Convergence!

            Convergence is the old and new media interacting together in complex ways.  There are five types of convergence identified by Henry Jenkins and they are as follows:  Economic Convergence; Organic Convergence; Cultural Convergence; Global Convergence; and Technological Convergence.  The human is still the center of all technology but with newer inventions coming out, Convergence is the answer to it all.

            For example, taking pictures with a cell phone and surfing the web on a television are two of the most common examples of convergence.  Today’s high school students have never known a world where the Internet didn’t exist.  Such a cultural change can cause a generation gap between those who grew up with the media and those who didn’t.  Convergence has also made multi-tasking much easier.

            When I think of the word Convergence, I think of my International Marketing class where we recently talked about the topic of 3D printers.  There has been a prototype of an electric car that was made with a 3D printer.  The parts of the car include its front and back panels, door panels, bumper systems, side skirts, wheel arches and lamp masks, along with some small interior items that took a total of 44 hours to print.  The final version of this car has been reported to have a top speed of 62 miles an hour and is tagged around $10,000 - $12,550.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daioWlkH7ZI)

            Convergence is changing the way people live in this society and will continue to grow and change our future for the better.  My predictions for the future will be that 3D printers will be able to soon print our lunches and dinner with the