MEDIA & CULTURE
Year 2 (2019-2020) – Block 3
Television in Transition
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
, Television in Transition | Week 1
Convergence Culture
KEY CONCEPTS
• From lecture: What does it mean to say that TV has always been a platform, technology, and
social phenomenon in transition? What defines TV today?
The way in which television is defined has often changed. Based on the technology behind the medium,
a clear example is the transition from black-and-white television to color television. Nowadays,
television is mostly defined on the basis of the form of storytelling it uses, the so-called "beats & arcs"-
structure. This structure takes the scheduling of television and the associated commercial breaks into
account.
KEY DEBATES
• Jenkins discusses an old debate among scholars about audience activity versus audience
passivity. Explain the history of this debate, Jenkins' position, and the role of technological
transitions.
The central question in this debate is whether the consumer is ready for a more active role in relation to
a medium. W. Russell Neuman believes that consumer habits would stop "interactive potentials of
emerging digital technologies." He states that if the technology is already there, the consumer is not
always open to using this new technology. Betsy Frank - executive vice president for research and
planning at MTV networks - states that the generations that have grown up since the mid-1970s can be
seen as 'media actives', who have become used to being able to make their own choices regarding their
media use. This is due to various technological developments such as the remote control and different
types of recorders that have made it easier for consumers to make their own choices. Frank - and with
her also other industry thinkers - emphasizes changes that relate to individuals. Jenkins emphasizes the
changes within consumption communities, at which the transition from individual and personal media
consumption to consumption as a networked practice is the most important.
• Jenkins calls himself a "critical utopian." What does this phrase mean to him, and why does
he take this position? Explain the overall debate and the positions of other scholars in the
debate. Be specific: include the names of other scholars and differentiate between their
arguments while explaining how they interrelate.
Jenkins uses case studies which he believes are an example of what is possible in the context of
convergence culture. He sees himself as a "critical utopian" and tries to discover the possibilities of a
culture that could lead to a better, more just society. His approach is directly opposed to that of the
critical pessimism, which includes the works of media critics as Mark Crispin Miller, Noam Chomsky
Year 2 (2019-2020) – Block 3
Television in Transition
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
, Television in Transition | Week 1
Convergence Culture
KEY CONCEPTS
• From lecture: What does it mean to say that TV has always been a platform, technology, and
social phenomenon in transition? What defines TV today?
The way in which television is defined has often changed. Based on the technology behind the medium,
a clear example is the transition from black-and-white television to color television. Nowadays,
television is mostly defined on the basis of the form of storytelling it uses, the so-called "beats & arcs"-
structure. This structure takes the scheduling of television and the associated commercial breaks into
account.
KEY DEBATES
• Jenkins discusses an old debate among scholars about audience activity versus audience
passivity. Explain the history of this debate, Jenkins' position, and the role of technological
transitions.
The central question in this debate is whether the consumer is ready for a more active role in relation to
a medium. W. Russell Neuman believes that consumer habits would stop "interactive potentials of
emerging digital technologies." He states that if the technology is already there, the consumer is not
always open to using this new technology. Betsy Frank - executive vice president for research and
planning at MTV networks - states that the generations that have grown up since the mid-1970s can be
seen as 'media actives', who have become used to being able to make their own choices regarding their
media use. This is due to various technological developments such as the remote control and different
types of recorders that have made it easier for consumers to make their own choices. Frank - and with
her also other industry thinkers - emphasizes changes that relate to individuals. Jenkins emphasizes the
changes within consumption communities, at which the transition from individual and personal media
consumption to consumption as a networked practice is the most important.
• Jenkins calls himself a "critical utopian." What does this phrase mean to him, and why does
he take this position? Explain the overall debate and the positions of other scholars in the
debate. Be specific: include the names of other scholars and differentiate between their
arguments while explaining how they interrelate.
Jenkins uses case studies which he believes are an example of what is possible in the context of
convergence culture. He sees himself as a "critical utopian" and tries to discover the possibilities of a
culture that could lead to a better, more just society. His approach is directly opposed to that of the
critical pessimism, which includes the works of media critics as Mark Crispin Miller, Noam Chomsky
