The introduction to Henry Jenkins’ Convergence Culture, gives us a brief overview of what convergence really means. He describes what this emerging concept is  “a way of making sense of a moment of disorientating change. Convergence is, in that sense, an old concept taking on new meanings” (6). Society seems to always be in a state of convergence with the never ending shifts in technology. As a child, when I heard the word “phone,” I immediately thought of the huge-plastic-thing that hung on the kitchen wall. Now, it is hard not to think of a phone as a sleek device that keeps us connected to other people, the internet, and our music. Society today wants devices that do multiple things. In our busy world, where people are running from place to place, they can’t afford to haul around too many devices. Why have a CD player, phone, GPS system, and computer, when you can simply own a Blackberry that can do all of that and more? It is this efficiency that technology is aiming for, and in current times, it is also what artists (directors, writers, actors, ect.) are aiming for: and it is something they must adjust to in order to survive in society.

Jenkins uses the subsequent chapters in his book to delve into the media obsessions that people today indulge in. I was never a big fan of Survivor, but the first chapter revealed to me just HOW obsessive fans can be. And, with the use of the internet and blogs at their disposal, fans can follow their favorite reality television shows any time of the day with other fans. This concept of collective intelligence, refers to groups of individuals (all fans of a particular show, in this case Survivor) who go to almost any length to predict what is going to happen in the next show. Who is going to be kicked of the island next? What crazy test will they have to beat in the next show? Who hates who? Who is falling in love with who?

These nail-biting questions are discussed by avid fans. I was somewhat horrified to read about individuals such as Wezzie and Dan, who are extreme fans bordering on stalker-ish obsessers. These people seem to make it their life’s mission to know everything before everyone else and therefore have the “responsibility” to inform the fans of what’s really going on. While all of this interaction between producer and audience is amazing, I can’t help but think about how dangerous this concept poses to the original artists (and the actors). New technologies makes it harder for artists to remain at a safe distance, and opens them up to blown up scandals and unwanted attention that can be easily spread on the internet.

American Idol is another reality television show Jenkins brings to our attention. A true example of media convergence, this show relies on the use of your television, your phone, and the internet to give the audience power of what will happen in the subsequent episodes. Because of the power given to the audience, American Idol has become a world-wide phenomenon. This in turn has made broadcast stations, phone companies, advertisers, and magazine’s very happy. As Karla Peterson continues, “American Idol was not a summer fling, but a conniving multimedia monster. Shameless product placement. Bloodless nostalgia. Incestuous corporate hype. American Idol has absorbed the sins of our debaunched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil. And because we were so dazzled by its brazen lack of redeeming qualities, we stepped over the mess and happily followed it over the abyss” (61).

American Idol is just one example of the fact that passive media is dead. Now, audiences have a hand in almost everything they consume in the media. DVRs and TiVo allows people to skip unwanted ads, making harder for companies to reach consumers.