In COMM 404 at SCSU over the past few weeks we have been sharing a variety of in-depth reports on readings on the topic of media convergence and related concepts. It was insightful to hear the discussions that were brought on by some of the material that was presented. Most interesting to me was the idea of a worldwide media convergence in a manner of Far-Eastern ideas and trends becoming an inspiration to Western popular culture. An idea was mentioned that because there is an increase in technology availability worldwide, there will also be a shift in the characteristics of the audience, thus creating a demand for a wider variety of media available in a universal fashion.
     Upon further consideration of this concept, I would include the idea that with these changes happening in global media, including the increased availability of technology, should undoubtedly impact cultural values of people everywhere media becomes widely available. It will be interesting to see what effects the the worldwide converge of media, at such a rate,  will have on international relations and diplomacy with and inevitable increase in cross-cultural understanding.
     Another intriguing idea discussed was the interpretation of  media convergence as the convergence of media content more  so than the mediums themselves. This made me wonder about the possibility of universal technology increasing or staying unambiguous for capital gain. Furthermore, would said availability host a speedier increase to the global media convergence? I believe that it may, though I doubt that with the way capital gain is the driving force of the western media world, especially for electronic devices used to receive multimedia,  there would be no way to find out in the near future.

COMM 404 Blog Post #1

Convergence of media is the branches and leaves of mankind spanning outward and evermore organized and complex. The very idea of media being able to "converge" at all is an odd concept, considering that capabilities of the media are expanding all the time. Since popular smart-phones and other hand-held multimedia have become more readily available and widely used by the public, the visibility of media convergence has increased just as exponentially. My point is, as our globalized capabilities have expanded, we are rapidly converging in every facet of life with so much more information.

I watched a TED Talk recently about the beauty of data visualization which highlighted a few really interesting concepts and was presented well. My favorite part of the presentation is how he gathered a lot of data from social media sites. I suggest you check it out...

~remember to smile~