Convergence Culture 49
javathut writes "Perhaps an alternate title for this book could have been "understanding your audience." For any Sony PS3 execs out there wondering why their technological masterpiece is being ridiculed by customers months before it's even released, or what the long-term repercussions of their DRM policies will be, Convergence Culture is a must read. Drawing upon case examples of how a variety of user communities adopt digital technologies, sometimes in ways completely opposite from what the designers intended, Jenkins offers numerous insights on how technology and media professionals can forge better relationships with their customers." Read the rest of Ravi's review.
Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide | |
author | Henry Jenkins |
pages | 336 |
publisher | New York University Press |
rating | 10 |
reviewer | Ravi Purushotma |
ISBN | 0814742815 |
summary | Convergence Culture offers numerous insights on how technology and media professionals can forge better relationships with their customers |
In one example, he follows the progression of the Harry Potter franchise after Warner Brothers purchased the film rights. In the interest of protecting their trademark, the studio sent out cease-and-desist letters to an online network of pre/teen [largely] girls who had been writing and sharing stories about Harry Potter as a way of learning to improve their writing skills. Rather than desisting, they coordinated a global protest that became a major P.R. headache for Warner Brothers -- who ultimately had to back down. This is likened to the confused message LucasFilms sent its customers when its movie division attempted to litigate control of the Star Wars storyline away from fans, while at the same LucasArts was trying to encourage players of Star Wars Gallaxies to explore and expand the Star Wars universe.
By themselves, the case studies are perhaps not that dissimilar from the many other accounts of industry execs completely botching their community relations. However, as the director of the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, Jenkins adds some insightful perspectives on thinking about technology and the structuring of new-media companies in response to internet communities. Contrasting the typical response of U.S. companies to technologies like filesharing, he looks at the attitudes of Japanese anime and manga producers -- outlining how their more open attitudes could have influenced the current popularity of Japanese-origin franchises within the United States. Similarly, he looks at the corporate structure behind the Matrix franchise (in particular the Enter The Matrix video game), demonstrating how elements of The Matrix design process could serve as a model for other industries.
The book also contains a second thread running through it looking at 'collective intelligence.' Basically, this can be thought of as a sort of Wisdom of Crowds view of what happens when customers become so tightly networked with one another that they can overpower media producers. One chapter looks at the tv series Survivor and how online spoiler teams shared satellite data, local knowledge and social networks to determine the show's conclusion before it aired. Rather than simply fighting efforts such as these as was done with Survivor, Jenkins outlines examples of how collective intelligence communities could be harnessed to advance products or causes. Using the extensive accomplishments of the 600,000 players in the popular Alternate Reality Game I Love Bees as a model for what is ultimately possible, he outlines how viral marketing, politics and other domains are changing in response to the increasing collaborative abilities of networked fans.
Having previously taken classes with Professor Jenkins, I had long been looking forward to the release of this book. Reading it, I was glad to find the same clear focus on real-world examples and practical applications that was emphasized in his classes. Overall, it reads far more similar to titles like Steven Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You or Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs than anything you'd expect from an academic professor.
As the subtitle "where old and new media collide" suggests, the book contains a pretty even split between traditional broadcast/cinematic media and web/video game/mobile media. Anyone interested only in a single media form probably won't find this book that different from any others on their topic. Rather, most of the more unique insights come from Jenkins's understanding of how these different media forms interact to re-enforce one another, and the ways in which consumers navigate between multiple media forms and online channels.
While most of the theories put forth in the book will likely remain relevant for years to come, a few of the case studies are already showing their age. For example, the Star Wars Gallaxies discussion appears to be written before the recent shakeup at Sony Online. This means readers will need to go beyond the book to remain fully up-to-date with some of the examples.
Overall, any reader should find Convergence Culture an extensively researched book using a conversational writing style that makes it truly engaging to read and clearly accessible. However, those in charge of managing community relations, online presence or designing media to cross multiple platforms would likely benefit from it the most.
Disclaimer Notice: The review author is a former MIT student who took classes taught by Henry Jenkins on this topic."
You can purchase Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Missing stories (Score:5, Interesting)
The main message in this book seems to be "Don't piss of your fans!" While some would argue that this is common sense, the provided examples prove otherwise. People do not want to feel like they are supporting a faceless corporation, so they rebel when their favorite product turns and tries to control them.
Re:Missing stories (Score:1, Offtopic)
Slurm Queen: As for you, you will be submerged in Royal Slurm which, in a matter of minutes, will transform you into a Slurm Queen like myself.
Small Glurmo #1: But, Your Highness, she's a commoner. Her Slurm will taste foul.
Slurm Queen: Yes! Which is why we'll market it as New Slurm. Then, when everyone hates it, we'll bring back Slurm Classic, and make billions!
Re:Missing stories (Score:2)
Where's the badly needed "+1 Esoteric geek reference" mod option?
New Coke (Score:3, Informative)
Coca-Cola had been enjoying tremendous success with a recent product, Diet Coke. So at some point the big brains at Coca-Cola decided that they might as well reform their product line so that all the Coke products had a similar taste.
It seems that, due to FDA restrictions on various artificial sweeteners in the U.S., Coca-Cola was not able to come up with a sugar free formula that tasted exactly like regular Coke. Instead
Re:New Coke (Score:2)
Re:New Coke (Score:2)
Actually it's Coca-Cola Zero, which addresses something else Coca-Cola marketers have been worrying about, that the labels "Coke" and "Diet Coke" have been watering down the "Coca-Cola" brand name.
Re: (Score:2)
All plausible enough, but where's your information from?
I've got a different the
Disclaimer (Score:5, Informative)
Wiki link [wikipedia.org] for Henry Jenkins
One of the first scholars to seriously study the effects of audience participation in media culture and its effects, and recognized as an expert in the influence of digital popular culture on behavior, including political behavior in a participatory media age.
Does Convergence Work? (Score:5, Interesting)
The biggest piece of convergence I can think of would be TV/VCR combos. While they do sell, they've never over taken TVs (even in small sizes).
Everything else I can try to think of I wouldn't call convergence. I'm not sure Clock-Radios should be counted, as it is just an enhancement of an alarm clock with a different alarm. Sure every oven and microwave has a clock in it, but that doesn't replace the clock elsewhere.
Everyone keeps talking about convergence, but by and large it doesn't seem to be successful anywhere that I can think of.
Anyone have any going counter-points to prove me wrong? I'd love to hear them. The only thing I can think of would be cell-phone/PDAs, but I would consider that arguable (after all, most are just PDAs with cell-phone hardware in them and one little application to drive the phone, they are hardly well merged; form factor is the same as a PDA).
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
-Rick
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
"And yes, having a CD/radio alarm clock does replace the need of having a cd player, a radio, an alarm, and a clock on my night stand."
Do you us
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
Because the alarm is a seperate entity that has been "converged" with a clock for so long that people consider is a single technology. My car has an alarm. My house has an alarm. My office has an alarm. My email client has an alarm. The alarm's function is to raise awareness. I could tie that alarm to any number of external entities to get the same functionality.
"Do you use the radio or C
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:3, Insightful)
A laptop is a covergence item combining screen, CPU, mouse, etc.
The iMac is similar.
Your house is a combination of technologies. Who would've thought they could put the bathroom inside the house?!
Convergence happens all around you, you're just not looking.
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:1)
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:1)
The hammer part being used to concuss the armoured knight, the claw part to pierce his helmet and kill him once you had him down.
Who knew they'd be useful for nails?
KFG
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:5, Funny)
Spoken like someone who has never experienced the wonder of the dildo toothbrush.
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:1)
Woman sat in bed with her husband in the bathroom getting ready for bed.
The husband pops round the corner with a dildo in hand and asks, "Have you seen my electric toothbrush".
Womans face turns to shocked and appears to remove said toothbrush from herself under the covers.
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
I'm not sure if the examples you offer are the sort of convergence discussed in the book. A TV with built in VCR is a combination device which doesn't bring about the audience-producer interaction that this seems to be related to.
The case studies mentioned in the review are instances where a corporate culture has encountered an independent culture that has sprung up around a product such as a TV show, book, game, or some gadget.
The geek example most people can pr
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
Um - bullshit?
There's plenty of games that are great on it. Just because you don't play them doesn't make them so. Now MOVIES - yes. The idea of micro-media instead of downloads is a no-brainer, until you realize that iTunes' video selling model only emerged AFTER the PSP specs were put down. I still enjoy transfering video onto a wide screen for portable video - compared to th
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
Now, for games... there's nothing all that inventive or novel about the PSP. Sure, there are some very playable games, but that doesn't make it a great gaming platform -- far from it... and here are two examples: First, compare the input options on the DS vs the PSP (for the record, I own neither of the systems) The m
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
I didn't know popularity precluded fun. I guess all the Mac users should just crawl under a rock and die right now because their platform of choice isn't "blowing the competition away". I thought it was just a decent computer - and the PSP is a decent portable game system. And as far as amazing - I dont dance in front of eyetoy cameras and wave wands around the room to get my game-on. I just want solid gameplay in a portable
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
TiVo.
Cell phone + camera.
Cell phone + email = crackberry.
Roller skate + sneaker = annoying kid conveyance at the malls these days.
Internet + walkman = Ipod.
Plenty of two-use devices. I can't think of much beyond the computer in general that successfully rolls a bunch of concepts into just one device.
I think the ipod is the big one; it's widely regarded to have succeeded based on how well it works with itunes, not just on
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:2)
I think this comment fell through a timewarp from the 80s.
Re:Does Convergence Work? (Score:1)
RVs (Score:1)
the best example I've seen of convergence... (Score:2)
Young people often just don't wear watches. Everyone my age does (mid 30s), but younger people often don't because they always have their cell phone and are used to using that.
Some of these people will wear wristwatches for fashion later, but as functionality thing, the wristwatch is in steep market decline.
Simple (Score:5, Insightful)
Simple:
It's common sense.
Where's my book deal?
Could you be talking about Linux? (Score:3, Interesting)
Include technology that offers possibilities instead of hinders them. - Show me your source code and I'll show you a better product.
Let hobbyists modify what they buy and you'll get free publicity. - Jump into that Open Source buzz.
Re:Simple (Score:2)
People want to do what they want to do. When THEY make it hard to do, people work around it. When THEY abuse people with lawsuits and buy themselves laws that criminalizes what people want to do, people move on to something else that doesn't
Re:"Improving Their Writing Skills"? (Score:1, Offtopic)
You're looking through the wrong end of the telescope.
KFG
Re:"Improving Their Writing Skills"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:"Improving Their Writing Skills"? (Score:2)
Re:"Improving Their Writing Skills"? (Score:2)
but the number of writers who started out writing media fanfic who went on to actually produce professional original works of fantasy and science fiction is vanishingly small.
How many accidentally improved their skills just enough so that their CV stood out above their competitors for jobs or university placements?
One of my biggest complaints when hiring is that most of the people I interview cannot communicate in writing. Their documentation skills suck so it makes it hard to share knowledge about work. E
The mentality of a community (Score:2, Funny)
I wondered about this, so I decided to let "Wisdom of Crowds" and "Mob Rule" fight it out... [googlefight.com]
Re:The mentality of a community (Score:1)
Information Wants to be free and shifty (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Information Wants to be free and shifty (Score:2, Insightful)
updates (Score:2, Informative)