Class Wiki So Far

So far besides creating my bio page I haven't done a ton of work on the blog. I did create a section for fashion where I wrote about designers showing their runway shows live online for a bit of news, as I mentioned in my previous post. I hope others will contribute to this section because it is a part of new media and entertainment that's constantly changing. I'll add some new info soon.

Next New Thing

I got this idea from seeing fashion shows this year streamed live over the internet. I thought it was pretty cool that you didn't need a ticket for a coveted front row seat to check out the designer's latest at Bryant Park. Women can't always get a celebrity make up artist to come to their own homes. Women could have a site where they can send in clear photos of themselves and have make up artists create a look for them either using the photos or on a model with similar skin tone, eye color, etc. Then send in a quick video showing them the techniques and what products to use whether similar or less expensive substitutes, so they know exactly what to do while getting dressed. It's like having a personal consultation.

Privacy & Confidentiality

I found the articles that we were assigned for today rather frightening. I remember going to the library when I was little and bringing stacks of books home. Now children aren't even reading books. My parents always knew where I was, who I was friends with, and what I was doing. As a child, that sort of protection is necessary and the internet has taken that away, creating a territory for children to explore that most parents can't navigate. The articles about the suicides show how much of an influence the internet and networking sites such as Myspace have on young people. The article about the man who committed suicide on live video shows just how desensitized people are becoming to such things. To watch something like that on egg him on, not call the police until afterwards - is really disturbing. People are putting everything out there, nothing is confidential if it's posted and anyone can react to it however they want. If a person posts something negative aimed at someone else, it has just as much effect as if they were to do it in person. The internet has become an extension of people's lives, like one article mentions. Protection is needed for people who use it just as much as in the outside world. I think it's ridiculous and immature that a mother would create a fake account to lash out at her daughter's nemesis. People need to realize how much these actions are affecting children who have made their internet identity part of their actual identity.

NM Class So Far

New Media is fueled by the internet is so many ways. The internet is a gateway for access to almost anything you want. You can access videos, download music and movies, find out news anywhere in the world, communicate all over the world, research information that would takes hours in a library in a matter of seconds. Like the article, "Convergence" says, the internet is everywhere, in taxi cabs and even Tv's. This was a debated topic in the article because the usefulness of the internet on television was discussed. Personally, when I am watching TV i just want to see the TV. If I want to use the internet, I reach over to my labtop. Sure, it may be more convenient to have two in one, but I know that I would be doing a million things at once and not really watch the programs I want to. The internet has that affect on us. So many times I sit on my labtop when I really don't have anything to do.

The internet is influenced by video, by television, by news, pop culture, social networking, almost every external medium because it has become a source for all of these. It takes in everything from the outside world and becomes a distributor of it. Because it has become a source and a distributor, it's begun to replace it in many forms. People now watch shows on Hulu.com instead of their Tv's. People visit websites for news rather than buying newspapers, and create events on facebook rather than personally calling to invite their guests. The internet and new media go hand in hand.

Modeling Virtual Worlds with Reality

When I thought of Second Life, it honestly made me a bit unnerved. The idea of people spending hours on a fake version of reality seems to be a unfortunate waste of time that they could be spending on their actual lives. My opinion has been altered a bit by the discussion in class about programs like this. In the case of people that are given the opportunity to do things they never could in real life, I think it's beneficial. To give a person the chance to find others and form a sense of community, to gain support, and do things they normally could not, is a great thing. In the case of the aspergis syndrome, I think Second Life can give people a way of experiencing communication without the anxiety. It can help them work through this and perhaps carry over to real life situations. However, I fear that the dark side of virtual worlds like this is that people can become accustomed to the safety they feel and not venture out into the real world. Spending more time in a virtual world than on your real life seems to be a danger when dealing with virtual worlds. It is easy to be consumed in something when you can be anyone you want, have anything you want, etc. Human interraction is important to development, and although this is a different form of interaction, it is not the same as being face to face. I'm on the fence concerning the idea of a virtual person teaching someone about human behavior.

Virtual worlds can be useful for job training when you have people in remote locations. However, I don't think it should replace job training for employees that can be there in person. With everything, some people will react positively and some negatively. They should still have options.
They can be used for creating support groups for people. In the future, I think it will be used more in job training like the IBM article discussed. As for the "Naughty Auties" article, I think it can help with the initial anxieties associated with social anxiety and communication, however once a person is comfortable communicating with the Avatar, who's to say they can talk to a real live person?

"Social Networking"

Social networking tools can be used for anything from alerting your friends about where you're all meeting up for drinks to sending reports on national disasters. The article about Twitter, "Putting Twitter’s World to Use" by CLAIRE CAIN MILLER from the New York Times, refers to people tweeting about an earthquake and realizing the power of Twitter as more than a social networking device. People are turning to tools like this more and more for information as quick as they can get it. Social networking technology is often used for "pointless babble," as talked about in "40 percent of Twitter messages 'pointless babble': however the potential for the transmission of important information outweighs the rubbish people put up about their last meal or new haircut. If you can ignore the info you don't need, and look for what you do, social networking tools can be very helpful. Everyone is connected and therefore, it's hard to miss something. You often don't need to go looking for information, it pops up in your alert and you learn what someone else knows.
Companies such as Starbucks as also mentioned in the articles assigned, can use sites like Twitter to get the real opinions about their products. How many people actually drop suggestions in the drop box or even have time to? People are spending more time using social networking tools and people love sharing their opinions on sites like Twitter or Blogger. it makes sense that Starbucks would us Twitter to see what people really think. This can only improve how they run their business and how they make their products.
These technologies are constantly gaining strength in their following. Just when you though there was no more that could be done, Twitter came about, basically making facebook's "status updates" useless if you had a Twitter account as well. Who knows what else can be done. The dark side, to me, is all the space taken up but people telling me what they ate, but it's not hard to weed through and sometimes you find some gems of information. In the future, these devices will probably find more uses. They are slowly influencing and beating out news reports, one article mentioning the Tweets about the plane crashing in the Hudson before the reporters even got there. We'll see what these technologies can conquer next.

"Check Out Social Networking Sites"

I, like many am an avid Facebook user. I wouldn't call myself a junkie...but definitely a user. It's one of the few social networking sites that I've kept up with for more than a few months. My impression is that it's easy to use, is not as riddled with ads as other sites, and has a very basic layout that doesn't blind me with color and crazy backgrounds. It serves it's purpose, to network and let everyone know where you were last night. Creating a profile is not rocket science and once you do, connecting with people is immediate. The newsfeed can get annoying, but I do find myself checking it out from time to time. I like it's simple format. It's pretty user friendly.

Myspace - For the life of me I still cannot create a pretty page without the help of my more myspace literate friends. It's nice that you can personalize everything, but looking at people's pages have slowed down my comp pretty badly when they have a zillion different things going on. It looks good, and is pretty useful but it's certainly not professional. Also, upon looking at pages the impression I always get is..myspace can be a pretty dirty world.

Friendster - I haven't used Friendster much and I don't know a lot of people that still do. I dabbled in it a while back and found it to be kind of boring. Facebook is much better with all it's applications-they let you personalize your page without getting to crazy. Friendster is good for connecting with people as well, but I don't se it every catching on as well as some other sites. it's kind of dull in comparison.