To Converge or to Diverge - That is the Question....

Recently there has been a lot of hype in the media world (ten words in and we're already talking about media - that'll help prove my point) about the Divergent film series based off of Veronica Roth's bestselling book series. The entirety of the first film talks about it means to be "divergent", which means to be different from everything else. And while the concept of being unique and different is such a hit with young adult readers these days, we have become anything but divergent. To use the antonym (and word we discussed in class) we have become entirely convergent, going in the exact opposite direction of being "different".

Being the opposite of divergent, convergent means to come together over one united purpose or goal. Essentially this concept is, theoretically, a good one, meaning it causes people to come together over something they believe in. The book and film series Divergent makes the concept of being different than what everyone else wants or believes in as a good thing, but because of the way the media (there's reference #2) has so quickly overtaken our lives, we are more convergent than ever.

In Henry Jenkins' book "Convergence Culture" he argues that the "circulation of media content -- across different media systems, competing media economies, and national borders -- depends heavily on consumer's active participation." And he's completely correct. The importance of the media (there's reference #6; there were three in the quote) and its power comes from the fact that we give it that power and importance - we as the consumers can't do without it. We actively participate in convergence, perhaps without even knowing what it actually means. As Jenkins said, we use media (there's #7) in multiple ways, whether it's through television, computers, tablets, phones, or anything else there might be, and yet it all comes together through these different devices. You can find the same story you saw on the Channel 5 News online, be it through what's "trending" on Facebook, or through the links on your MSN homepage. The media (#8) in all its different forms has come to be an active part of our society, and as Jenkins said, multiple other societies, as it is an international concept. We are the active participants in the rise of the media culture (#9) and whether we're aware of it or not, we will continue to do so. Regardless of if we want to be divergent and different from everyone else, it's nearly impossible to do so nowadays without being attached to some sort of media (#10), whether it's the TV, internet, or otherwise. Without knowing it, we are encouraging and actively making up the population of a convergent society. And as long as we do, we will never be quite as "divergent" as we'd like to think we are.

P.S. Notice the counting of the word media in this post - I kept count to further show the impact and inevitability of media in today's world - it would literally be impossible for me to keep up this blog without it, just as it would be impossible for you to read this without it. Just food for thought.

Remember, you're unique... just like everyone else;
- Robyn