Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Creativity and New Media
Growing up I loved playing the game Sims. It is a game where you basically create as many avatars as you want, buy a house or create your own, and begin to live your life. In the first snapshot, I just finished creating my avatar. I tried to make it resemble me as much as I could. I then moved my avatar into a house and bought a guitar. I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar but never had the chance. However, as you can see in my 2nd snapshot I am able to make my avatar learn to play the guitar as if that is me learning. This is why I enjoy playing this game; you can do anything you wish you were able to in real life and convert it into a second life in Sims.
Creativity
When Twitter first started in 2007 many people began to become engaged in it. We call this new media. It was another way people used to share information and have conversation. What is really amazing about new media is that it fosters creativity.With just 140 characters people had to think about what they were going to say and their true feelings. Companies looked at what the trends will be in their customers and give them what they want. People on twitter became the one creating ideas for products and there will always be new ideas because people are creative with their imaginations.
Twitter also has hash-tags. You put a hash tag in front of your post and it groups it up with other people that used the same hash tag. An example given in Twitter Serves Up Idea From Its Followers by Claire Cain Miller "man conferences announce the so-called hash tag at the start of the event so attendees can mark all their posts the same way and people can search Twitter for everything written on the conference." Sometimes people like to create a new hash tag and other people may copy that hash tag and all of the sudden it becomes a trend and everyone uses the word. This also counts as creativity because a lot of people are trying to do this and some of them actually do become a trend.
In the future, more and more new media will be created. Creators of these new media will find new ways to foster creativity. It is interesting to see what people come up with and it is only a matter of time before we see it. This can happen tomorrow, in a week, in a year, in 5 years, etc. We will have to wait and see.
Sources:
1. 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
Twitter also has hash-tags. You put a hash tag in front of your post and it groups it up with other people that used the same hash tag. An example given in Twitter Serves Up Idea From Its Followers by Claire Cain Miller "man conferences announce the so-called hash tag at the start of the event so attendees can mark all their posts the same way and people can search Twitter for everything written on the conference." Sometimes people like to create a new hash tag and other people may copy that hash tag and all of the sudden it becomes a trend and everyone uses the word. This also counts as creativity because a lot of people are trying to do this and some of them actually do become a trend.
In the future, more and more new media will be created. Creators of these new media will find new ways to foster creativity. It is interesting to see what people come up with and it is only a matter of time before we see it. This can happen tomorrow, in a week, in a year, in 5 years, etc. We will have to wait and see.
Sources:
1. 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
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
Virtual Worlds is a place where one can create an avatar in a computer simulated environment to do anything you'd like and meet other people who created their own avatar. As time passes by people are using the virtual world for many purposes, whether it is to recreate something in real life, or just to play games. It is becoming more acceptable and I think this will change our future.
One way a virtual world can be used it for gaming purposes. A big game today is Minecraft. This is a virtual world where you get together with your friends to create or destroy anything of your imagination like a building or a cave. A lot of kids enjoy playing this game because it is simple and fun. They are able to do anything they want and there are no adults to tell them their limits. This will foster creativity because the kids are learning to create things at a young age. I have a nephew that loves playing Minecraft and he has ended up building ships, buildings, etc. He even told me that he would want to become an architect and he's only 7 years old. I would have never expected someone at a young age to find their life passion through a minecraft. According to After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot "there are about 2 billion accounts registered for the 100 or so virtual worlds and children age 5-15 own about half of them. This goes to show that the newer generation are using these worlds to find other children that enjoys playing the same games. Another way the virtual world can be used is to host meetings, or conduct training for a job. According to Linden Lab more than 1400 organizations are doing this.
There are many benefits for using Virtual Worlds. One, you'll never feel alone ever again if you have access to it. Lets take Minecraft as an example. Since so many people play it all over the world, if you were feeling lonely you can log into Minecraft at 4am in the morning and you would still find people to play with. This helps us meet people around the world and learn how to socialize with people. Two, it will save people money. Many companies would fly to another country and host a meeting for a job. However, with virtual worlds you can just do it from the office and don't have to pay for the traveling fee.
The negative effects of virtual worlds is that people will end up forgetting what human interactions would feel like. If so many kids are using virtual worlds, they are probably at home on their computer. Their way of "hanging out" would probably be in the virtual worlds and only go out when they have to go to school. Another negative effect is learning what you are able to do in the virtual world but not in a face-to-face conversation. There are other factors like culture in the real world that people will need to account for, but not account for in the virtual world.
I think the future of virtual worlds will change greatly. If kids are getting use to virtual worlds at such a young age, when they grow up they will think of new ways to make it better. Universities may also end up using virtual worlds as an online course. The professor gives a set time to come to class, and you log on your avatar and sit in a virtual classroom. I think this idea will be very interesting and I might even try it.
Sources:
Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html
After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get A Reboot. April 30, 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/
One way a virtual world can be used it for gaming purposes. A big game today is Minecraft. This is a virtual world where you get together with your friends to create or destroy anything of your imagination like a building or a cave. A lot of kids enjoy playing this game because it is simple and fun. They are able to do anything they want and there are no adults to tell them their limits. This will foster creativity because the kids are learning to create things at a young age. I have a nephew that loves playing Minecraft and he has ended up building ships, buildings, etc. He even told me that he would want to become an architect and he's only 7 years old. I would have never expected someone at a young age to find their life passion through a minecraft. According to After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot "there are about 2 billion accounts registered for the 100 or so virtual worlds and children age 5-15 own about half of them. This goes to show that the newer generation are using these worlds to find other children that enjoys playing the same games. Another way the virtual world can be used is to host meetings, or conduct training for a job. According to Linden Lab more than 1400 organizations are doing this.
There are many benefits for using Virtual Worlds. One, you'll never feel alone ever again if you have access to it. Lets take Minecraft as an example. Since so many people play it all over the world, if you were feeling lonely you can log into Minecraft at 4am in the morning and you would still find people to play with. This helps us meet people around the world and learn how to socialize with people. Two, it will save people money. Many companies would fly to another country and host a meeting for a job. However, with virtual worlds you can just do it from the office and don't have to pay for the traveling fee.
The negative effects of virtual worlds is that people will end up forgetting what human interactions would feel like. If so many kids are using virtual worlds, they are probably at home on their computer. Their way of "hanging out" would probably be in the virtual worlds and only go out when they have to go to school. Another negative effect is learning what you are able to do in the virtual world but not in a face-to-face conversation. There are other factors like culture in the real world that people will need to account for, but not account for in the virtual world.
I think the future of virtual worlds will change greatly. If kids are getting use to virtual worlds at such a young age, when they grow up they will think of new ways to make it better. Universities may also end up using virtual worlds as an online course. The professor gives a set time to come to class, and you log on your avatar and sit in a virtual classroom. I think this idea will be very interesting and I might even try it.
Sources:
Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html
After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get A Reboot. April 30, 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Blog about Twitter
As students we have many ways of communicating. This can be through Twitter, Blackboard, or an in class discussion. I have recently began using Twitter for my class and it is very interesting. However other students may probably be more familiar with Blackboard and an in class discussion.
Since Twitter has an 140 maximum of characters someone can post, it makes it difficult for someone to explain themselves. This makes people get straight to the point. They would have to think about the main points of what they want to say and tweet it. To keep everything together as a class every tweet we make we put a #(class). If we need to look back at what other classmates said or even the professor we just search up the # and see what everyone wrote. We can then reply to someones post by putting a @(username) and type what you want to say and putting the # after.
Blackboard is much different. A thread has to be created first and other people can reply to it. Since blackboard does not have a maximum of characters someone can post, people will generally explain themselves. It usually takes longer to post on blackboard than Twitter. The bad thing about Blackboard is, if someone was replying at the same time they may say the same thing. You will not be able to edit your post or delete it and it would be there forever. Also if you were to ask a question, someone may not reply until a week later when another student feels or sees your post.
An in class disscussion is what most people are use to. Everyone will be in a class to discuss about a topic and people would take turns talking. This makes it better for everyone because if someone was confused about the topic they can ask for clarification and they would usually get the answer right away. Just being there physically in the conversation, people tend to remember what was said. However, if you were to forget what was said in the discussion there will be no place for you to remember what was said and may cause future confusion.
Since Twitter has an 140 maximum of characters someone can post, it makes it difficult for someone to explain themselves. This makes people get straight to the point. They would have to think about the main points of what they want to say and tweet it. To keep everything together as a class every tweet we make we put a #(class). If we need to look back at what other classmates said or even the professor we just search up the # and see what everyone wrote. We can then reply to someones post by putting a @(username) and type what you want to say and putting the # after.
Blackboard is much different. A thread has to be created first and other people can reply to it. Since blackboard does not have a maximum of characters someone can post, people will generally explain themselves. It usually takes longer to post on blackboard than Twitter. The bad thing about Blackboard is, if someone was replying at the same time they may say the same thing. You will not be able to edit your post or delete it and it would be there forever. Also if you were to ask a question, someone may not reply until a week later when another student feels or sees your post.
An in class disscussion is what most people are use to. Everyone will be in a class to discuss about a topic and people would take turns talking. This makes it better for everyone because if someone was confused about the topic they can ask for clarification and they would usually get the answer right away. Just being there physically in the conversation, people tend to remember what was said. However, if you were to forget what was said in the discussion there will be no place for you to remember what was said and may cause future confusion.
Social Networking Sites
More and more people are using social networking sites such as: Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Some people may even list this as a "necessity" in their life. People use these sites to stay in touch with friends and/or family, or get the latest news about a celebrity, or even to get the latest news; there are endless possibilities one can use a social networking site for.
I think the first big social networking site was Myspace, at least in my life it was. I was probably in middle school and everyone was beginning to create a profile on Myspace. So I said to myself "hey, why not." When I created a Myspace everything seemed a little complicated. But after a while I slowly learned and got use to the site. I found out that Myspace is mostly for music. If you were to visit the site today, they will show featured singles and songs. You would be able to put music on your personal profile and share songs that you like. However, looking back what I really learned from Myspace was to create a background for my profile. You were able to customize your own profile and create your own background by using HTML.
The next big thing was Facebook. Facebook was much more easier to navigate than Myspace. People slowly began to shift towards Facebook and leaving Myspace. You are now able to play games, create groups to invite your friends in, see upcoming events, and see your news feed. People began to use Facebook more personally and tell everyone they were at the mall with 10 of their friends and their friends will know instantly. Instead of posting on a specific person's page like Myspace, you can just tell everyone through the news feed. I think Facebook is more engaging than myspace. If there is nothing interesting on your news feed there are other things to do such as play games to waste time.
Twitter is another interesting social networking site. I think this site is clever. You are only able to "tweet" or tell your friends something by using a maximum of 140 characters, unlike Facebook or Myspace where you can type a whole paragraph. People get straight to the point and its easier to read. When I first joined twitter, people tweeted things like "Just ate a sandwich, mmm" or "What do you call a deer with no eye... No eyedeer." I found these tweets very funny and enjoyed having a twitter. Another thing I use Twitter for is for the news. News stations will summerize an article in about 140 characters and you would get a basic idea of whats happening.
Instagram is another huge social networking site. This is a place where you would only share photos to your friends. You take a photo and post it on Instagram and people can like it by just double tapping the picture on their phone. When I first joined Instagram people would love to post a picture of their food. I like food and love to try new type of food so I would ask people "Where did you get this?!" and get a reply. I thought this was a smart idea and to this day I still use Instagram.
I think the first big social networking site was Myspace, at least in my life it was. I was probably in middle school and everyone was beginning to create a profile on Myspace. So I said to myself "hey, why not." When I created a Myspace everything seemed a little complicated. But after a while I slowly learned and got use to the site. I found out that Myspace is mostly for music. If you were to visit the site today, they will show featured singles and songs. You would be able to put music on your personal profile and share songs that you like. However, looking back what I really learned from Myspace was to create a background for my profile. You were able to customize your own profile and create your own background by using HTML.
The next big thing was Facebook. Facebook was much more easier to navigate than Myspace. People slowly began to shift towards Facebook and leaving Myspace. You are now able to play games, create groups to invite your friends in, see upcoming events, and see your news feed. People began to use Facebook more personally and tell everyone they were at the mall with 10 of their friends and their friends will know instantly. Instead of posting on a specific person's page like Myspace, you can just tell everyone through the news feed. I think Facebook is more engaging than myspace. If there is nothing interesting on your news feed there are other things to do such as play games to waste time.
Twitter is another interesting social networking site. I think this site is clever. You are only able to "tweet" or tell your friends something by using a maximum of 140 characters, unlike Facebook or Myspace where you can type a whole paragraph. People get straight to the point and its easier to read. When I first joined twitter, people tweeted things like "Just ate a sandwich, mmm" or "What do you call a deer with no eye... No eyedeer." I found these tweets very funny and enjoyed having a twitter. Another thing I use Twitter for is for the news. News stations will summerize an article in about 140 characters and you would get a basic idea of whats happening.
Instagram is another huge social networking site. This is a place where you would only share photos to your friends. You take a photo and post it on Instagram and people can like it by just double tapping the picture on their phone. When I first joined Instagram people would love to post a picture of their food. I like food and love to try new type of food so I would ask people "Where did you get this?!" and get a reply. I thought this was a smart idea and to this day I still use Instagram.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Social Networking
Social Networking has changed all of our lives. Social networks such has Facebook has become societies way of communication. Today, there are over 1.4 billion users on Facebook and 22% of them log on daily. It is not rare that when you meet someone new, you'll get a friend request or send a friend request to that person the day of. I can see this in my personal life. I was recently put into a group in one of my classes and the only way for us to communicate was through a group created on Facebook. Meet, add, communicate.
This leads to one of many benefits of Social Networking. By communicating on Facebook it makes it easier for my group and I to exchange information. This ignores the traveling time that each of us will have to make if we were to meet in person. It is also easier for the group because Facebook is so easily accessible. All phones, laptops, computers, tablets, etc have internet and connecting to Facebook is as easy as one, two, three. Moving on from my personal experience, because Facebook is accessible pretty much everywhere people can post anything they want on it at any time, whether its photos or statuses. Companies can see this as a benefit. According to "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting" by Frank Langiftt, Crawford Hentz (a recruiter) thinks Social Networking is the best thing that happened to job recruiting. LinkedIn helps Hentz minimize her time of finding someone she wants to recruit by typing in a keyword and finds the best candidate. After this Hentz may search up the person she wants to recruit on other sites such as Facebook and if their photos are accessible, she may view them. If they have inappropriate photos Hentz may choose not to hire the candidate. This is another benefit for Hentz.
However, when there is benefits, there are always "dark sides." As I just mentioned, social networking may expose your personal life to the public. Let's say you were the candidate Hentz wanted to hire but oh wait, she just looked at your Facebook photos and saw you drunk passed out on the coach and there goes your potential job. That example may be a little extreme but lets look at Randi Zuckerburg's experience. According to "Facebook Privacy is so Confusing even the Zuckerburg Family Photo Isn't Private" by Rebecca Greenfield, Randi Zuckerburg (sister of the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerburg) posted a photo of her family and wanted to only so her friends. But somehow a random person was able to get their hands on the photo and show everyone. This just goes to show that your personal life is not safe as long as there is Social Networking.
I think as time progresses, everyone will be using Social Networking. People will lose the experience of meeting up with friends and just enjoying life. It will all be about Social Networking, which will lead everyone to be on their phones 24/7. We can even see that today from the newer generations. In the future people will look at more ways to protect their personal life from being exposed but I think that there will be no way of protecting it. There is always a loop hole in the system and if you want to protect your life, do not post things that you will regret later on in life or just not be part of the Social Networking process.
Citations:
1. Facebook Privacy Is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photo Isn't Private, The Atlantic Wire, Greenfield, R. December 26, 2012 http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/12/facebook-privacy-so-confusing-even-zuckerberg-family-photo-isnt-private/60313/
2. Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt, NPR, March 16, 2008. available from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf
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