Is media convergence a singular process with a fixed end point (Thorburn & Jenkins, 2004)?

This questions if only one media conglomerate would monopolize the industry, with only certain kinds of technology available in the market. Thorburn and Jenkins disagree; perceiving media convergence as a process. Technology is constantly evolving and multi-dimensional, rather than singular in nature (Thorburn & Jenkins, 2004). In this article, I will be elaborating upon Thorburn and Jenkins stand. Corporations seek to have a greater market share in order to capture greater profits. In the media industry, each conglomerate produces new products to remain competitive and maintain and/or increase their market share. Take Apple for example. Apple= designed the iPod in order to remain a step ahead of its competitors. Although Apple sales are increasing, other players such as Microsoft, Blackberry, and HTC exist alongside the former. Each corporation is coming up with their own cutting-edge technological device. Hewlett-Packards TouchPad, HTCs JetStream, and Blackberrys Torch 9800 are some examples. Wanting to clinch a sizeable market share, these corporations will persist in pushing the boundaries of technology, striving to create THE technological device. Moreover, different corporations have their own loyal followersbrand loyalty is another crucial aspect corporations leverage on to maintain their sales. This illustrates the intense competition and product diversity within the industryrefuting the idea of a specific delivery systememerge(ing) triumphant. THE iPod. Sleek, compact: a music player. However, compared to five to six decades ago, music today was not what we experience it to be. Music has evolved drastically. In the 1950s, the medium which music was listened through was the radio. It was a collective experience whereby families gathered around it for entertainment. In the 1970s, the boom box was invented. From having to gather around one radio, the boom box enabled people to enjoy music without being confined to sitting near a home stereo system. This signaled a shift from collective to individual experience. In 1979, the first portable music player was developed. With its advent arose the portable audio accessories industry. This further re-defined the music experience into a personal one, becoming a part of ones identity rather than providing entertainment alone. In 1984, Sonys first portable CD player was invented. This meant greater storage space, lighter weight than cassettes, with higher audio quality. Simultaneously, the Walkman continued gaining popularity till late 1980s. Not only were people unfamiliar with the CD player, it was also costly. In 1998, the MP3 was developed, followed by the legendary iPod three years later. In this brief timeline, it is apparent that media convergence is a continual process. The way people relate to music, peoples preferences which are shaped by their gender, age and culture, have all undergone vast changes over the past 5 decades. As the i-range revolutionized Apple, the image and identity people associated with music evolved. Now, having an i-Pod, or i-Pad adds a cool or sophisticated air to ones image. Some may perceive the Apple family: iPod, iPhone, iPad, i to be THE point of convergence. However, I beg to differ. At the rate in which technology is developing, it is unconceivable what technological feats would be achievable a few decades from today. The title, The makings of the iPod is a paradox in relation to the article as the iPod is but one of the many inventions over the past five decades. It is crtical of convergence (being a) singular process with a fixed end point. Futhermore, although the design of the article suggests that the iPod is the be all and end all, it is otherwise so. References: Huss, J. (n.d.). The Present. In From Walkman to Ipod. The Evolution of Personal Music Player. Retrieved September 3, 2011, from http://walkmantoipod.wordpress.com/the-present/ Huss, J. (n.d.). The Past. In From Walkman to Ipod. The Evolution of Personal Music Player. Retrieved September 3, 2011, from http://walkmantoipod.wordpress.com/the-past/ Thorburn, D., & Jenkins, H. (2004). Toward an Aesthetics of Transition. Rethinking Media Change. MIT Press, Cambridge. 2004. 1-18. Done By: Gan Jin AI Clarissa U090965Y