Invergence

"Invergence" is interactive convergence, describing innovation and evolution in culture, content, commerce and community that are enabled by the digitization of content and democratization of distribution. Examples include the invergence of media platforms, of content + advertising, of online + offline and of corporate messaging + consumer-generated content.

The concept of invergence was first set forth by Steve Gehlen of Portland, Oregon in 2007. Gehlen theorized that human interaction and participation have meshed with and changed the ongoing convergence of technology, business and culture. The idea of invergence is influenced by thinking on convergence and mass collaboration voiced in two books: [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RlRVNikT06YC&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=%22Jenkins%22+%22Convergence+Culture:+Where+Old+and+New+Media+Collide%22+&ots=9y9IqzWxNu&sig=V_f6r8h0gGLQqcHX0RrGjmGkNsk#PPP6,M1 Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide] ( Jenkins, H. (2006)) and ( Tapscott, D. and Williams, A. (2006))

The first interdisciplinary conference about invergence, called “ [http://invergence.com/inverge-2007-conference/ Inverge: the interactive convergence conference] ” is planned for September 2007 in Portland.