Convergence Culture

Media analyst Henry Jenkins examines what happens where old and new media meet, where grassroots and corporate media clash, and where producers and consumers wield power in unpredictable ways. His cases include Survivor spoiler hunters who pool their knowledge online to uncover the show's secrets before broadcast, young Harry Potter fans writing their own Hogwarts stories while Warner Brothers tries to keep control of the franchise, and The Matrix, whose story is spread across many media channels. In his view, fights over convergence will remake American popular culture, as companies push content across channels and consumers seek a public sphere free of network control. Media scholars credit the book with establishing the term convergence culture.

Bogdana Butnar, head of strategy at Poke, put it on her ultimate books to read list for advertising.