Convergence Culture

Henry Jenkins coined the term convergence culture in his 2008 book by the same name, building on earlier work on media convergence by Ithiel de Sola Pool. Convergence refers to the idea that different media structures and cultures are coming into contact with one another, rather than staying in separate spaces, and that the relationships between these systems continually shift and change. Both industry partnerships and audience activities—and even more so the tensions between them—shape convergence culture. The theory of convergence culture describes a world in which media content and audience activities flow between different platforms, such as film, video games, and novels, rather than staying bound and contained within one. It also points to a blurring of boundaries between traditionally separate spheres such as ...