The logics of convergence culture are quickly becoming ubiquitous within the media world. Audiences are being encouraged to participate in a wider range of sites, transmedia principals are being adopted by content producers in a broad range of fields, and 'engagement' is being discussed as crucial to measurements of success. Housed within MIT's uniquely cross-discipline Program in Comparative Media Studies, C3 has the experience and expertise to help make sense of the interplay between media platforms, media producers, and media consumers. These elements interact dynamically with each other, reshaping the contexts of consumption and generating new trends in the process. C3 extrapolates the insights gained from studying these leading sites of cultural consumption to understand current developments and future trends.

C3 researchers seek to answer the following questions:

• How has the intersection between old and new technologies affected the ways people consume entertainment, relate to branded content, and experience mediated culture?
• How can the behaviors of bleeding-edge media consumers (such as fans and brand enthusiasts) inform us about new ways to engage more general audiences?
• What new methods and models can be used to build lasting emotional connections with brands? (e.g. product placements, advergaming, and viral marketing)
• How can content producers adapt to the global environment entertainment content circulates within?
• How can content producers be prepared to respond to newly emerging events and a rapidly changing media landscape?
• Where do companies "cross the line" in their efforts to attach themselves to particular entertainment franchises through product placements and tie-ins?