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Have you ever dreamed of having one single device that can perform the functions of many devices? Have you ever wished you didn't have to pay bills for your TV, internet service, and phone service seperatley? That day is coming, that day is now.
Media convergence is a theory in communications where every mass medium eventually merges to the point where they become one medium due to the advent of new communication technologies.
Note: The animation on the intro page illustrates how the recently released iPod phone from Apple can perform the functions of three other media devices.
If media convergence holds true to its theory, then, in the near distant future, there will be no more need for having a television and a computer separate from each other. Why? Because the two will converge and be able to perform the same actions that the other can (ex: The television will be able to provide the same functions as a computer would and vise versa.) Some people believe that basic televisions and computers will one day become obsolete. Because of their convergence, they will ultimately create a new medium from the synthesis.
The point of media convergence is to bring together all forms of media into one single device and every day, technology is bringing that reality closer and closer.
In summation, media convergence is really just the merging of the capabilities of each individual media channel. Emerging technology is aiding the deletion of individual devices but that is not the goal of convergence. In the old days, the TV was used to watch TV programs and you could not watch them on anything else. However, now we can receive TV programs on a mobile phone, a computer, and even an iPod.