The Next New Thing

An idea I have for a new type of new media is a website called “Community.” On this website you can choose a city or neighborhood and see all of the local events, sales, and special promotions that are occurring in that area, whether it is a concert in the park, a yard sale, or discounts at a new restaurant or retail store. Registered members and businesses can post events on the site and users can leave comments, opinions, and suggestions. It would be an interactive environment, where people are both contributors and consumers. Businesses could even post special discounts and promotions to those who use the site. 

 The purpose of the website is to instill a sense of community among neighbors and bring people closer together. By advertising these local events, individuals may create friendships, visit new places, and take part in something they otherwise would not have known was occurring. As much of an impact websites such as Facebook and Twitter have had on society, they have also been blamed for a decline in social interactions and communication skills. In contrast, the underlying idea of “Community,” is using new media to encourage more face-to-face relationships and interactions. The purpose of the site is to get people off their computers and out of their houses. “Community” would be the ideal place to plan your day or weekend, whether you are staying close to home or traveling to another location. By selecting a neighborhood, you could easily see everything occurring on a certain day and plan accordingly.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

              For the class wiki, I have registered myself as a contributor for the “New Media and Video Game Console” page. I felt that this was the best thing for me to contribute, as it is something that interests me and a topic in which I am very comfortable and familiar with. Unfortunately, I have had no time to add any content as of yet, other than my bio, but hope to post a submission in the upcoming weeks. In preparation I have been doing a lot of research, including exploring X-box 360’s online community, reading articles from magazines and newspapers, and even interviewing a video game journalist.

                A few days ago I was able to contact a close friend of mine, who is a journalist in the videogame industry. We talked for a few minutes, as he graciously answered all of my questions. Francois Chang is the Community Manager for the up-and-coming videogame website Dualshockers.com, which is a popular destination for the latest trends, releases, and announcements in the gaming industry. In my interview, he described how new media has greatly affected video game consoles over the past decade. He stated that new media has instilled a sense of community in consoles, as it encourages users to meet new people, while enjoying their favorite games in the company of friends. He himself has also used sites such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the Dualshockers website in order to increase internet traffic. From my own interactions on video games, I have also discovered that companies use their online marketplaces as a premier destination for instantly downloading new games and other related content as well.

                By combining information from industry experts, articles, and personal experience I hope to make a valuable contribution to the class wiki and show students the major impact social media has had on video games consoles. With a wide variety of sources, I hope to add new perspective and am now in the process of reviewing all of my sources and material and putting it together in an easy to follow format. I am very excited to post my contributions and will hopefully be able to have it up around the beginning of May.

P2P File Sharing

              Over the past decade, the Internet has provided a great place for individuals to get instant and free access to millions of songs, movies and other media files. Although, it is illegal to download most of this copyrighted content free of charge, many participants have faced little to no repercussions for such actions, accept for an unlucky few. File sharing is the ability to transfer or share files from one computer to another through a network. In this specific case consumers (like you and me) only download or consume content, while suppliers only supply it.  P2P file sharing in contrast, is short for peer to peer and its system directly connects users without them having to connect to a central server. By doing this, it eliminates centralized control and creates an environment where users are both contributors and clients, as they both download and share files.

                An example of P2P file sharing is the site Kazaa, which Daniel Kreps talks about in his article “Minnesota Mom Hit with $1.5 Million Fine for Downloading 24 Songs.” In it he recalls the harsh penalties for those caught downloading illegally. In this specific case, a mom of four was charged with illegally downloading music on the P2P site Kazaa. Fortunately, because many major label companies did not want the bad press, they were willing to settle out of court for $25,000, which would roughly cost the mother $1,041 per song. Of course sites such as Kazaa and others, like Limewire, are considered by many today as old and outdated. In fact Limewire another P2P site, was recently shut down by the government due to various copyright infringements. Many people are now turning to new and popular P2P programs such as Bit Torrent and Rapidshare to fulfill their file needs. 

                I believe that the answer to the major issues involving file sharing will be settled in the near future. Sites such as Rhapsody seem to be providing an interesting answer to the problems surrounding music downloads. The site offers unlimited downloads for a fixed monthly fee. Innovative and creative ideas such as these will continue to be pursued by companies in the years to come and a decade long battle may hopefully come to an end.

Privacy & Confidentiality

New media has changed the way we society functions and operates. It has bridged the gap in communication across borders and has brought new meaning to relationships and friendships. But despite all of the benefits new media has brought to society, it has come at the price of individuals’ personal privacy. For instance, by logging onto Facebook, I can browse random people’s pictures, contact lists, and see personal information such as hometown, birthday, and beliefs. Not only that, but other programs have allowed you to track your friends as well, allowing you to see where they currently are, who they are with, and even what they are thinking (status update/tweet).

By blindly embracing every facet of new media, people often forget about the loss of privacy that they are subjected too. Once anything is online, it is there forever and almost anyone can have access to it. Children and adults alike must start taking precautions with the things the post on the internet and must become familiar with privacy controls. They should read all of the policies and restrictions before using a site, rather than just clicking “I accept.” All too often, individuals often make their private information public and are unaware of who is collecting their information or browsing their profiles. 

With the constantly innovations and advancements in technology, more should be done for protection.  Although new programs and the internet have made it possible to share almost anything on the internet, it does not mean that it should be shared. Some things were meant to be confidential and not for public. For instance, there was much debate over the Wikileaks, which posted hundred of confidential documents related to U.S. ambassadors. Top-secret information that was only meant for certain people, could have put many lives in danger when it was released over the internet. As a society, we should use new media for its intended purposes and not take advantage of it by exploiting its many benefits.

Advice to Baruch College

               If I were hired by Baruch to improve the college by using new media, one of the first things I would do is dispose of Blackboard. Blackboard is a slow and cumbersome program, which is constantly under site maintenance and is always causing problems with user logins. Because students cannot always access Blackboard, they sometimes cannot retrieve crucial information and notes that are needed for an upcoming test. Instead, I would propose that all courses be instructed to use class wikis. By using class wikis, students could easily communicate with each other, share documents, and discuss lectures. Meanwhile, teachers could post questions, share announcements, and effectively share class cancellations and changes, without having to worry about whether or not every student received their e-mails. 

                I also think it would be a great idea for professors to hold virtual office hours as well. Many times teachers have a limited number of hours in which they are available outside of class and in order to see them you must either find a way to make it there on time, or schedule a future appointment for on another date. In contrast, by using chat rooms and programs such as Skype, I feel that a teacher would be more accessible. For those who could not physically make it to the professor’s office, they could still connect via a webcam or instant message. This would be very beneficial and efficient for students, while posing little to no extra burden on teachers. 

                 Baruch also needs to leverage its current new media mediums in order to generate more public awareness. For instance, I personally did know that they had created a Facebook page detailing certain events and information. I think they should take this idea one step further and actually create a public profile for the college and interact on a more personal basis with students. The school should also promote and use its Twitter more as well. They should use these mediums for posting school closings and delays in advance, rather than waiting for the last minute to post announcements up on the school’s website. I remember having to wake up at 6 a.m. one day and waiting for them to post on the school website whether or not there would be a snow day. Technology can change the way students connect with their school and new media is a great place to start.

About my PROJ

                I am glad to say that I have almost finished my 10 page term paper for this class. I just need to proof read and make sure everything is how I would like it to be. It was pretty interesting to write this paper, which I titled “Facebook: The Good and The Bad.” I learned a lot about the site, as I detailed the positive and negative consequences that the social networking giant has had on society during the past seven years.  Most of my research was performed through Google and the Baruch Library’s database website. By doing this I was able to find many relevant articles and journals related to my subject. Fortunately because I chose such a popular topic there was no shortage of information. I believe the hardest part of obtaining different sources, was actually sorting through and reading all of the material to see which ones actually helped support my ideas.

                I was actually able to learn a lot that I did not know about a site that I visit multiple times a day. For instance, I now understand how companies and business can successfully use Facebook as a cheap and efficient source of marketing and public relations. Also a fun fact I discovered, is that many people were originally against the idea of the streaming Facebook news-feed. I found this amusing, because the thought of removing it today seems absurd. I was also able to find out a lot more about the benefits that the site has contributed in terms of communication and building relationships, while discovering that it could also be detrimental to communication and social skills as well.

                I chose my topic, because like six-hundred million other people, I have a Facebook account that I log onto frequently. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about something that I have spent so many hours on during the past couple of years. My major finding was that although Facebook has helped to bridge the gap in communication across borders, it has caused numerous problems in both school and the workplace, while at times taking a toll on the intimacy and closeness of one’s physical and personal relationships in the real world. 

                My paper contributes to the field of “new media,” because it helps demonstrate that although new media and advances in technology have provided an innumerable amount of benefits to society, they also have their downsides. I learned that new media and Facebook can be a very powerful tool if used correctly, but in my belief should be used in moderation like all good things.

Creativity and New Media

For this assignment, I decided to use a different form of new media that we have yet to discuss in class and that was video games. Online video games offer a rich community composed of people from all different walks of life, who come together to share their interests in the latest games and trends. In order to complete this assignment, I signed on to my X-box 360 and created a virtual avatar (similar to what you do Second Life).

                Although a little difficult, I attempted to make my avatar resemble myself as closely as possible. After this I began to play games and tried to meet as many new people as possible. After playing with a few different people, I began using a great tool by X-box that allows you to see players who you have recently played with and either message them or add them as “friends.” Soon enough, I entered a chat room through the video game system and began talking to a group of gamers. One of the members suggested I try a game called “Crash Course.” In the game you use your avatar to compete against others in a challenging obstacle course, the idea slightly resembles the popular show “Wipeout.”  

                In this game I was able to meet and talk to a number of different people, as well as see and compete against their personal avatars. Soon enough, I added them to my network of video game friends. We also exchanged Facebook and Twitter usernames, so we were able to connect through more than one medium. This assignment was a lot fun to complete and much different from anything I was used to, as it allowed me the opportunity to do something that I enjoy.  I was also fortunate enough to meet a number of different people who introduced me to new games, ideas, and upcoming events and trends. This is a perfect example of how social media fosters creativity, as it creates an environment where strangers can become friends and ideas and information may be shared, expanded upon, and passed to all.

Creativity

New media has clearly had a major impact on society and has changed the way people live their day-to-day lives. Whether they are finding friends on Facebook, reading up on Twitter, or meeting people through online video game communities, new technologies have changed the way we interact with people and have opened up the door to limitless opportunities. In an online and virtual world where almost anything is possible, the boundaries of technologies continue to be pushed with each passing day.

Aside from the various benefits in communication and information processing , new media has also helped foster creativity as well. It enables everyone to be a contributor and lets anyone with an idea share their thoughts. Millions of ideas are shared across different mediums every day, and although some may not be thought out clearly, others have the opportunity to change the way we live. By expressing an idea on Facebook or Twitter, you are allowed the opportunity to spread the word on your thoughts.  Those who read it may pick up where you left off and formulate their own ideas and this pattern may continue exponentially. Technology and new media has allowed this world to become a smaller place, as it has bridged the gaps in communication across borders. The environment and processes in which new media create and allow undoubtedly help foster creativity and present the opportunity for the formulation of new and exciting things.

A perfect example of this was stated in in Claire Cain Miller’s article “Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers.” In it she talked about how most of Twitter’s innovations, such as lists, retweets, and hash tags were ideas that were actually proposed by users and consumers, rather than the company itself. By holding an open panel for the world in order to gain insight on how to improve the site, Twitter was able to gain points from various perspectives and was not limited to the ideas of only just a few internal technology experts. I believe other companies should start doing this as well. In the technological world we live in today, resources and ideas are vast, but it takes a good leader to recognize this. This example proves that the flow of knowledge is a continuous chain and the use of new media has enabled us to constantly add to it. 

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

                Virtual worlds are gaining vast popularity in both social and corporate environments and offer and an infinite amount of opportunities that were unimaginable before. By taking part in a virtual world like Second Life, a user is free to do whatever he or she wants. People can socialize, enjoy a night out on the town, see new places, or partake in events that were otherwise inaccessible. Meanwhile, as stated in Mark Tutton’s article “Going to the virtual office in Second Life,” many companies have begun to use virtual worlds as a place to hold meetings and brainstorm. This helps to save on transportation time, while the unique environments help foster creativity. Whether you are just looking to pass the time, try something new, or hold an important meeting, the possibilities in programs such as Second Life are virtually limitless.

                Of course though, just like everything else, virtual worlds do have their pros and cons. The pros as stated earlier, allow users access anything they can imagine. The limits and boundaries constraining someone in reality, no longer apply, as you may become whoever you want and go wherever you want. This may offer a whole new social experience for those with disabilities, who may no longer have the privilege of doing the many things most take for granted, whether it be dancing, swimming, or meeting new people.  In contrast the negatives aspects of these new technologies are that sometimes people become so involved in their alter egos and virtual lives, that they often ignore their own realities. So although virtual worlds may provide an escape and opportunity, they should be used in moderation. Also, a virtual world is just that, virtual. The joy of meeting new people and having intimate face-to-face relationships cannot be played out on a computer and the excitement of dancing or riding a horse in real life cannot be conveyed through a game.  Dave Itzkoff touched upon this in his article, “I’ve been in that club, just not in real life.” In it he stated that although virtual worlds such as VLES, which replicated New York’s Lower East side, were popular,  “No one expects VLES to replace the experience of visiting the real thing, nor can it possibly keep up with trends in music, cuisine and clothing that the scene is inventing in real time.”

                Virtual Worlds also help foster creativity. You may put yourself in any type of environment that you believe is comfortable and stimulates imagination, an environment you may not necessarily have access to in reality. As a result, you may think of things or ideas that you otherwise would have overlooked or not realized. Virtual worlds also allow users to create companies or own business that they otherwise could not operate in the real world. In a place where anything is possible, it encourages people to to think outside of the box.

                In the future I believe there will be virtual worlds that replicate our real one, down to the very last detail. You will be able to go into a virtual department store such as Macy's and purchase physical clothes. I also think there will be entire cities created from pure imagination. With advances in technologies during the upcoming years, I predict the line separating virtual worlds and reality will become blurred, as the two will become intertwined in everyone’s day-to-day lives.