you what is good for you and what will bring you the best result and nutrition. They can influence they types of meat you choose to eat or not eat by relating it to a religion or a belief system. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media literacy helps with responsible consumption by allowing the consumer’s to know what the intended product is and how it works. Those who understand how advertising works are less likely to be manipulated by the maker’s method of advertising. A prime example of this would be Infomercials which offer â€Å"expert† advice and points of views by people who have used the product, or so they say. If you know your media and how the infomercial world works then you will be able to see the underlined product without taking in account the opinions of others. Being able to read what the media is saying with the tools they use such as the angles of the camera, the use of certain colors, lighting, and music. Knowing what role each of these has in the sales of a product is vital to being truly media literate; Which in turn will allow you to make responsible consumer choices. (Frank, 2012) The same way we learned to read and write, we can learn to read the media as well. By doing this we can learn to analyze and evaluate the messages that the media is giving. Being media literate is so important in today world. Being able to read the messages that the media is sending is going to help you decipher the bias opinions on the news of products, understand the messages and the meaning to the messages. As well as the finding out the part of the message being left out and making your own decisions based on you own values and not those that are being portrayed in that source of media. Being media literate will give us the upper hand when it comes to making a responsible consumer choice. (Media Literacy Project)