Television New Media and Convergence

A rising question which has been occurring for years is whether 'new' media such as the internet result in the extinction of television? A number of early theorists of new media argued 'yes' this was based on an assumption of radical difference between old and new. New technologies will directly impact upon people and cause them to change their practices. People will then move on where old media like TV will not be as relevant as before. 
1920 - The arrival of radio terrified the Newspaper industry, yet papers adapted to the change
1950 - Arrival of television was a threat to cinema. Cinema adapts to the change releasing the wide screen, horror genre and luxury seating. Not only this but television learnt to feed of cinema e.g. film music night.

By the end of the 90's people still enjoyed watching television but they also started consuming television media in different ways and spreading the 'textual love'. Sounds like something from the 60's there peace, love and all that jazz.
In 1974 media theorists Raymond Williams talked of 'planned flow'. The meaning of 'flow' relates to movement of media texts. Television programmes cant be understood as a set of discrete texts rather they must be understood in terms of texts that exist on TV. 
An example is the 2011 X-Factor final where 13.1 million people watched the show. This can be related to traditional 'appointment to view' television but with new media interactivity. 
Livingstone (2000) found that young people spent more time with new media not at the expense of old media, but other activities.


Television has survived and flourished as its content flows off the screen and into other media's. TV remains the central medium but is joined by other media which result in a rich ecology of forms of media delivering themed content/events. It can be said that new media forms seem to converge on content. It now exists in a multi-directional ecology. 
An example of this is Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies. It has online videos, online health guides, an online health checker and a 'share your pictures' forum. Channel 4 claims to support 'knowledge communities'. 


Paratexts relate to extra-textual elements that offer additional resources in interpreting texts. Such as websites which have character 'back stories' e.g. E4's Skins. Not only this but it can be related to blogs and online spoilers also. 
Within the Narrative Theory, paratexts can provide non-linear narratives, prequels and sequels and spoilers providing foreknowledge of narrative resolutions. 
Henry Jenkins (2006) conceptualises all this in terms of audience empowerment. Fan energies can be 'commodified' by corporate interests such as Jamie Oliver and his line of goods and adverts with Sainsburys. 

Convergence is a meaning which relates to making improvements within texts. It is the way in which new and old media converge together to make it better, much like TV and Cinema did in the 50's.