Converdex. Deuze still doesn't cut it. What is grassroots media?

Convergence: the word that has been popping up all week.

Many of Ted's points this week really struck a chord. Honourable mentions go to media platform extinction/mutation, as well as the evolution of how we perceive text.

Platform extinction was the main topic that caught my attention. It was a way of organising how different information carriers have boomed and died throughout the media timeline. From vinyl records to cassette tapes to compact-disks to mp3 files. The practical implications of each level were clear in their context, yet a new form of data-holding physicality has inevitably emerged. What's even more interesting though is the mutation of old platforms: the vinyl turned into an art of disc jamming (ie DJ'ing) for a whole new outlook on the production of sound.

Papyrus scroll to "codex" to web hypertext also gets a mention. Again, the physical organisation of words on a flat surface has evolved throughout time until we now have access to multiple texts in an order we choose. Also the fact that the name "codex" far outshines "book". Why did we ever ditch that term? Think about it, guys:
'Hey man, are you excited for the Harry Potter movie?'
'Yeah, I've already gone through my entire Harry Potter codex collection!'

With regards to the readings, some of you may know I'm not much a fan of Deuze. Again, he was too verbose, and it's hard to express my thoughts on his reading because he covered so many issues in the one article. I will say that I did like his point on how news corporations these days rely somewhat on public feedback (polls, hotlines and amateur photos/videos) in order to relay much of their information, rather than the old style of playing media filters.

Jenkins managed to make me laugh when he told the story of trying to find a phone that wasn't a "Swiss army knife equivalent". It was also great to understand the importance of individual blogging as a way to distribute immediate information about current affairs. One term I'm not quite sure about is "grassroots media" - does anyone want to explain this one to me?

Thanks for reading!