Future of Convergence

           Creative thinkers are trying to figure out what will be the new breakthrough in convergence. The Internet has probably been the single most important source of convergence the world has seen so far. Lately, social media franchises have benefitted from the usage of the Internet. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and creator became a billionaire because he converged the Internet with the everyday life of friends, allowing them to communicate with each other online like never before. This leaves people to think, should they follow the wave of trying to build new social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat or try to hit a whole new market. The new wave of convergence will be in the area in which most Americans spend their money on: education.

            The popularity of TED Talks, websites such as Khan Academy, as well as educational YouTube channels prove that education is of growing importance to Americans. The question is, how can one make education more ‘trendy’ and appeal to the masses in the ways that social media has. According to Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture, “In the world of media convergence, every important story gets told, every brand gets sold, and every consumer gets courted across multiple media platforms” (3).  By providing educational services to the masses, these brands sell themselves, gaining sponsorship that fund them in order for them to continue providing educational services via the Internet.

            As virtual reality becomes more popular, this technology can be used in conjunction with educational outlets to give knowledge hungry individuals a more personalized spin on education. Internet videos are great tools for learning. However some students prefer the classroom feel that allows them to interact with teachers. By integrating virtual reality with online education, a student who is at home watching a video or seminar can actually immerse himself or herself in the setting in which the video or seminar takes place. To enhance this opportunity, live seminars and classroom webinars could allow for interaction between the student at home and the educator. If this were possible, this could create worldwide classrooms, with students tuning in from all over the world.

            Education is an area that has to constantly adapt to the needs of students. As technology changes, these changes should be incorporated into new methods of teaching. In various classrooms across the country, textbooks are a thing of the past. Instead, students as young as five years old now have iPads. This new approach to delivering educational material to a new generation integrates the tools they use at home and deliver this material to them in an interactive more appealing way.

            Education is the most vital entity we have in our society, therefore it is important that we keep investing in new interactive ways of learning. Even though education is the key to the nation’s growth, most college institutions raise their tuitions yearly. As a result, some students have chosen to go the alternative route by enrolling in online institutions. The online college experience is often hard for the average student to adjust to due to discipline that is needed to successfully complete online coursework. By coupling the online college experience with virtual reality, the student can actually interact with other virtually present students, as well as teachers. This alternative would be a more affordable option for those seeking higher education, and should therefore be invested in.

Works Cited

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2006.