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A Day in the Life of Digital Convergence: The Evolution of

Television

Web 207, RWMC

Christidis-17094210

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IntroductionTelevision is an integral part of most consumers every day lives. Whether it poses as a source of comfort, entertainment or used for educational purposes, the television is interacted with daily.

However in recent years, the ways we watch and interact with television has drastically changed. We are no longer passive consumers of the medium who have their schedules dictated by the TV guide. Instead consumers have been given much more power and different roles in the way we interact with television in our every days lives. Many of these changes can be attributed to the emergence of digital convergence and digitisation.

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So what’s digital convergence anyway?

Digital convergence can be defined as “the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who would go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they wanted” (Jenkins, 2006, para. 2).

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And digitisation?

Digitisation relates to “the process of making an electronic version of a 'real world' object or event, enabling the object to be stored, displayed and manipulated on a computer, and disseminated over networks and/or the World Wide Web” (Eadie, 2005, para. 2).

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The Effect on Television

Digitisation and convergence have changed: The ways we watch television The roles of consumers and producers of

this content Transmedia and overflow The distribution of this content

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The Way We Watch TelevisionBefore ConvergenceThe act of watching television used to be sacred. Whether it was a child waking up especially early to watch cartoons on a Saturday morning or a family finishing dinner early to gather around the living room to watch their favourite show; television has a part in dictating our schedule in order not to miss out on a regularly scheduled program or broadcast.

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The Way We Watch TelevisionBefore ConvergenceThe act of watching a television show also had to had to be done in front of a television itself.

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The Way We Watch TelevisionAfter ConvergenceTV shows don’t necessarily have to be watched on a television. Your favourite shows can be watched on a range of different media devices such as laptops, iPads and smartphones. TV can be watched anytime, anywhere and it’s all up to the consumer!

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What does this mean?

This demonstrates that “television is part of an ever changing menu of programming to be accessed at our convenience, not a steady stream of broadcasting to be tapped into at someone else’s convenience” (Mittel, 2006, para. 7).

Consumers are given much more power to dictate their own schedules and given the option to watch television anywhere.

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The Roles of Consumers and ProducersBefore ConvergenceViewers of television were passive consumers who have very limited say on what they witness on television.

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Roles of Consumers and ProducersAfter convergenceConsumers are given much more power and their opinions are much more weighted. There are many more platforms to express themselves such as blogging, social media, online fan communities. These platforms can also be used to mobilise fans from all over the world to get what they desire from their favourite TV shows. This also ensures that their opinions will be heard by producers and possibly considered.

Using my personal blog to comment and express my opinion on the recent events of Grey’s Anatomy

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Transmedia & OverflowTransmedia refers to the “process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience” (Jenkins, 2007, para. 3).

Transmedia results in overflow. This gives both traditional consumers and producers to create their own content and interact with television in new ways.

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Transmedia and OverflowBefore ConvergenceThe plot and universe in television shows are strictly only played out and explored on the show itself. Consumers don’t play a part in creating content.

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Transmedia & OverflowAfter Convergence Especially dedicated fans are no longer satisfied with just watching the TV show. Instead they find other ways to interact with the show’s universe. This can be done through transmedia content such as books, games, toys and websites which are all created by the original producers of this content. (Jenkins 2007). This is a valuable marketing opportunity for media conglomerates (Jenkins 2007).

(RobThomas 2015). The discontinued Veronica Mars TV series lives on through novels which adds to fan’s understanding on Veronica Mars universe but doesn’t affect the major plot.

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Transmedia & OverflowAfter ConvergenceFans can also create their own content, adding to their favourite show’s universe. This results in overflow and can take many forms such as fan fiction and meme creation. This demonstrates that fans can also become producers of this content.

For example, here’s me writing my own fanfiction piece where Derek doesn’t die and they all live happily ever after.

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Distribution: Digital Distance Before Convergence

Television was traditionally provided by major television networks. Viewers were required to wait patiently for the broadcasts which enhanced their viewing experiences due to excitement and anticipation.

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Distribution: Digital DistanceAfter convergenceThere are many more ways for consumers to access this content such as live streaming services including Hulu.com (Leaver 2008). As there are many more ways for fans to connect to each other from across the globe, the risk of spoilers becomes significant. Fans must decide whether or not to isolate themselves from the community or allow their viewing experiences to be ruined by spoilers (Leaver 2010).

Accurate representation on how it feels to be on the other side of the world when your fandom has just experienced a major episode of your favourite television show

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In conclusion…Before digitisation and convergence, your daily interactions would probably go something like this:You would plan your day to specifically allow you to catch your scheduled favourite TV show . You and your family would gather around the television set together to watch. This viewing experience seems sacred and hasn’t been ruined by the risk of spoilers. During the discussion of the TV show, your views and opinions would be unheard by the creators of the show and would only occur in the immediate physical environment.

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While after convergence your daily interaction of television would be vastly different:You can watch your favourite television show anytime, anywhere on a variety of different devices, due to spoilers you may already know what would happen in this latest episode. After viewing you may decide to blog your opinions on what you’ve just seen or participate in the online fan community. You may also be able to expand your knowledge on the show’s universe by playing the official game or checking out the show’s website. It’s also possible to create your own content about the show through fanfiction. Overall you have become a much more powerful, interactive consumer.

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Our every day interactions with television have vastly changed due to the rise of digitisation and

convergence. These interacts will continue to change in the future as convergence and

digitisation are continuing processes.

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A Day in the Life of Digital Convergence: The Evolution of Television by Danica Christidis is

licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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References Eadie, M. (2005). The Digitisation Process: an introduction to some key

themes. Retrieved from http://www.ahds.ac.uk/__print__/creating/information- papers/digitisation-process/index.htm.

Jenkins, H. (2006, June 19). Welcome To Convergence Culture. [Web log post]. Retrieved from h

ttp://henryjenkins.org/2006/06/welcome_to_convergence_culture.html. Jenkins, H. (2007, March 22). Transmedia Storytelling 101. [Web log post].

Retrieved fromhttp://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html.

Leaver, T. (2008). Watching Battlestar Galactica in Australia and the Tyranny of Digital Distance. Media International Australia, 126, 145-154. Retrieved from http://link.library.curtin.edu.au/p?cur_digitool_dc162834.  

Leaver, T. (2010). FlashForward or FlashBack: Television Distribution in 2010. Flow TV, 11, 1. Retrieved from http://flowtv.org/?p=4668.

Mittel, J. (2006). Tivoing Childhood. Flow TV, 3, 1. Retrieved from http://flowtv.org/2006/02/tivoing-childhood/.

RobThomas. (2015, January 20). The 2nd #VERONICAMARS novel, #MrKissandTell is now available! I will be at Austin’s Book People 1/30 signing copies. [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/RobThomas/media.