Thursday, January 24, 2008
Capitalizing on Our Convergence Culture
At some point, our culture has changed to one that thrives on obsession. The general public has a generalized taste in all of its forms of entertainment, and the marketers as well as the media have figured out a way to capitalize on those obsessive generalizations. Our modern convergence culture is the perfect environment for a free enterprise. Chapter 2 of the text, Convergence Culture, breaks down the American Idol phenomenon in its first few pages, pointing out how record ratings and popularity led to an explosion of network marketing opportunities. The initial success of the show led to a tour, DVD’s, chart-topping music singles, and a theater-released motion picture. All of these things were/are designed to thrive on America’s obsession with a reality TV show. It’s an obsession that benefits so many forms of media that people are/started exploring and utilizing technology that they had previously neglected, such as text messaging. The entertainment-starved nature of the American public has created the perfect environment media businesses to substantially profit from the simplest of concepts. Assuming it’s marketed properly. ;-)
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4 comments:
Why do you think we thrive on obsession? Is it something new about people in the U.S.? Have the media's delivery system done this to us? Something else? Dr. L
I think we thrive on obsessions because the normal hum-drum of the average American's everyday life leaves something substantial lacking. I think we all search for something to care about and something to put our whole selves into that takes us away from the boringness of normalcy. Some people pour themselves over their work, others bear down on their children, and a few obsess over reality TV.
I think in some way, American culture is one that always has thrived on obsession. The immigrants to the US thrived on the obsession of making a lives for themselves and some thrive on their obsessions with career or education. I'm not sure if it is just because of our normal everyday routine that we are this way or if it is just something that is innate in everyone of us as an American. However, I do believe that media delivery systems have enlarged our possibilities to become obsessed in. Because of them, we have more options for things to engross our free time with. Just something to think about though.
I agree, the media has simply given us more things to become engrossed in, but is that good or bad? At what point does it all become too much?
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