How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences within a media area which you have studied?

PLAN

TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE- it is the tendency that as technology changes, different technological systems sometimes evolve toward performing similar tasks. 
(it is when one device can do many things the other devices can do, for example, a smart phone can make and receive texts and calls, take photos, take videos, gain access to web 2.0, play games, watch videos, play music, have alarms and much more)

Examples of Technological convergence:

• Smart phones- makes calls and texts, access to web 2.0, can play games, can listen to music, can take photos, take videos
• Laptop- access to web 2.0, can play games, can listen to music, can make documents, can make video calls, some can take pictures, send and receive messages 

PRODUCTION 

• Devices such as smart phones has a video camera on it so it will allow people more people to film videos without buying more devices so will be cheaper
• Because more people will be able to film their own films there will be more competition for viewers
• Devices such as computers can now do more (edit clips, gain access to web 2.0, edit documents) so companies won't have to buy different devices to do these jobs, not only will it be quicker but it will also be cheaper 

DISTRIBUTION 

• Can advertise the film on many more platforms and those platforms can be accessed a lot more easily due to the fact that there are many more devices which can get access to web 2.0
• Due to technological convergence video cameras have been easy to get hold of (phones have good video cameras on them and many people have one) therefore there is more competition because there are more videos 
• Because many devices can gain access to web 2.0 people can share and upload videos easier therefore again there is more competition 

Case study- Ill manors had a small budget of only £100,000 so they used many free ways of marketing which largely involved web 2.0. They made a website, social media pages and a trailer to put on websites such as their own, their social media pages and YouTube. Due to technological convergence this way of marketing has had a big impact on the overall box office sales, which was £453,570 in the UK alone, as more people saw the advertising of the film. 

EXHIBITION 

• People can access the films on many devices
• Due to being able to access the film in more ways people are now free to watch the film when and where they want
• It may be harder for them to keep track of where (for example, on what website) they have allowed the film to be shown so it is easier for people to illegally watch the film, this will result in a loss of profit

Case study- Skyfall, which had a huge budget of an estimated £200,000,000, is accessible on websites such as Netflix, due to technological convergence many devices can gain access to web 2.0 so they can watch the film on many more devices other then just a computer or just on a TV through a DVD.

AUDIENCE

• It is easier for people to watch films because more devices allow them to
• They can gain access to web 2.0 on many devices so they can watch films on like also they are more likely to watch the trailer or see other marketing materials as a lot of it is online and their increased time online will mean they they see more 

Technological convergence is when device can do many different things that other devices can do. For example a smart phone can send and receive texts and calls, gain access to web 2.0 which a computer can do, take photos which a camera can do, play music, take videos and play games which a games console can do. Another example a games console can gain access to web 2.0. 

Production companies have benefited a lot from technological convergence. Computers can other devices such as tablets can now have editing software on them. This allows them to reduce the cost of buying other devices. However due to this and the fact that smart phones can now take videos and photos there is more competition. This is because there are many more accessible devices which people can buy that take videos and can have editing software on it because of technological convergence. 

Also, due to technological convergence companies now have more ways to market a film. For example, Ill manors had a small budget of only £100,000 so had to use cheap ways to market their film. They used web 2.0 to get more box office sales. This is by making their own website, social media page and by making a trailer and poster to put up on their website, social media page and other websites including YouTube. Because it has got easier to do this many more people are using methods like this. This is therefore creating more competition for the companies.