Our Class Wiki - So Far

Well I have given myself the task of contributer to the wiki page New Media and Privacy issues. I haven't actually posted anything yet because i am still a little confused on how to add content and all that but i have been using the Baruch College databases to collect my information. I find that the databases give an array of credible sources with out having to resort to Google searching. I also like the databases because they help you to site your sources. I have found research on the dangers and the lack of privacy on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Also found research on how peoples information is not safe online. Companies trade and sell peoples personal information, and this is where i am focusing my researching. I am hoping to actually add my contributions over the weekend.

The Next New Thing

Suggest a new type of "new media" that doesn't currently exist. Describe it.

I would suggest a car with internet inside of it. Maybe like new cars with a built in laptop with fully capable internet. That would work only when the car is not in motion, to avoid negligence while driving. I know they already have everything under the sun that can be put in cars but an actual car with computer capabilities would be something very new and very futuristic.

About My Term Research Paper

How you did your research.

I used the Baruch library databases to do my research. I find these databases very helpful because it allows you to cite your sources and it gives you a lot of excellent information.

What you found in your research; what you learned.

I learned so much when i was doing my research. I am a user of social networking sites and i learned how helpful these sites can be when it comes to being safe and private online. I use Facebook almost every day and i learned how this can affect my life now and in the future. I also learned how businesses and corporations use these sites to their advantage. The way the internet has been used is fascinating, and the research indicates that this trend will continue in more creative and provocative ways.

Why you chose your topic

I choose this topic because i thought that it was very interesting and important to my life.

Your major findings / conclusions

i found that these social networking sites are so popular, everybody has them and they need to be used as the tools they are but also with caution and moderation. anything in excess can be bad and like with all things social networking has its pros and cons in general and also in a business sense.

How your paper contributes to the field of "new media"

well, i am discussing and shedding some light social networking sites, the pros the cons, benefits and the dangers. Social networking has become a firm part of new media with in the last couple of years, and it is important to explore these boundaries and see how much they have changed things from the past and how they will continue to change in the future. My paper explores this thus contributing to the information we have about new media.

Advice to Baruch College

Baruch College could use new media to improve the college in many ways. For example using smart board touch technology. I had that technology in my high school and it improved the learning experience so much better than just projectors and computers. To actually be able to have the internet and computer interaction with the board is really neat. You can write on the board as if you were using the computer, and save the lessons or what ever you did during class and post them to blackboard. The school website or student pages could be more interactive. They could make a social networking site geared only to Baruch students, because this is a commuter school it might make meeting friends easier. The expansion of technology is always a good thing and Baruch can incorporate all the different new medias into class time, and make then available for students to use at their leisure to improve learning.

Privacy & confidentiality

I think privacy and confidentiality is a big issue when it comes to new media. The internet is not a very private thing, nothing is ever deleted and if you know what to do you can always crack into files. There are people known as hackers that do just that. Whether it is a website like Facebook that doesn't give for much privacy, unless you manipulate the privacy settings it can be scary. There was a story in the news yesterday about a couple updating their status letting all their Facebook friends know they were leaving to go to a concert..and some took advantage and broke into their house and robed them. It turned out the perps were friends of theirs on Facebook and lived in their neighborhood. Thats why people have to be very careful. Due to the fact that everything can be anonymous and you never know who you are talking to for sure..privacy can be an issue.

Twitter discussion

I liked the twitter discussion because it was in a different setting than the school website. Using twitter to have a discussion didn't make it feel like school work but something i would do anyway on my own free time. The only thing i don't like is the character limits, its hard to get a single thought in about the article without having to cut it short. Other than that i am new to twitter but am liking the experience thus far.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

What are different ways these virtual worlds can be used?

They can be used to creatively express yourself. It can be an escape from real life, and allow you to experience things you maybe cant experience in real life through avatars. Virtual worlds allow you to create a fantasy world and express your desires. For example in the article "In Room 100, It’s Sid and Nancy All Over Again" by Saki Knafo they used second life to keep the spirit of their beloved hotel alive after it underwent massive changes thanks to new management. People had the desire to have the hotel live on and they were able to achieve this through a virtual world. People were able to visit and do all sorts of hotel like activities on the net. Thats what makes this type of technology so appealing becuase people can create a world they want, or keep an old reality alive online.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros: There are many positives about virtual worlds like the freedom to express yourself. You can be anyone you want to be, and create a whole new second life the way you want. Some people are unhappy with their reality and a virtual world can serve as an escape for some people.

Cons: Unfortunately there are some sick people in the world and things that are meant for good clean fun turn into something ugly and dangerous. These virtual worlds are what you make of them, and people can sometimes make them into something horrible. Like for example in the movie Gamer that was recently released, it was all about the virtual world. Some people used these games to hurt others, or express sick fantasies. People use these virtual worlds for different reasons and the reasons are not always positive.

How do virtual worlds foster creativity?

These virtual worlds allow you to pick your own avatar, create the world you want to live in...it allows you to fully express yourself. The world and the character you create is all your own which fosters creativity in and of itself. If you really want to enjoy the virtual world experience you have to be creative to make this world all your own.

What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?

I think just like all other types of new media it will continue to grow in popularity and improve. People are always looking for the latest and greatest and if this is a new trend people are going to want the technology to constantly be upgraded. Maybe in the future there will be a way to actually feel what the avatar is feeling or find a way to make the experience more real than just controlling an avatar on the screen. There are already movies about future virtual world technologies, i'm sure safety would be an issue, but i'm sure soon enough virtual worlds will continue to be upgraded and constantly improved.

Social Networking

Social networking sites can be used in a lot of ways in todays society.

According to the article Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt companies use social networking sites to look for potential employees. This is a very common use for these sites amoung other things. Sites such as Facebook allow you to interact with a person in an impersonal way. It allows you to stay connected with others which has become so popular these days.

The benifits of these technologies to society is that people can stay in touch with one another. It makes for easy communication. These sites allow people to express themselves and make new friends. The sites also allow people to advertise themselves and market themselves for free. These qualities are very beneficial.

The dark side to these social networking sites is that it can cause some people to become obsessed. Some people literally post their whole lives on these sites, and you can never be 100% sure who is looking at and receiving the information that you put out there. People can save your information and do god knows what with it, i know because it has happened to me. Thats why i dont put all my real information on the internet because nothing is ever really deleted and you never know who is reading your stuff or on your page, so its always good to be careful.

I think these technologies will continue to evolve in the future because people simply want to know whats going on in the lives of other people at every minute of everyday...and i think these sites for the people willing to participate makes this possible. I think people need to always be careful because these sites continue to push the limits and come out with the next best trend and that could get dangerous.

Check Out Social Networking Sites

My impressions of these social networking sites.

Facebook- This is my favorite social networking site, I log on at least twice a day. I like the fact that it connects you with your friends, it allows you to see what others are doing so that you can interact with them. Everyone has a Facebook account now and days so its pretty easy to connect with the people you lost touch with in the past, people in your present, and meet plenty of people in the future.

Myspace- I'm not such a big fan of Myspace, i have one but have considered deleting my account because no one really uses Myspace anymore, and all the friends i have on Myspace i also have on Facebook...so i don't see the need for two accounts. The only thing i do like about Myspace is the fact that you can express yourself creatively with music and special layouts.

Friendster- I am new to this site, i am still giving it a try, but from the looks of it, it seems like another Facebook. The set up is similar and it allows you to do the same things.

Formspring.me- This social networking site i don't really see the point in. From my observations all it does it create drama and conflict because it allows you to ask people questions anonymously. Due to the fact that it is anonymous people ask to many personal questions and it gets annoying. Thats why i had an account but decided to delete it because people are rude and very nosy.

Blog vs. Wiki

Blogs and Wikis have some similarities but mostly have stark differences. For one Blogs can be created by one person in order to communicate with the world. People may comment on a blog post but they can not edit the post or contribute to the post. Wikis are very different in the sense that many different people can contribute to one post or one thread, thus adding to the content of the topic.

In the article Wikipedia: No longer the Wild West? by John D. Sutter points out the philosophy of wikis that "users can control the content of the Web" and contribute to the site. The problem with this is that it can lead to inaccurate information being contributed to the content, like was the case with Wikipedia the "user-written"online encyclopedia. Thus leading to regulation of its user contributed information. With blogs people usually are free to post what they want without regulation and people free to comment.

Convergence is important to networking because it allows many different elements of new media to be integrated into one. Making its access more convenient and more worth while. Giving access to different sources at once cuts out the middle man and gives you more options at your finger tips at once.

Blogs can be used for collaboration also because it gives you a voice, and lets others know where you stand on certain issues. Online users can collaborate with each other on different ideas and topics. The fact that people can comment on your posts can allow you to see other perspectives and invite the opinions of others. Which is essentially like working in a group towards a common goal.

I think they should make a wiki slang dictionary. Since people usually make up slang terms any way that are not normally apart of the official English language, it would be good to archive these slang terms, which im sure would serve useful to some people out there. Anyone could contribute content because everyone has different slang terms for different things, and since slang is so popular among networking sites I think it would be a good idea.

Old vs. New

Well new media has the 5 C's communication, collaboration, community, creativity and convergence. These characteristics are a way to distinguish the new from the old. Old media usually does not posses these characteristics. I would describe old media as the older version of what is considered new media today. For example books are a form of old media...but they have been transformed into new media by making them modern, and more appealing to today's consumer by the way of ebooks. Another way to distinguish the new from the old is the use of the Internet. Most new media can be accessed fast and online. Sources of old media are usually slower and less convenient like lets say music on records or cd's. It is very rare that you find someone still using a walk man cd player as opposed to an Ipod which is a form of new media, but is simply an updated way of hearing music. In order to use the ipod you need the Internet, and to use a cd walk man you don't. I believe new media is fueled by convenience and extravagance, as opposed to old media which was the old way of doing things but have been improved by the forms of new media.

Project description

Tittle: The pros and cons of social networking sites...and why they become so addictive.

I want to analyse certain aspects of the social networking sites Myspace, Facebook and form-spring. me, by breaking down the pros and the cons. In order to further analyse the reasons why so many people are so obsessed with these sites and why they have become so popular . I intend to use not only research but also real experiences. Most people in this day and age use these sites religiously, and I intend to explore why people like using these sites so much, and how the popularity of the sites affect the future of social networking.

What is new media?

New media is the use of all the new technologies that have been created or popularized in the 20Th century. This includes use of the Internet, cell phones, or smart phones, network communication among many other things.

What kinds of technologies are part of the new media?

New media is the amalgamation of different types of technologies, the Internet and its use of Internet advertising, the cellphone and smart phones, the I Pods and all the other portable devices that connect you with the rest of the world. All these technologies help get information to your fingertips fast and efficiently...which is why so many forms of "old media" have been put on the back burner in favor of whats new and popular.

How important is the Internet to the new media?

The Internet is very important to new media, because many forms of new media has transgressed through the Internet. So many people in this day and age are caught up with the Internet, that its a way to target a large number of people at once. Most advertising has been focused on the Internet. Most people have access to the Internet, it is very accessible making it important to new media.

Why and how are the new media replacing and / or enhancing the old media?

New media is replacing old media because of the need for speed and efficiency. The way things used to work could be seen as inconvenient or even outdated. New media has become convenient in many ways, for example you could take a trip to the book store, buy a book and read it, or you could simply go to the many sites that offer you a online copy of the book free which saves time and money at the click of a few buttons. There are hundreds of reasons why new media is replacing the old, another reason being the "paper free" theory. Many offices and companies have put all their files online to eliminate the need for storing hard copies. New media has replaced and enhanced old media in all kinds of ways. The article "Who Needs a TV? I’m Watching on a Laptop" by Laura M. Holson of the New York Times makes the point that new is taking over the old. Television is a form of old media, and the new craze is watching episodes online. Which i must admit i hardly ever watch television because I hate commercials and I can watch any show I want online free, and commercial free most of the time. This article says just that, the new methods are becoming preferred over the old, thus replacing them all together.