FACE OFF: Henry Jenkins, provost’s professor of Communication, Journalism & Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
Author of several books including Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture and What Made Pistachio Nuts?: Early Sound Comedy and the Vaudeville Aesthetic, Henry Jenkins has spent years thinking, writing and speaking about various aspects of media and popular culture. While some of his earliest work centred on television fans—particularly science fiction fans—over a period of time Jenkins has also through his writing talked about convergence culture – where old and new media collide.
In a conversation with FE BrandWagon’s Anushree Bhattacharyya, Jenkins, Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California talks about the impact of new media in people’s lives. Edited excerpts:
Is it easy for all brands to have fans? Conversely, are the brands that do not find it easy to have a committed fan base not successful?
Certain brands come with a built-in fan base. These are products that we have consumed over a long period of time and we have a passion for and connection with. For example, motorcycle brand Harley Davidson in the US has a huge fan following. However, there are other brands that have more difficulty in creating a similar kind of relationship with their consumers. For example, basic everyday domestic brands such as toilet paper. We, as consumers, necessarily don’t want to go around talking about our relationship with these brands. To say that every brand should have a fan community is probably the wrong way to think about. As for those brands that won’t be able to create a fan base or would find it extremely difficult create a club, the best choice is to generate resources that people want to use in order to have conversations with it. For instance, creating opportunities for consumers to participate in some kind of activity apart from sponsorship of a public event that people will talk about. Also, as a brand, one needs to talk about those things that people want to talk about on social media.
What is the one big issue that marketers are concerned about as far as digital goes?
Old media allowed brands to control communication. It was pretty much a one-way street and brand managers controlled the conversation around their brands. Digital has changed that. Now the reins are in the hands of the consumers. It is the consumers who are setting the agenda for conversation. This has rattled companies. I often find myself answering the question ‘How do I keep control’ and I tell them that controlling is out of bounds for them now. The best they can do in the changed circumstances is participate in the conversation and provide their inputs to the happy or the upset consumers, take insights from them and work on them.
Has digital media really made the corporate world more transparent or is all the talk about transparency a sham?
Digital media has brought with itself an expectation of greater transparency in terms of leaders being willing to communicate on a much more consistent basis with people who work for them. The big issue is how many people in the company are empowered to express their views in the public? When an employee goes to Twitter he/she potentially represents the company and can bring respect/disrespect. For example, a simple post on Facebook about a company picnic can accidentally reveal important information about the company that could affect the fortunes of the company. This is where American companies have hit the wall. We are yet to find an answer on how to get around the situation.
Convergence is a much used word these days with many interpretations. What is your definition of convergence?
I describe convergence as a culture that includes stories and ideas, sounds and images which travel across every available media channel. In India, people are aware of different ways of circulating their messages. For example, a group called Culture Machine in Mumbai has an incredible analytic engine that is monitoring social media, identifying culture trends and putting them into production immediately in their own studios and finally pumping out content that taps into global themes with a local spin. Similarly, All India Bakchod (AIB), a comedy group, is translating political debate into comedy that travels across social media providing an alternate platform to voice opinions. So people here get the spread of media very well. In many ways India is a leader in this if we see how Bollywood songs travel and have a life beyond the movie.
