Blog: Next New

Televisions for years have been one dimensional. Consumers are only allowed to see and hear things and if they paid a little more money we would have to wear annoying glasses to get a 3-D effect. We often watch a television show and wish we could smell or feel what the television show is broadcasting. The new type of new media I have come up with is just that. I often watch television shows and I wished I could smell the food in the show. This feature to smell and feel would give consumers a personalized feel and make them feel like they are actually there experiencing what the actor or host is feeling. 

Blog: Wiki So Far

For my class wiki I decided to talk about one of my favorite youtuber, Mo Vlogs. He is changing the concept of blogs. Something that use to be done through typing a post like I am and sharing my life is now done through a camera. My 4-5 paragraphs about Mo Vlogs was done primarily using my knowledge about him as well as some information which I found through the internet. I edited the Youtube page and specifically edited the YouTube Stars section. This was where I contributed a bulk of my information. I talked about how successful Mo is, what type of video content he puts out, some of his connections, what he does a daily basis and why he is so successful. Currently I am trying to find other areas that I can either edit or contribute.  

Blog: P2P

File sharing is the action of distributing computer documents or various types of things on your computer such as files, software, pictures, videos, movies, etc. There are a lot of controversial issues surrounding the topic of file sharing. Creators argue that their products are being used and distributed for free and on the other hand people sharing files are saying they are just helping out. Because of these issues laws and rules are being created to govern the internet. P2P file sharing is when a peer shares files with their other peers. This is becoming a common thing and there are many websites and applications that facilitate P2P file sharing such as BitTorrent and other pirating websites. These applications have such a profound impact on creators that according to Brian Stelter and Brad Stone by saying, “illegal copies of the Batman movie had been downloaded more than seven million times around the world, according to the media measurement firm BigChampagne, turning it into a visible symbol of Hollywood’s helplessness against the growing problem of online video piracy.” P2P file sharing is effecting many more industries but the movie industry is taking a hard hit because many people can just google a movie and get a copy of it for free. Other examples of P2P file sharing are copying expensive software and giving it to a friend, copying exams, videotaping a movie and sharing it online, and etc.

Stelter, Brian and Stone, Brad. Digital Pirates Winning Battle With Studios. The New York Times, Feb 5, 2009, p. A1.

Blog: Advice

If I were hired by Baruch to use new media to improve the college, I would create a platform such as a blog to get feedback from the students. In addition, I would hold polls to see what are the major issues and how the students want these issues to be resolved. The students are the most important part of Baruch college and without the students Baruch cannot be successful. Therefore, I would use a blog to gather as much feedback as I could to improve the college. From these feedbacks, Baruch can then see where they need to change and how they need to change to please the students. In addition, I would also have a social media team to update the students are current news, upcoming changes, and significant events that are happening. This will keep students up to date to know what is going on with their college and it is also another way and opportunity to get feedback from the students. 

Blog: Privacy

New media and the internet in general has attracted a large number of users. Many of these new media platforms require a significant amount of data from the users and then on top of that collect a large quantity of data. Because these platforms have so much of our data privacy and confidentiality is a huge part of new media. Facebook for example is a new media platform that collects data on every move we make while using their platform. They read our conversations and see what users are talking about to come up with their “Trending” section. As many of you may have noticed, the advertisements on Facebook are also tailored to your taste because the platform has access to our searches and what we are doing on the internet. New media platforms are watching users day to day on the internet every day and collecting data on us to make profits. This is how privacy and confidentiality is connected with new media. 

Creativity and New Media

New media fosters creativity. It allows us the ability to do things that we can’t do in real life. With this assignment, I decided to use Second Life to create an avatar of me. A direct representation of how I would look like in real life. But then as I was creating this avatar, I realized that I could be or an animal or even a vampire or a zombie. So I decided to create two addition avatars to get a full picture of what this new media platform can offer. I even made one of the avatars female. In the first snapshot, it is a direct representation of how I would look in real life. (Minus the vest and obviously not floating in the air.) I had a little fun and took a snapshot of my avatar flying which is something you can’t do in real life. With the second snapshot, I decided to create a werewolf. I was a little frustrated because the application would not allow me to wear clothing or else it would like messed up. Finally, I created a female zombie.

Creativity

New media fosters creativity because the roles of the producer and consumer has changed. Before the internet world the producer was responsible for coming up with new ideas and innovations. The consumer just sat back and waited for the goods and services. But ever since the establishment of the internet and new media the consumers have the capabilities to voice themselves and create as well. This ultimately makes the consumers become producers in an amateur sense. Because of the influx of amateur producers, it forces the professionals to think even harder so they can create better products. For example, YouTube is saturated with amateur video makers as well as professional video makers. This saturation causes all video/content creators to become more creative so they can get more views. All in all, new media has enabled the consumers in old media to become producers using new media. This leads to more competition and brains which fosters creativity. But this isn’t the only reason why new media fosters creativity. Claire Cain Miller, a writer for the New York Times, states “The company watches how people use the service and which ideas catch on.” By looking at how users use the products companies can now see what the consumer likes and what changes they want as well. This makes it easier for new media companies to foster creativity because they act upon consumer’s requests.

Miller, Claire Cain. Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers. The New York Times, October 26, 2009.