Reading Response 2 - Taryn Hampton

I personally don’t buy into the idea that someday we will have black boxes delivering all forms of media to consumers. While we have seen increased functionality in devices such as the phone or cable boxes, that was only in response to new ways of viewing media. The television from 50 years ago is only different from today’s television in that it’s not as sleek or high definition. That being said, TVs are not the only devices we can watch television shows on. We now have our phones, the internet, and various tablets devices on top of television on which watch our favorite shows. This trend shows a divergence in technologies; more and more devices are being developed to feed an economy always looking for the next big thing. In this way the development of the iPad Mini was predictable; Apple needed a new product that would encourage regular Apple consumers to buy yet another Apple product, as well as something that would be more accessible to typical non-Apple consumers. This “new” technology, a scaled down version of the iPad, was a product driven by money, not by the want to make something particularly innovative.

This drive for money is also the main force behind most mainstream media convergence as well. Just look at all the books that have been turned into movies. I can safely say that this wasn't done in hopes of creating something profound or unique; rather it was done as a way to expand the audience and make more money off the story.  Profits-driven media convergence is everywhere. It is exceptions that take one media object and put it another to create a different meaning that makes convergence really interesting, and to see where popular images will be used out of context is exciting.