Creativity and New Media

For my creativity and new media assignment i decided to create a Second Life.being a fan of the NBC television show The Office, I was aware of Second Life and always wanted to give it a try. One of the main things I looked forward to trying was flying. I started of by creating my username and downloading the software. After that was done I was into second life. I quickly began to learn how to maneuver my avatar and learn my way around. After I learned the ropes I then edited the avatar from the generic look so that its favored me. Once I edited my avatars look, I decided it was time to adventure out into the second life world. I entered one of the public area walked around, chatted with some more second lifers and finally got the chance to fly along with going to the bottom off the ocean!

Creativity

In our society new media allows us to be created as ever with very little expense. I could imagine if I was growing up in the 80's how hard it would be to direct and edit a video, record a high quality mp3, or even make a voice over parody. With modern technology all of these can be done from your average laptop and mirror professional levels. With this power anyone can make the hottest viral video from the comfort of their home. In the New York Times article, Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why? we read about how a popular rap song lead to the creation of online video using Disney and Nickelodeon characters. Editors would mash-up the these characters so that it looked as if they were performing the songs. These new ways of using new media has given the power to control the media we want to watch or even make fun of back to the viewers.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds offer opportunity for users to escape their day to day life and do things that the program allows. This allows many people with access to a computer the chance to visit foreign, near, or imaginary places, as well as the chance to communicate and make friends with people all over the world. In The New York Times article I’ve Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life, we read about a person who choose to escape the smells and crowded atmospheres of a actual club by just going online. The benefits of doing this was "There were no imperious bouncers or foul odors to contend with, and no fluids of any kind expectorated on my shoes". Prior to reading the articles I was unaware of the various ways a virtual world could be used. This includes offering the opportunity for a paralyzed or disabled person the chance to walk, fly, and even find a calling that they couldn't have done on their own. In the CNN Online article, iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction, where introduced to David Savill who is autistic.Since David is not very sociable second life helped him while he learned when to use a smiley face or a angry face. David was also able to open a online institution named Naughty Auties where "visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition".

Virtual worlds allow users the chance to escape their actual life and be whoever to they want to be, however, time spent in the worlds could allow one to forget about their responsibilities in the real world. For intense, my main responsibility are work and school, so a second life could take away time I could have applied to my homework or to just being productive. I believe that second life is best used in one free time and that users should be able to distinguish from when it time to play and when it time to get back to reality. I believe that in the future these virtual worlds will have the capacity to give users a greater experience with greater and richer graphics, as well as with the integration of motion technology the chance to make it more life like.

Blog about Twitter

Twitter compared to a blackboard discussion has its benefits and detriments. With twitter one can have a discussion and share it to world or just amongst their followers. Twitter also allows users to tag peers in a tweet, so during a discussion one who have the option of directing a specific tweet towards someone and this tweet will show up on their timeline. During a blackboard discussion however there is no limits on characters and this leaves one with the opportunity to quote passages without having to worry about space. Blackboard also allows one to create specific post that are neatly organized and topics would be listed by post date.
As fun as a online discussion can be, I believe that a in class one is always the best choice. While in class and discussing a topic, where able to connect on a closer level because were able to see who we are sharing our views with. Also were able to feed off and be motivated by ones energy while there passionately discussing a topic that might be dear to them. Though this is possible through blackboard and twitter I feel that a live speech will always be more moving then reading some text.

Social Networking Sites

The sites I choose to view were Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, & Google+.  When viewing these 4 sites I couldn't help but realize that all have a Facebook feel when it came down to its simple and user friendly layout. Myspace, which I haven't visited in years has went under a massive makeover which is completely different from back 4-5 years ago. There seems to be a bigger emphasis on promoting music rather than actual social connections. Google+, the newest of the 4 looks as if they completely copied Facebook idea and just switched up the terms used for connecting. I have to admit Facebook has also borrowed concepts like making groups from Google+. 

Of the 4, twitter seems to be the easiest to connect to and use due to your 140 character limit. This always keeps me reminded to keep it short and simple at all times. Also with twitter ability to tag someone in you tweet is a plus. Facebook has copied this concept as well recently which I find useful when wanting to share a post about several friends.

Social Networking

Social networking is a form of new media that allows users the ability to always stay connected with the ability to share what ever you want to share. When looking at the 5 c's, social media allows for all of them, Communication, Collaboration, Community, Creativity, Convergence. With sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, IMDB and new sites like Google+, social networking which was mainly used to connect with friends and family, is attracting a lot of attention for celebrities, companies, and even politicians. Celebrities use sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote, share ideas, and to connect to there many fans and this also allows users the opportunity to give feedback as well as connect to this celebrity. Companies use social networking as a tool to connect to there customers and market, promote, and receive feedback. Politicians use these sites to for similar reason like celebrities however they also can gain new voters, raise funds, and tap into a younger audience who may not be big on voting. In the New York Times Article, How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power, we see the power of this new media. The quote that really hit home on the power of new media was, "“Thomas Jefferson used newspapers to win the presidency, F.D.R. used radio to change the way he governed, J.F.K. was the first president to understand television, and Howard Dean saw the value of the Web for raising money”.

Each social networking site brings different aspects to the table. A site like twitter allows users to send out short tweets which can be used to share thoughts, pics, or even a retweet. Myspace and Facebook offered user with the ability to connect with friends, but myspace gave users the power to create and format your page, while Facebook approach was more a simplistic touch. A website like IMDB allows users to connect to critique a movie as well as rate and share feedback. I have looked to sites like IMDB for ratings of movies and was shocked to read that result could be distorted. In the Technology Review Article, Can You Trust Crowd Wisdom?, it says "If you have two or three people voting 500 times, says Kostakos, the results may not be representative of the community overall. He suspects this may be why ratings often tend toward extremes". This was a big shocker to me due to my online experience, where users usually shared my feelings or at least the comments would defend why someone disliked or liked something.

Like with everything in life there is a catch. while social networking has it benefits, you can't post threatening or radical thoughts, and a lot of time can be spent in cyberspace reading friends tweets or status updates instead of doing homework, or just spending time or something more productive. I feel that in the future social networking will be more incorporated in school, where you will meet classmates before you even attend your first day, and where students will be able to keep in contact with their teachers after school hours.