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1960-1998:the Formation Of Concept "Media Convergence"

Posted on:2014-12-13Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:S ZengFull Text:PDF
GTID:2308330473457908Subject:Communication
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The concept "convergence" was proposed in social science in 1960s, introduced to the communication area, and gradually evolved to "media convergence" which attracts global interest in 1998. In this study, we apply a novel integrated approach of history and knowledge sociology, to study the evolution of concept "media convergence" among the 38 years. We investigate the interactions between various stages of media convergence and corresponding environments, including perspectives of policy, technology, capital, culture, and so on.The innovation and spread of electronic techniques dominates the early stages of media convergence. The convergence linked first broadcast and television, then compunications and media groups, later the 3C, and finally the Internet.However, technologies were not merely promoted by the scientific logic and society need. In the innovation stage, they were mostly driven by international competitions on military and economy; while in the spreading stage, they were regulated by policies and interests. Interestingly, the competitions, policies and interests were gradually affected by technologies vice versa. The bi-directional interaction reconstructed the concept "media convergence" from the original proposition of "liberty, democracy and justice".This study combines historical review of the concept "media convergence", with comprehensive evaluation of various deeper motivations promoting its formation and evolution. It provides not only converged references for further analysis, but also diverged opinions for better assessment of media convergence.
Keywords/Search Tags:media convergence, concept, technology, political economy, Social culture
PDF Full Text Request
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