Photoshop for Democracy

In Photoshop for Democracy, on page 214, Henry Jenkins talks about how we are creating a “convergence culture.” Jenkins has a Convergence Theory in which the old and new media are converging. Politicians once only used commercials to help inform the public and to aid in winning elections. Now, our culture is converging and political campaigns are using games with imaginary communities, films, websites, concerts and performances where people can register to vote, e-mail announcements, blogs, and so much more. Through these different channels of communication, politicians are gaining support of the voters. For example, Kerry prepared an announcement through e-mail about the different downfalls of the candidates of who he is running against and sent this through people who were registered as supporters on his web site. People forwarded this announcement to others and Kerry gained more supporters. In addition, politicians use blogs in which they can communicate with the public. They gain more supporters through their blogs in which the general public can read what the politicians have to say about certain topics. Jenkins expresses how these new communication channels are important through this quotation on page 208 “diversification of communication channels is politically important because it expands the range of voices that can be heard.“ If politicians did not adopt these new communication channels, then they would not be able to win the election. However, Jenkins also believes that a candidate cannot win an election only through the internet. They also need to use the television to win the election. This is how our culture is converging. The old media (the television) and the new media (the blogs, internet, websites, etc.) ad both merging to make up our political culture.


One Website that I found extremely interesting was called Vote Match Quiz, which is a website designed for people who do not have the time to research the different candidate’s positions on important issues. The website has a few questions on important issues in which the viewer will select the degree in which they support or oppose the different topics of those issues. After answering all of the questions, they get a list of the candidates that has the same view and beliefs as them. In addition, it only includes biography. This exemplifies Jenkin’s Convergence Theory in that years ago people had to read the newspaper about different things going on with the candidates in the elections and they had to watch the television to catch up on the candidate’s viewpoints and stances on current issues. Now, instead of watching all of those things and researching and reading the newspapers, people could just take one minute and get matched up with the candidate most like them. That is a huge way in which politics have converged within the past few years.