I agree to some degree that older and newer media can coexist to some degree and push one another further. Thornburn and Jenkins point out in Introduction Toward an Aesthetics of Transition that as media evolves and takes new forms, a joining or convergence often occurs between old and new media.
I believe this convergence results naturally and also as a result of older media advocates trying to find new media tie-ins in a more controlled process. Obviously, controlled works well in terms of a book inspiring a movie, inspiring a website, inspiring a video game. The natural evolution tie-in, however, seems like it could be far more inspiring or creative and result in even more media creation. In my mind an example of this would be a video game’s avid fans generating a wiki to share strategy, that eventually becomes a social meeting space and then evolves into a mobile component.
The passage I found most profound in the reading was this:
In some instances the earliest phase of a medium’s life may be its most artistically rich, as pioneering artists enjoy a freedom to experiment that may be constrained by the conventions and routines imposed when production methods are established.
This passage suggests to me that, a natural evolution that comes organically, holds the BEST potential to be artistically rich and unique. The older a medium becomes or the more controlled convergence between mediums is, the greater the risk of inhibiting artistic freedom and truly original advancement.
The lesson I take away … DON’T GET STUCK IN A RUT! Don’t simply move content from one medium to another, but ask the question what is the best medium to convey/display this content? What does the new medium allow for beyond the tradition we’re used to?