What is media convergence? Provide an example of media convergence and explain the media elements that are being combined. Explain how the combination of media elements in your example may be useful and to whom.

Media convergence is something that plays an extremely important role in the progression of mass communication. Media convergence happens when forms of communication have already been established merge and join together with brand new technologies to create something even better.

• How does media convergence occur?

As mentioned before, media convergence takes place when old communication forms become merged with new forms. This creates brand new technologies that allow people to communicate in new and innovative ways.

The invention and development of the Internet has allowed traditional methods of news reporting such as newspapers and magazines to combine with the Internet. This has increased the amount of people who access the news and how easy that they can do this. Traditional paperback books have been combined with electronic display technology to form E-Readers for example, Amazon's Kindle.

• Effects of mass communication.

Almost everyday we will hear stories and rumors about the negative effects of mass communication on the general public. Some people believe that an increase in mass communication can lead to increased violence and therefore increased crime. Continuing on from this point, some people also believe that it can lead to more organized crime, because gangs are able to communicate so easily and quickly. However, theories formed on this tend to believe that we, as people, do not have any control over what we take in and let us affect us.

However, theories that are based on Users and Gratifications allow us that freedom and let us, as media consumers, choose what mass communication does to us rather than have other people tell us.

• The future of mass communication.

Communication technology will continue to advance and will also develop the ways that we communicate with each other. Instant messaging is the quickest method that has been developed so far, but who knows what will come next. Mass communication can only move forward and some people believe that it is crucial that we do so.