Convergence/Divergence

Imagine, if you will, a life without electronics. Imagine a world where everything that we did or used didn't revolve around anything electronical. That's a question that most of us would probably never imagine ever happening. In today's society, over 95 percent of things that we use are electronical (source 1). Fortunately (or unfortunately) that number will only increase thanks to what is known as media convergence. Meaning that items that we use today that makes our lives better will converge with other useful items in an attempt to make our lives a little bit easier and faster. A lot of media converging has already begun which includes music in cell phones (putting MP3 compatibility in all new cell phones) and television and internet (putting live and recorded television shows over the internet) just to name a few. These types of media convergence is something that would look as though would make things easier and faster. One of the main goals of convergence is to not only to combine hardware, but to make media that much more efficient. Though the thought of convergence sounds like it would be more of a benefit then a problem, some people are against the thought of convergence. Sure, combining different forms of medium will help those in the long run, but is it any better then what we already have now?

On the exact opposite of the spectrum there is media divergence. Some people in the world believe that converging so much into one can save time, but can become quite cumbersome. In other words, having one machine that does several different task can become more of a distraction then an actual helper. According to text book Broadcasting in America by Sydney Head, those who are against convergence are to be thought of as "technophobia-the fear of or lack of interest in technology on the part of many Americans" (Head 7). On the average, Mr. Head seems to be correct with his assumption. Those who do not know much or anything about computers would not be apt to go out and buy a brand new computer that has converged much of the new HD technology because they don't know anything about it. On the same end, those who aren't that knowledgeable about DVD's or the new HD-TV televisions won't be the first in line to spend thousands on dollars on something they know nothing about. From that same source, it mentions one of the biggest parts of divergences deals with age. With all of the new technology coming out on the market and the adoption of converging many of these already complicated items into one machine, it's getting harder and harder to stay with the crowd. Those who were born before the age of the information superhighway will undoubtedly be left behind.

The current trends in America, as mentioned above, are ever growing. Take, for example, the talk going on today about having television interactive with the internet. A new device which is in production by Sony called the IPTV allows the consumer to hook the television up to their computers and watch web streaming videos instead of watching the cable channels that the cable companies are charging for (Sony 1). In theory, for those in favor of convergence, sounds like a fantastic that would allow you to almost pick what you wanted to watch at anytime. It would give those who are savvy with the computer an opportunity to interact with what they watch. The possibilities for a set like that are endless.