Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Convergence Culture

1) What is the author's understanding of convergence culture

The author sees it as a way of explaining the communities that have sprung up on the internet as a way of communicating.  Specifically, how people react and interact with others and the source material of things they like, and how that has been opened up from a select few with access to journals or other ways of publishing opinions.  Now, in contrast, literally anyone with the passion can come together and respond to media as a group.

2) What is creative engagement?

Creative engagement, in this sense, is how people are able to interact with the media that was, until recently, very much a one way street of communication.  Now the audience is able to do something with what they have gained.  This can be communities to create videos or works of art or stories about what they love, or it can be participating in group activities, such as the Survivor fans who try and deduce the next show's location.

3) How are participator's engaging?

Essentially any one of contributing is a way of engaging.  You can be one of the people who produce these works or help do the research for these projects, or you can simply offer your own knowledge and time to help with them.  Also importantly, there are people who might not directly contribute, but who help simply by being a form of audience as well.  The people who look at the art or read the stories or talk about the research are just as much a part of the engagement as any others, because they are the ones these things are essentially produced for.