Media Convergence

In a technological sense, media convergence is all about integration and interoperability, the coming together of computing networks, information and communication technologies, and digital forms of information that are inherently adaptable, delivered via “intelligent” platforms, applications, and devices. The processes that facilitate media convergence are shaped by, while also shaping, social practices and cultural values; the ways that we produce and consume digital media to communicate science (as well as politics, sports, and so on) are changing. Where once people had opportunities to collate and filter scientific information via various “traditional” communication channels, [Page 470]now digital technologies are also playing an important role.

From an end user's perspective—both those consuming and those contributing—media convergence involves digital technologies that encode and decode multiple streams of (in this ...