60s - Calling
90s - Calling/Texting
now? - Calling/ Texting/ Facebook/ Tweeter/ YouTube/ GPS/ Apps/ Videos etc etc
Ever think what might happen next time?
A single tab might even enable you to start your car's engine! Who knows right?
And why is all these happening? It's because of the media convergence!
Phone is no more just a phone. You can do plenty of things using that tiny little device.
TV is no more just a TV. You can even MSN or Skpye through that.
Maybe in 5 years time, an oven is no more just an oven. It might be able to teleport foods from other place to yours!
In fact, media convergence helped us alot. At least we no longer have to on the computer, wait for a couple of minutes just for it to start up and dial the modem so that it is connected to the Internet then only we can check our email. Instead, just a tab in the iPhone/Android/ Blackberry saves the time.
We don't need to wait for a week to have your message delivered to somewhere else but just a call would do the job. No more carry a world map/ local map everywhere when you have the smart phone on hand.
In Jenkin's study, it says media convergence is a process, not an endpoint. Which is really true. In fact, the ideas will not stop here. Compare the differences of iPhone to iPhone 4. It's improving day by day and soon, iPhone 5 is launching and it's still counting. It will never end.
However, like what Jenkin said in the study,
Many parents complain that the media floodgates have opened into their living rooms and that they are no longer able to exercise meaning choices about what media should enter their homesIndeed, the producers are the one to come out with the products, but the consumer actually have a choice to take or not to take the idea. There are always parents/people complaining that the wide use of smart phones is influencing their kids and those with a smartphone are most likely facing it 24/7. But who should take the blame? Producers create things but they can't control how the consumer use it. At the end of the day, the consumer is the one who should do the job of controlling.
But! Sometimes, don't you think that media convergence is not as good as what we thought? Because of them, we lack of socializing with people around us anymore.
Because of them, the kids nowadays is over-exposed to digital devices.
Because of them, the traditional medium is fading off.
Imagine, if a kid nowadays can play an iPad way better than us, can text way faster than we do, know more apps than we do, I guess newspaper is not long away from the muzium.
Seriously, I won't be surprised if a kid in 50 years later doesn't know what a newspaper is.
Again, media convergence have both good and the downside. It's just depends on how the producers and consumers use it. It's not just a give and take process. In between these two steps, it includes "think". Think wisely before you use. =)
In 50 years later, kid would not know what is newspaper is possible.Like now we see those kids who are over-exposed to digital devices, some people might say that they did not have any memorable childhood. But what I can say is different genenation caused it, could not totally blame on the improvement of technology. Anyways, I agree that media convergence have advantages and disadvantages, it just depend on how we view on it.
ReplyDeleteYup, actually I don't think media convergence seem good, it's true that, Media convergence make our life more easier and convenience, but yet it made a person become more lazy, because of social networking, peoples interact less. People will less exercise after all, people tend to sit in front of the computer whole day.. NO break, the eye can't leave with the computer screen, what will cause if a person sit too long?
ReplyDeletewell, The kids are over-exposed to digital devices, I would say still i prefer traditional media, new media affect human health， as the radiation around us while using computer. It's made peoples growth older.
hehe :D
It's so true that the kids spend more time on the new technology - ipad. This will reduce the time for the kids to do outdoor activity. I remember when I was a kid, i don't even know what is computer but the kids now have iPad. This is due to the media convergence.
ReplyDeleteA 3 years old kid told me that he wake up early in the morning and play iPad while his parents was still sleeping. He is really addicted to iPad. This is very bad. This will affect the health of a kid while cant get enough sleep. It might also affect the kids mentally - not socialable, and physically - not into outdoor games.
But then the new technology really help us to make our work easier, so, the parents should know how to control the kids to play with the pad or new technology to not let them addicted to it. =)
I am agree with you "who should take the blame" point.
ReplyDeleteProducers are a bunch of creative people who create a better media to satisfy a bunch of users. Their job is to 'create' and 'satisfy'. They are not the one who need to control which users should stop using the media or which users can use the media.
Us, are the people who should take care of ourselves and others as well, especially kids. Children nowadays has being influenced by media badly. Even children from primary school has iPad or iPhone. They check Facebook, check in where they are, playing games and more! They need to be control. Not producers, but parents. Parents should take the responsibility.
But ya, Media convergence brings us a lot of advantages as well. It brings people entertainments and convenience. Appreciate what we have now from media convergence, do not misuse, because it will brings big impact towards you and people around you. :)
Now we just need to push a button then can start engine already. Jia xin you need to do more research about car already, kidding. I agree with what you said in your posting, 50 years later, maybe the kids would not know what newspaper is about and the looking of newspaper. Nowadays, my 2 years old cousin using I-pad for stories reading, I feel inconceivable as in my generation, 2 years old I still keep asking my mum to buy a story book for me, but now, everything is provided online. I can’t think about the future’s technologies , maybe people can see the 3D effects for the whole story through whatever pad but in my opinion, the old or traditional media should be remain as this is belongs to kids’ glorious childhood. The invasion of technologies had brought 20’s generation kids to technology world and far away from earth nature. This will be a bad phenomenon in their growing process.
ReplyDeleteThe media floodgates pours open as we live each day. Every single day new products are under development, and poof! The next thing we know, yet another smartphone, yet another camera, yet another gadget!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that we have business and pleasure in one go with these devices, we call black box, but as you've mentioned, people are being so dependant with it that they're neglecting the real world and the communication.
I think it's not that terrible yet in our class. I mean, so far I do see people logging on with their black box excessively but never have I encountered someone who eats, sleeps, breathes black box.
But people are moving towards the pattern. Will everyone become an anti-social soon? This has been the question since Week 1. We're all expecting little kids to grow up with only gadgets and nothing else.
It's alarming but then again, when everyone's having a gadget, we subtly conforms to it too. Pretty soon, everyone with this attitude will be governed by gadgets. I think by then, we won't need any boyfriends or girlfriends anymore! :P
I agree with you about "thinking wisely". Everything is up to the individual themselves. Whether they let gadgets take over then or they learn how to limit themselves accordingly. Where's your progress now?
I think I still have my own limitations. I don't own a smartphone nor iPad. Yet! Maybe that'll change. Who knows? *Shrugs*
:DD
Media convergence actually creates a barrier on face to face conversation as we are too rely on digital media and the gadgets nowadays. Sometimes, i will think of the symbol =D to show how happy amd i but i just cant do it in the real world. It should be in another way where we should not be able to express the true feeling in digital but now, we are dealing better in internet than in real world. This would lead to a bad effects to human being.
ReplyDeleteGood point you having here. There was interesting example that you are using. Well, with the media convergence,we certainly can get the advantage of it. But this advantage may not goes to the traditional media which the obvious example is the newspaper. Everything are keep improving like you said even iPhone is keep updating their design and version. It's very true that you said everyone should be use wisely before using as when comes to media convergence, the main harm is not only our mind but also our healthy.
ReplyDelete