Blog: Next New

 A new media that I would like to use and that does not exist yet, would be a media dedicated to shoes. I think that a media on which you could find only shoes and that gathers rare and limited pairs would reach a large and passionate audience. The fact that now people are ready to spend the night outside a shoe store in order to be the first one to get the new pair, and purchase it for hundreds of dollars, proves that there are opportunities in this market. As the shoe market is in its expansion phase, it would be interesting to have an online platform where everyone could deal their shoes. Therefore, I believe that having a new media, dedicated to those specific products, would get successful rapidly. Moreover, anyone would be able to post their shoes and could sell them to any user around the world. The goal of this new media "Shoes'em" is to connect people from around the globe through their passion. 

Blog: Wiki So Far

I have never used Wiki and I did not know how to use it. I checked every tools in the navigation menu to get a little more familiar with it.  

In order to contribute to our class wiki, I have made some research on some topics I am interested about or that I can relate to. 

As one of my goal is to start my business, I am particularly interested in entrepreneurship. 

As a contributions to Wiki, I have read Professor Pearl Weisel's article about entrepreneurship and edited it. I found it very interesting. Professor Weisel mentioned some artists. Therefore, I added another artist, 50 cent. I talked about how successful he became using his popularity and fame. 

I will add more contributions regarding the topics I am familiar and that passionate me.

Blog: P2P

 

File Sharing is a practice of offering access to digital information like computer programs.
Using file sharing, enable users to share data from one computer to another. 
Similarly, it provides advantages and it makes it " efficient for the users to work on documents regardless of their location or computer access", according to "P2P fils sharing" article.

Similarly, a new technology has emerged, called P2P. P2P stands for a peer to peer file sharing. It allows users to share digital content such as electronic books, movies or music. P2P files sharing allow users to search and download files being shared by other computers. The P2P file sharing also allows its users to download files such as movies or tv show for free.

As an example of many P2Ps sharing file, as cited in the article, Gnutella, is one of the most well-known P2P network. Moreover, to download music and movies, BitTorren, Utorrent or even Emule are others file sharing software. 

Creativity and New Media

Once I was assigned the assignment, i thought it would be a great and fun experience to create my avatar on second life. I wanted to create my own avatar, as I believe this is one of the key elements in order to play virtual game, to play throughout the eyes of a “virtual -self”. 

Therefore, I had the idea to create an avatar who doesn’t look like me at all. Who actually is the opposite of me. 

My avatar is a demon, dressed a full black outfit who got wings. I am 6.9 feet tall, I have a thick neck and long dark hair with red evil eyes. (Refer to the avatar below)

After playing for a bit with my “new self” and getting familiar with the commands, I have met other players who also have different and various look. After creating my avatar that way, I was wondering what the other players would look like behind their screens. Moreover, I just wanted to create an avatar for the assignment but I was very intrigued by what the Second life virtual environment had to offer, so I continued playing for a little more. I was totally immersed in a new virtual reality. The fact that you embody a character you created makes you want to discover what he is capable of. I ended up playing a little more than 2 hours, trying to discover and reach the limits of this virtual environment, with my “virtual-self”. 

Virtual world like second life, offer the freedom to its users to represent themselves as they wish and there is really no limit to it.

It also provides an environment large enough that you can freely explore and discover.

The freedom that this game provides let full access to imagination and creativity since the creation of the avatar that immerses you into a virtual reality. 

HW Creativity

As users, we are free to upload whatever content we would like to share on online platforms. Because social medias are platforms on which users have the desire or need to have their content seen or valued by the community, they use their creativity and imagination to do so. In order to make their photos, videos or artworks look unique and special, users edit them or use technological and digital tool like Photoshop or Lightroom to make it look better, cooler or even sophisticated. The use of these tool is linked to a desire to create and innovate content.  

As cited in the article “Creators, Audiences, and New Media: Creativity in an Interactive 

Environment “, written by Isaac Bell, “the spread of computers, especially easily portable devices, means that it is possible to find a device fully capable of recording and editing video, composing music, combining still images, writing text to go with these elements, and then posting everything to the Internet in the hands of people in almost any country.”  The use of creativity and imagination in content leads to a commitment of the audience, as well as a high level of engagement. Moreover, the fact that some content uploaded on platforms like YouTube, can be monetized. Therefore, it leads users to explore their imagination and creativity in order to have a consequent audience, valuing and promoting their work. 

As explained in the same article, the higher the engagement from the audience is, the more it inspires people to create. “Yet in a larger pool of creators who can share their works and receive rapid and wide-ranging audience feedback, there is more room for successes and more creation.”

To conclude, new medias are a new way to explore creativity through interaction and connection between users. A virtual connection within an online community in which imagination is shared through various forms. 

Blog about Twitter

 Discussions on twitter start with a reply to someone's tweet and they are only made from short texts or comments. Tweets are made out of people thoughts on the moments, or regarding a specific situations. On the other hand, a blackboard discussion is made out of a topic, students or classmates have to discuss about and explain why they think that way. Similarly, an in-class discussion is an exchange between the students and the professor about a specific question or topic. However, in class, some might be shy and don't dare to take part of the discussion, as oppose to twitter, where users are behind a screen and not facing the person they talk to. 

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds, or Second Life as also called, are used by many companies including  governmental agencies, hospital and even U.S military for several purposes. Indeed, Second life enable to hold virtual meetings and conduct trainings. As a matter of fact, according to the article "Avatar :The Hospital", second life are used to conduct drills in which employees and, in this specific examples,  nurses will train for real life situations. Indeed, they use avatars in order to represent themselves and immerse a virtual world. Moreover, virtual worlds are also used by young people, as a creative game in which imagination is key. Similarly, virtual worlds are also used as a "healing space" as reported during an interview in the article "After second life, can virtual worlds get a reboot?" and can lead to a stress reliever. Virtual worlds are used to make the real world more efficient. 

Virtual worlds are used in many ways and for different purposes. They are more and more used as they provide many benefits for their users. Indeed, as an entertainment, it offers a place where the users are "not alone" anymore and can connect with others. Virtual worlds have their social community and enable the users to use their imagination and creativity.  Furthermore, the virtual worlds have psychological healing benefits, as explained earlier. Another advantage using second life is that it allows immersive experiences. Therefore, businesses use this tool to conduct virtual training for their employees. Moreover it is said that Second life is less costly than a full dress drill which represents another advantages offered by these virtual worlds. However, there are some risks using this technology. Indeed, as reported in the article "Virtual world may impact real-world behaviors", an experience that has been conducted, reveals the connection between the character that the player embodies, the avatar, and its actions or profile "wether if it's a hero or a villain". The experience showed that players who embody the villain, are more willing to act like one in their real life actions, as it is demonstrated when it comes to pour either chocolate or chilli sauce in a player's food.  It is proved that the players who embodied the hero tend to pour more chocolate in other's food whereas, the ones who embodied the villain tend to pour sgnificantly more chilli sauce. Thus, these virtual worlds can impact the subsequent behavior and therefore have consequences on users' real life behaviors.

Virtual worlds users are offered an environment where they can use their imagination to create or build things like it is the case for Minecraft, a digital lego world. Moreover these virtual environments provide the users a freedom to express themselves through their imagination and desire when it comes to create their virtual self, called avatars. Similarly, the users have access to tools that can be used to create, and explore the capacity of a virtual world. Thus, virtual worlds give the ability to their users, to express their creativity. 

Nowadays, there is a significant use of these technology. We can expect in the future, that the virtual worlds will be more and more realistic and fully in 3D. New technology will enable us to feel more sensations and to have a better immersive experience like the VR, which is the newest immersive tool for the users to enter a virtual world and be connected to it. 

Social networking sites

Some are social networking sites more known, as more used, than the others, like Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram or even Pinterest. 

Those 4 social medias have a common goal, to connect people. However, they are made for different purposes. Indeed, Facebook users wish to share content with their (close) friends and display some personal information on their profile page.

Similarly, Instagram, which is today, one of the top used social media, allow to share quality content like photos and videos to create a feed that people may want to spend time looking at. Instagram gathers content from worldwide users and categorizes the content (trip, fashion, sports) to make it easier for users to access the content they are interested in. 

Tweeter is used to post  short comments, ideas or thoughts. Tweeter can be used in many ways, to follow up with your favorite celebrities, movements that you relate to or even to complain and vent about companies' product or services.

Finally, Pinterest is used to share photos and designed to enable users to save their favorite photos, as part of a creative project they might have or just for fun !

Social medias have a lot in common but they all are used for specific reasons. 

Blog social networking

 Social medias have become more and more important within our society. Nowadays, at least half of the planet is using social medias to stay in touch with their friends and relatives, to connect with people across the world and share content. 

Social medias benefit to individuals and businesses as well. Indeed, people can share their pictures, thoughts or information with their friends. Similarly, businesses have a real interest to use social medias to promote their companies. Businesses can use social medias to reach a larger audience across the world and therefore increase their profit as more people will see what they offer and hence more people will buy. Social medias allow the users to create, connect and communicate with the world. According to the Youtube video, "Social media in plain English", ice cream and social medias have a lot in common.  Indeed,  people can share whatever they write, think or even create. Today everybody has a chance to make their own ice cream flavor and let the world discover it. 

Nevertheless, social medias are getting more inescapable to our society, and it gets harder to stay away from these new technologies. As recorded in the Youtube video "Cancelling AOL", the video sows how hard it is to cancel an account. This video made me realized that in a way we are all trapped in this social medias sphere. Similarly, everything that we share is controlled and stocked. Once it is online, it stays online. Social medias reflect an online world where people might feel safer because they are behind a screen and therefore dare to insult or even threaten people. Indeed, as we can connect with the entire world, the entire world can also connect with us. Hence, some people have been victims of harassment on their social medias. Moreover, we can be now tagged in people's photo. Therefore, we don't have the authority to decide wether or not we would like this picture to be posted. Finally, social medias have a real impact on people's health and behavior, as we spend a concerning amount of time using these technologies. 

Social medias allow people from across the world to connect. However, we become more and more dependent to these online and social platforms, sharing everyday an important part of our lives with strangers. With the progress of technology, who knows what new features these social medias will have. 

Blog v Wiki

 In today's world, everybody has the possibility to know everything thanks to internet and social medias. 

Everyone shares information throughout those platforms for different purposes. Similarly, blogs and wikis are used to share information but their type of content, organization and many other aspects can be different.

  Indeed, a blog is an online platform owned by someone. People who own blogs, write about anything they wish or what subject their blog is related to. They are more likely to personalized their blog to make it more attractive. Therefore, bloggers can grow an audience by building a connection between the readers and the blog itself because of the content and subject it shares. 

However, the wiki is the other way around. Wiki is a website made out of "text-based content that can be edited collectively", according to CIO.com. That is to say, everyone from the same group, company or class have access to the same article and can modify or edit it. Articles on Wiki are not private nor personal. 

Blogs and wikis have the same function which is sharing news and content. However, they both have different use. Indeed, according to UNSC Sydney,  blogs are made to "associate reflection and seeking external opinions". On the other hand, wikis are made to "brainstorm for a project and share knowledge based on a topic".

Sources : 

https://www.cio.com/article/2438542/blogs-and-wikis-in-the-business-world-definition-and-solutions.html

https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessment-blog-wiki-or-forum-which-should-you-use#:~:text=A%20blog%20post%20is%20usually,exchange%20of%20ideas%20and%20views.

A new way to interpret reality and fantasies ?

I chose for my project to talk about : Social medias : A new way to interpret reality and fantasies? I believe that social medias have taken over our society and everything is, one way or another related to it. I intend to analyze the impact of social medias on our daily lives and what it leads to. I will discuss how and why social medias have such an important influence on people's opinions and feelings. I would like to incorporate social medias users' statements and experiences to report the potentials dangers and the power that social medias have. Finally we will see what to expect from the constant growth and use of those social platforms.