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A generation ago the term "media convergence" wasn’t even a part of the general lexicon. Now, convergence is all around us. As explained in the text, this idea of convergence means the combining of communication technologies to deliver a message. Media convergence is a phenomenon as revolutionary to communication as the invention of movable type or electronic communication. Such a monumental revolution has caused media owners, analysts and regulators to re-think the entire structure of information delivery to mass audiences. The computer has made this convergence technologically possible. Large computers are used to gather, digitize, store, package and transmit information. Smaller, yet still powerful personal computers, are used as receivers to bring words, sounds and sights to the audience. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 made convergence economically possible. The law was the first re-drafting of electronic communication law and regulation since the Federal Communications Act was passed in 1934. The 1996 law relaxed regulations on ownership of media content producing companies, content delivery companies, and combinations of both. Many scholars and analysts argue that someday people won’t need separate media to receive information. The messages delivered to previous generations through newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, and film will come to future generations through a single delivery system – and it will be digital. True to their instincts as players in a free market economy, the owners of traditional media saw the future early and in the last two decades have positioned themselves to take advantage of the coming revolution. In the marketplace of ideas, the marketers of those ideas, and the methods of delivering them, are converging, too. This creates a second definition of the new generation’s term "media convergence." The following case studies are just a few examples. Following each case study are activities: Go Find: Using the Web links in each case study, find the answers to the questions. Questions to Ponder: Some ideas to think about and discuss, either in class or study groups. Try This: Short activities to use your new knowledge outside the classroom. Try the Suggestion for a Major Project to further enhance your understanding of media convergence.
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