"Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide" is a fascinating book by Henry Jenkins. Jenkins addresses the changes that are going on as media intersect. Information is being communicated across a number of media platforms and consumers are fighting to take more control over their media exposures.
One of the points that Jenkins makes is that companies are primarily concerned with their bottom line. These huge corporations have interests across the entire entertainment industry and they can maximize profits by selling one brand in all different industries: so, they can make movies, music, and television programs all based off of one successful brand.
This helps to explain why we get things like High School Musical and Hannah Montana. These brands are marketed and sold through movies, CDs, television shows, radio, etc.
Jenkins' "Convergence Culture" is a great tool that clearly explains this cultural shift in the media. I found this section about media ownership particularly interesting, but the rest of the book makes some excellent points and connections with pop culture such as Survivor and American Idol. Check it out at Amazon.
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