The fundamentals of new media are based on technologies that utilize internet in order to function. The internet is quite new to us and it is still developing and expanding. With such technology comes danger of cyber hacking and security breaches for individuals and companies. These security breaches are a great threat to the privacy and confidentiality of individuals using these new media technologies since they are most based on the internet. Their personal information and identities are always at risk due to the openness and great access to internet by everyone on the internet.
The Next New Thing
A new type of new media can be a virtual driving world. Individuals would have to wear virtual goggles and would be able to go into a virtual world where they would be able to Race in their cars and gain recognition. They would be able to race with their friends and purchase new cars from the virtual money they win. Many times it is fun to get a thrill and adrenaline filled adventure in our car that we can only get on a race track. If this technology is developed then individuals can buy this technology for the price of one trip to the race track.
P2P File Sharing
File sharing is the act of distributing or providing access to digital media . P2P file sharing is also known as peer-to-peer file sharing, which allows peers to share files through specific indexes using certain web applications. Some of the biggest example of P2P file sharing is BitTorrent, Napster, and Spotify. The biggest issues with P2P file sharing is that many times those files are illegally shared and it makes the owners helpless to prevent that due to the high volume of sharing. According to the New York Times “By the end of the year, illegal copies of the Batman movie had been downloaded more than seven million times around the world…” (Stelter & Stone). The example of a great movie being downloaded at such high volumes without anyone being able to stop them is the great issue of file sharing.
Sources:
- Digital Pirates Winning Battle With Studios by Brian Stelter and Brad Stone. The New York Times, Feb 5, 2009, p. A1.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/business/media/05piracy.html
Creativity and New Media
Second Life is one of the virtual world tools one can use and I used it to create an avatar of myself. I was able to select the character and the clothing and destination I would like to visit. The amount of creativity in Second Life is endless. One can depict themselves however they like, where ever they like. Using tools like these actually makes me feel like I can have a second life in this virtual world. It isn’t a bad idea to have a virtual vacation when I need it!
Check out my avatar below:
Creativity
New media gives us the power to publish and create media at little or no cost at all. We can see how companies that own media companies foster the posts of their users to create improvements in their websites. A worthy example is when “…the founders realized that the photo-sharing feature was more popular than the game, they scrapped the game and built Flickr.” (Miller). Companies and individuals can use new media to collaborate and expand innovation.
Source:
- Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers by CLAIRE CAIN MILLER, the New York Times, October 26, 2009. Available at:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html
Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
The concept of a virtual world are quite a fascinating phenomenon. Several people have found quite unique ways of using these worlds to accomplish different objectives. David Itzkoff is one of those individuals who attracts great attention in being unique. He created a virtual concept of Lower East side Manhattan so that he can go inside a bar that was full. One of the pros of virtual worlds is simplicity in comparison to the real world. As Itzkoff states, “There were no imperious bouncers or foul odors to contend with, and no fluids of any kind expectorated on my shoes.” He attended his favorite club without even stepping in and he enjoyed it. Some cons can be that one may not get the real experience and the physical rush of happiness one may get doing such activities in person. Nevertheless, a virtual concert in your favorite club is better than no concert.
Virtual worlds foster creativity because people can do things they cannot do in real life. In the New York Times article by Ruth La Ferla we see how virtual worlds have changed fashion and people in these virtual worlds are able to afford to follow fashion trends they might not be able to afford in real life. According to Ferla, “…transactions estimated at between $1 billion and $2 billion a year in real dollars.” It was one of the most creative and successful virtual worlds creations. This is only a sneak peak of the creative possibilities that virtual worlds foster.
The future of virtual worlds holds endless possibilities. With the easy availability of 3D high-definition screens, maybe one day the virtual worlds will take place of the real world.
Sources:
- 1. “I’ve Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life” by Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times, January 6, 2008, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html*
- 2. No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real You by RUTH LA FERLA, the New York Times, Oct 22, 2009 p. E1. Available at:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html
Social Networking Sites
The four social networking sites which I believe are worth comparing are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn. Among all four sites the most popular, Facebook, is also the most interactive. Facebook’s impression to me is almost like a live news channel. Instead news on a macro level, which news companies cover, Facebook covers everything from micro and macro. One can see pictures shared from a party last night to serious news regarding a heatwave killing hundred in South Asia. There is an immense about of information and media which can be shared through Facebook, making it the most powerful amongst these four social networking sites.
MySpace gives a very vivid and personal impression as compared to all four sites. One is able to customize their site almost completely. It seems like a diary where one can post photos,videos, and other media. Even though I had never visited MySpace before, it gave me a very outdated impression. As we all know MySpace is almost non-existing now, comparing it to the other 3 sites, is almost like playing tennis with a wooden racquet.
I have just recently “tweeted” my first tweet a few days ago. Visiting twitter is like looking at a ticker on the trading floor. You see very little data, but so much of it filling your screen fast. If i have to give my personal opinion on Twitter, I believe Twitter is made just so people can post their thoughts on the web and feel better. It’s a diary full of opinions. Don’t get me wrong here, it’s a very powerful tool indeed; however, it’s not made for everyone. Definitely not me.
Out of all four sites, LinkedIn is the most formal and professional sites. The first time signing into LinkedIn is no different than combing the sign up for Facebook and your college’s career development center database. You won’t find immature and highly personal posts anywhere on this site. Everything on your feed consists of either work-related or school related accomplishments. It’s a highly powerful and useful tool for building your professional network and the list of uses stop just about there.
Social Networking
Social networking is a milestone for mankind that has not only changed socialization but it has revolutionized communication. Technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are being used not only by individuals but also for businesses. Individuals use social networking to stay in touch with friends and meet new people and share media with those friends. The traditional idea of hanging out with friends in person and meeting new people physically has completely changed. People are able to share their ideas and opinions and show their personal views with these mediums. The New York Times article by Carr states, “Like a lot of Web innovators, the Obama campaign did not invent anything completely new. Instead, by bolting together social networking applications under the banner of a movement, they created an unforeseen force to raise money, organize locally, fight smear campaigns and get out the vote that helped them topple the Clinton machine and then John McCain and the Republicans.”
Running a presidential campaign through social networking and winning and election is quite a milestone in history. With this technology individuals like Barack Obama are able to gain financial and social support. The benefits of social networking are not limited to these uses and goes far beyond this scope.
If one has to identify the “dark side” of social networking then it can be argued that “… the majority of young adult users of Facebook are engaged with managing their privacy settings on the site at least to some extent.” (Parry). With every gain in society there are also several problems, as for social networking, privacy concerns are that “dark side”. Several individuals fear their identity being compromised through these technologies and researchers and experts are giving this matter high importance.
Whether social networking turns us into anti-social beings or brings us closer to contacting others and delivering opinions, that is in one’s control. I believe with every technology and innovation there is always a downside. When something is used in moderation and with persistence then those harmful effects can be reduced significantly. Likewise, social networking is evolving to become more interactive and is growing significantly, it is in our hands to use it right for our advantage.
Sources:
- “How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power,” by David Carr, The New York Times. November 10, 2008; athttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/business/media/10carr.html
- “Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do” By Marc Parry, NY Times, July 29, 2010, Available at http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Who-Cares-About-Facebook/25877/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Blog v. Wiki
Blogs and Wikis are technologies of new media which have changed the way publishing functions. They allow individuals to publish without the high costs and limited capabilities of old media such as newspapers and television. One of the major reasons blogs and wikis differ is that on wikis “…content is created without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users.” (Wikipedia). Blogs function in a matter where an individual can publish media through a another website where they project their own opinions.
Today’s networked world increases the ways technologies converge. New media such as blogs and wikis have converged with other processes such as business that have adapted to Wikis for organizational purposes. According to InformationWeek , “They [wikis] are intended to maintain a series of unique documents as their content evolves and to provide an organic means of organizing that information.” Convergence of wikis in the business world is changing the way information and data is processed and organized due to the ability of wikis allowing collaboration. Similarly blogs can also be used to collaboration because media can be commented on and shared through links which may not be as efficient as wikis but it still allows the exchange of ideas.
A new use for a wiki that one can use wikis for protests and demonstrations. Protests and demonstrations require high collaboration and wikis make it easy to collaborate on specific issues by having all protestors input their thoughts and opinions to the wiki.
Sources Used:
1. How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere? by Kathy E. Gill. Workshop on the Weblogging Ecosystem, May 2004. available from:http://faculty.washington.edu/kegill/pub/www2004_blogosphere_gill.pdf
2. “How to Use Wikis for Business,” by Ezra Goodnoe, Information Week, August 8, 2005,http://www.informationweek.com/news/management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=167600331
Social Networking: Better or worse than the real thing?
There are several different technologies that are the backbone of new media such as social networking. Social networking has revolutionized the way we interact with each other these days. Humans have become highly dependent on mediums such as Facebook and other social networking sites to interact with one another. With sociological change comes a lot of other effects, such as, economic, cultural, or technological changes. The presence of this one technology, we have completely changed the way socialization functions, in comparison to how it existed before these mediums. Whether it is better or worse than the real thing, it is a matter of opinion due to numerous factors being affected, which I will attempt to uncover.
Syed Raza Media 