What is the Importance of Technological Convergence for Institutions and Audiences?

What is the Importance of Technological Convergence for Institutions and Audiences?

Technological convergence is when various forms of technology merge in order to supply the consumers with easier access to forms of media. An example of this would be a Smartphone, which is able to supply the audience with a  camera and video camera, connection to Web 2.0, music, applications/video games, a storage device, films and the basic requirements of a mobile phone (phone and text). There are advantages and disadvantages linking to technological convergence, and in this essay I shall write about the importance of these factors.

One advantage of technological convergence is that the various forms of platform are now much more accessible to the general public. This is an advantage due to the fact more people are going to be able to afford to buy the distributors product because they have extended their options onto phones, computers, etc. Another advantage is that the consumers can now watch many films whenever they like, especially with access to the internet, making the distributors product a lot more popular and therefore they earn more. A disadvantage of technological convergence, however, is that piracy is becoming a more common problem in the world of media. Due to the sheer size of the internet, it is very difficult to keep track of pirated films, and films are constantly being downloaded illegally or viewed illegally as a way to avoid paying.

The 2012 James Bond film 'Skyfall' was released on various types of technology, such as phones, the internet and DVD/Blu-Ray. As a film that spent £5 million on their title sequence, it was important for the producers to make a profit from the release of the film, and the forms of technology that the film was eventually released on had to be vast in order to ensure they make a profit. The budget for Skyfall was £200,000,000, and in the opening weekend in USA, the film earned a total of £88,364,714. As this was only the opening weekend and it already reached nearly half the money given as the budget, it is evident that the producers made a profit by the time the DVD was released.

Another film that was released in 2012 was the Plan B film 'Ill Manors'. Being significantly less anticipated and having a budget of only £100,000, the producers of the film felt less pressure in terms of making a profit, yet still released the film on DVD and Blu-Ray. The profit made from Ill Manors was approximately £435, 750. This means the producers made a profit of more than £300,000. Ill Manors can be found on the internet company 'Netflix'.

IMAX and 3D cinemas have also gained popularity, and are another way in which producers and distributors make a profit. Tickets for these types of films are more expensive than the 2D versions, and many people enjoy the 3D experience, and would be happy to pay extra money in order to see it like that. 'D-Box' seats have recently been placed in cinemas in order to enhance the viewing experience, physically moving along with the action of the film, quite like a simulator. Again, the consumer would have to pay extra money in order to access such an enhancement, which would go towards the overall profit made by the producers and distributors.

Technological convergence is evidently important in terms of institutions and audiences, due to the fact that it allows the producers to make a profit more easily, and allows the consumers to have more access to the products released by producers. However, the access of films given to consumers has allowed piracy rates to increase, thus possibly affecting the amount of money the producers and distributors earn. It is therefore important for institutions such as Netflix and forms of technology such as Smartphones to advertise their ability to play films, so that more people use them instead of watching them illegally.