The Internet presents a complex area of study that requires the deconstruction of previous theorisations to move towards ideas that support the dynamism of the subject and that follow new technological advancements. Without the notion of media convergence, it is difficult to comprehend the evolution of human behaviours in relation to the progression of new smart mobile technologies. Essentially, by convergence, Jenkins referred to the flow of content across multiple platforms, as well as the collaboration between media industries and audiences. Exploring the paradigmatic notion of convergence, he described the shift of communication systems and media environments. The augmented interdependence among communication systems produced the collision between different media settings (old and new). In that way, print, television, radio and the Internet merged together. Laptops and mobile phones are concrete examples of this shift that present various levels of interactivity, such as social media platforms.
Technological developments brought together multiple functions and became a phone, television, stereo and photocamera all-in-one device, producing also visible modifications of people’s behaviours, leading to arguments for the advance of the new cultural phenomenon of convergence culture. The undeniable innovation of convergence was that multimedia contents and information shifted across different media easily and quickly. The widespread use of mobile devices and smart applications are examples of this conduct that encourages people to create, share, modify and move contents, stories and images from one means to another. Evident consequences of these possibilities are now recognisable in the facility to alter existing aesthetic models, ways of telling stories, informing, communicating and engaging.
An emblematic example of this alteration was dated 28 April 2004 when, during 60 Minutes, the historic CBS television programme disclosed, for the first time, services and images related to Abu Ghraib tortures. A series of amateur photographs, taken by digital cameras and mobile phones, conveyed the scandalous happenings inside the Iraqi prison. That memorable episode showed how the potential of media convergence brought new forms of collection, storing and sharing never seen before. In fact, Gaby, taking as visual examples episodes captured with camera phones, described how they break the unclear line between amateur and professional journalism, bringing into discussion the idea of live streaming as a current trend of information sharing and visual communication.
Civilizational Roots of Technology: Rise of History and Advanced Life
