Chapter 2 - Convergence and the Reshaping of Mass Communication

The system in which mass media operates has been constantly changing ever since the 1830's. The mediums associated with it have been increasing - newspapers then came magazines, motion pictures, radio, television and finally the Internet. Before the internet all the mediums complemented each other and prospered side by side. Due to the Internet's impact, the media has faced significant changes   in the forms of concentration of ownership, audience fragmentation, hyper-commercialization and convergence. The process of mass communication has also changed due to the fact that people are increasingly developing media literacy skills. Individuals are now the content producer and receiver as Charles Bigelow said "our society is changing from consumers to creators. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) helps with this as it allows the audience to create their own profiles and put any content they want. Because of the internet and wireless satellite transactions in general, the feedback process has changed and there is immediate, detailed feedback which was not possible before.