Next New Thing

Since New Media is understood to be an internet-based communication technology, there is no doubt that the developments and progression of new media would be in the bracket of enhancing online communication abilities. Presently, we have fast convenient, on the go connection to the internet and many social networking and media applications. But there is still a desire and need for more out of the New Media culture. As it is now, New Media is already on its way to producing real time communication between network users, but is that enough? The culture of New Media seems to fester an online addiction that removes the interest of real world interactions to a cyber world form of socialization. It is almost like living life online through these applications and socializing mediums. The only way I see it possible to move New Media further is by creating software that appeals to more than just sight and hearing, but also to smell. If there can be a way to create or capture a fragrance on a computer, then people would be able to post pictures of their food and share the aroma. Restaurants and perfume companies can also capitalize on this development by marketing their goods to online home-shoppers. The culture of new media is all about sharing experiences through text, videos and pictures on social media sites, but adding the sense of smell can make the experience seem a lot more authentic and realistic.

Our Class Wiki- So Far

So far I have not contributed anything to the class wiki. I have been trying to familiarize myself with the wiki formatting because wiking is a new territory for me. I have been researching New Media and Privacy. I intend to add a new page to discuss this topic and explore the many privacy problems we experience in the New Media age. The culture of sharing and transferring data to the internet leave many people exposed to internet trolls, hackers and other internet users with malicious intent.

P2P

File sharing is the sharing of data files between a person sharing and the people who have access to the file. Common methods of file sharing is using peer to peer or "P2P" software to share files to the general public, or sharing files via a personal computer operating system. P2P sharing is a common feature within the New Media Culture that enables the sharing of media files. An article in Wired Magazine, titled "The BitTorrent Effect", claims that, "P2P file sharing is a program that allows you to share files by locating other users of said program that have the said file." Some examples pf P2P sharing is Napster, Limewire, BitTorrent, The Pirate Bay and many others.

PRIVACY

In this digital age, privacy is a major issue of concern. We have all seen and heard the stories on the news or from friends about Hackers getting into people's accounts and reeking havoc. Either by attaching key strokes recognizing software to your computer, or logging into people's accounts to gain personal information. These hackers are becoming more and more aggressive in their pursuits. One way of protecting users is by educating them about sensible passwords to use, and ensuring that none of them are using the same password for all their accounts. Another way is by ensuring that the privacy standards on websites are read and that settings are altered to suit. There is no sure way to stop hackers from their pursuits, but there are important practices to ensure that you are not a victim.

Advice

The fact that Baruch College is an educational institute, makes it obvious that there are many available avenues for the use of Social Media. In any College facility there are tuns of flyers printed everyday that goes unseen. Beyond that, there are times students in a classroom find it hard to open up and express themselves during class time. These two issues can be resolved by the use of social media. Social Media is very popularly used among young adults; and educational activity should therefore be involved in the social flow. Creating a special Baruch Social site or creating a Baruch pages on the already existing popular sites can facilitate Baruch's need to be connected with the students and also connect the student to one another. For instance, each classroom should connected on a social media website and have special links to identify their contributions and link student together. This would encourage greater collaboration and communication among student and teacher. Also creating a Baruch page on a social media site will facilitate the need to spread the word about new and upcoming events, therefore resulting in more trees for the future.

Creativity and New Media

Creativity and New Media is the convergence of computer generated creations and the ability to easily edit and share your innovative creations with the world. A year or two ago, I wanted to do something special for my boyfriend's birthday. We are in a long distance relationship and at that time  I was unable to be with him for his special day. I decided to create a video that would reflect on our time together and therefore show him that I care. I used digital photos to make a slide show with his favorite song playing in the background. I sent the video to my boyfriend via email and he received it on his birthday. He was so pleased and happy that he shared it on Facebook. This was only possible because of my creativity and New media.
Keel's Birthday Video

Creativity

New Media lends a helping hand to creativity. In the earlier days of computers; graphics, pictures, sound and other enhancements were digitized by using codes. This made editing and computer use reserved for the computer geniuses. Today, these issues have been resolved. Creating and editing is much easier, when all you have to do is know what you want to create, then drag and drop, or copy and paste your vision to reality. Everything you want or need is available to you, already coded and ready to use. This new ease in computer use, made it easier for regular folks to express their varied methods of creativity. As people probe, tweak and mess around with the computer, more and more new and innovative creations are being made by using the computer. The New Yorker reports a thirty- three year old man, who created a viral mash-up of two popular unrelated songs of different generations that was merged  together by modifying different elements of the music and vocals to create a new single. (Frere-Jones, Sasha. 1+1+1=1 The New Math of Mashups, The New Yorker) New Media is an absolute encourager of creativity. The constant use of social media sites and other community based websites encourages people to try new things and be creative so that they can be more popular, seen or discovered. In New Media  almost everyone want to show their abilities or what they can do.

Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are used for creating an alternative life simulated on a gaming platform. Avatars are created to represent people in the virtual worlds. Locations from the real world are recreated to create the synthetic experience of living an alternative lifestyle. An article from the Wall Street Journal by Stephanie Simon, "The Avatar II: The Hospital" explains that the virtual world technology is being used for training student nurses and doctors. The situations and appearances are set up to simulate sick patients in a hospital setting. Generally Virtual reality worlds are used as leisure gaming enjoyment, professional training tools and as a meeting ground for all sorts of interaction such as business, friendships, relationships, etc. Another article from CNN.com called, "Going to Virtual Office in Second Life" by Mark Tutton says that the Second Life virtual world is working on creating a new tool that allows businesses to conduct meetings virtually. Virtual Reality worlds seem to offer a much cheaper way of living than reality does. Virtual Reality worlds are fun, easy to use, gives you a chance at a life you never had or can never have, allows you to interact with others easier and create a sense of community with people who share interest with you. On the other hand, they can encourage withdrawal from reality, depression, loneliness due to real life disassociation and lack of real life experiences. Virtual Worlds are a playground for creativity, as a persons abilities and creative resources are limitless. The future of Virtual Reality Worlds are moving towards a more realistic look and feel of the reality created. Which I believe would mirror the action film "Surrogates" starring Bruce Willis.

Blog About Twitter

Twitter compares to blackboard discussions in a negative way. Firstly, Twitter limits a person's post to 140 characters, which are sometimes not enough to express your thoughts and opinions. Secondly, Twitter is a public webpage, that allows your words to be exposed and disclosed to anyone. Whereas blackboard discussions is a private college based forum that allows academic exchange of information in a controlled online environment. Finally, the language a person may use on Twitter is more casual, compared to the manner in which they relate on blackboard discussion. On another note, comparing twitter to in-class discussions is senseless. In my honest opinion, fluent speech exchanges are better than written exchanges in every way. The experience of an in-class discussion will allow people to hear the voice tones, see the body language and understand the implications of another persons' words better that reading them on a two dimensional screen.

Social Networking Sites

Almost every social network appears to have one common goal in mind, which is connecting people through internet web pages designed to make the sharing of information easy. Four of the most commonly used social networking sites are twitter, facebook, myspace and linkedIn. In comparison of all four networking sites, I have realized that each of them connect people on different levels and in different ways. Myspace is one of the first generation social networking sites, it was created to connect friends and families in a socially informal way. On Myspace, users were abe to share their thoughts, pictures, videos, and create page backgrounds that represented their personal style. Facebook, on the other hand emerged after Myspace, and was created to connect college students around the world. The College restriction on the Facebook site did not last long, as many people demanded access to the site. Like Myspace, Facebook is a place where people can share thoughts and opinions, pictures, videos, and play online games. Further along the social network timeline, Twitter arrived, offering a status (or tweet)  focused website, where people can share personal updates or 'tweets' about their life and activities. Opposed to Myspace and Facebook, Twitter is a more constant kind of affair, where picture and statuses are related to what is presently occurring. Lastly there is LinkedIn, a social networking site, created to bring business people together, so that they can work more flowingly and cohesively. This site allows company's to share picture, updates and developments about their profession. Like many other social networks many people became aware of it, and its use is expanded way beyond its original intent. All four social networking cites are basically popular for a time, until the next best one steps into the spotlight.

Social Net'g

Social Networking is for everyone. It connects friends, families, co-workers and people from all walk s of life, hence the name "Social-Networking"- which simply means, connecting with people. On social networks, people are able to share their thoughts and views on topics of their Interest. An NPR article by Frank Langfitt explains, "Professional recruiters have started hunting for job candidates using social networking technology — like the kind found on the popular sites MySpace and Facebook." Beyond individual socializing use, social networking is also being used professionally. Another means of using social networking is educationally. People can use it to educate one another and to take academic learning, beyond the parameters of a classroom. Basically, social media works as a community, to guide, mold and shape personal character and preferences. Although this can have negative effects, such as influencing individuals to join hate groups, to indulge in cyber bullying, misquoting people's words, spread malicious or fictitious information and other negative online behaviors. An article titled, What next Your Future In Social Networking, predicts the direction of the social networking in the near future, it states, "In an interview for Maclean’s readers, Chuck Hamilton, New Media and Learning Leader for IBM’s 3D Internet Division, explores the new frontier of virtual networking." Basically the future of social networking, is the merging of this social communication, with 3D technologies. People will no longer be subjected to 2D images, they would be able to see a person 3 dimensionally, which would show a persons height, size and features in a more realistic manner. The advancement of this technology, could make the good attributes of social networking better, and the negative ones worse.

Blogs vs Wikis

Blogs and wikis are collaboration tools that are designed to help people communicate their thoughts and ideas on a specific topic. Linearly a blog is a public website where people comment and share their opinions on a subjects matter and or topics of salience. Basically it provides a platform for people around the world to share openly; their take on topics of interest. On the other hand as wiki is a online software that allows individuals to create a document that can be easily shared and edited among a group of people. In essence is can be devised that blogs are an exchange of thoughts, ideas and concerns, whereas wikis are a collaborative attempt to solidify and enhance the production and or publication of an idea, thought or goal.
The convergence of blogs and wikis are important to facilitate the need of connecting and collaborating on every platform possible. Being able to share or post blogs with friends on social networks are important for the purpose of spreading information. The article How we measure the influence of the Bloggoshere by Kate E. Gill states, "Unlike newspapers or television news, blogging is not capital-intensive; there is no centralized registry, no editorial oversight. All a writer needs is access to a computer (free at the public library). The only cost is time,". Blogging is very effective in the media, as people are now able to share and relate their own news. Wikis are also becoming very popular, many schools, companies and other social facilities are honing in on this technology for the collection and combination of ideas. An article in The Harvard Business review, by Gardiner Moss claims, "It’s a growing trend. The consultancy Gartner forecasts that half of all U.S. companies will have wikis by 2009, but this isn’t necessarily because of a conscious strategy from the top down."(An Interview with Jim Wales) Wikis and blogs have a lot of potential as people can do more than just collaborate thoughts and ideas. It can also be used to create stories and emphasize creativity.

The effects of New Media in Business and the Economy

 The use of technologies have made life both easy and simple in many respects. This statement proves true in regards to businesses and the economy. The business world has definitely experienced changes, from the way phones are answered, to the display of financial records. Almost everything is computerized in the corporate world, saving business owners and investors a great deal of time and money. The use of the internet has even made it easy for businesses to communicate and expand globally. These changes that New Media have made in the business world does not only affect business owners and investors, but also the economy. In any event where money flows in and out of household, firms and the government, the economy is affected. A simple event such as laying off employees to incorporate a new automated voice answering system increases the unemployment rate. The development of technology in respects to business and the economy has both pros and cons for the future, as employers seek New Media to save money and increase production proficiency, whereas employees of the future may have a standard mandatory demand to be technology savvy.