File sharing can be defined as the act of distributing or making available digitally stored materials. Some examples of this are music, movies, documents, photos, and games. P2P file sharing, on the other hand, allows users to have access to media files (music, movies, books, games) using a peer-to-peer software program that searches for other computers that are connected on the peer-to-peer network for the desired content.
Some examples of P2P sharing are shown in the Wired article that describes BitTorrent. In this article, the author describes how users use a P2P file sharing service that allows users to download content that other users put up. Other users can download this content very quickly if other users have downloaded this content as well because it gathers information from other users.
Citations:
The BitTorrent Effect by Clive Thompson, Wired, January 2005. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bittorrent.html
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
The Next New Thing
Social networking platforms have been such a exploding industry which has led many people to try and discover "the next new thing". The reason why finding a new platform is so difficult is because creating a new social media tool requires two things: a large active user base, and also a social media platform that fulfills a need that is not being met.
If I were to create my own social networking platform I would design one that caters to undergraduate students who want to network with professionals in certain industries. This is beneficial to both parties because it allows students to discover what industry they would like to work in coming out of college. It also helps companies and recruiters discover promising students through networking, which might serve as better candidates as the original recruiting process of just looking at a resume.
If I were to create my own social networking platform I would design one that caters to undergraduate students who want to network with professionals in certain industries. This is beneficial to both parties because it allows students to discover what industry they would like to work in coming out of college. It also helps companies and recruiters discover promising students through networking, which might serve as better candidates as the original recruiting process of just looking at a resume.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Due to the emergence of new media, privacy and confidentiality are two topics that have changed dynamically especially because of the heavy usage of internet today. Social media is a tool that has emerged due to the introduction of Web 2.0. Because of social media and the mass number of users, there is a huge aggregated set of data available today. Users now have to be very careful of the information that they display online today because once it is available on the Internet, is impossible or very difficult to remove.
Users now have the option to either privatize their account, or set it to public so other users have easy access to their content. Because of the growing concern of a loss in privacy in the new age due to social media and the Internet, it is important to take advantage of these resources and options that social medias now have. Utilizing these privacy settings help users take control of who can view their content and lead to a less concerning loss in privacy in this new digital age.
Users now have the option to either privatize their account, or set it to public so other users have easy access to their content. Because of the growing concern of a loss in privacy in the new age due to social media and the Internet, it is important to take advantage of these resources and options that social medias now have. Utilizing these privacy settings help users take control of who can view their content and lead to a less concerning loss in privacy in this new digital age.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Creativity and New Media
The above picture is taken from the client of an online game called League of Legends. In the client there is a chat on the right-side and there is also a forum where users discuss which champions and items are good corresponding to the current patch. The reason why I chose this picture to describe how new media fosters creativity is because of the forums that this League of Legends client has. These boards help users collaborate which ends up in very creative and innovative ways to play the game.
Creativity
New media fosters creativity in several ways. In the article "User-generated visibility: Secondary gatekeeping in a shared media space", the author discusses how blogs and various types of social media have become "integral to the work of news organizations and their employees". Because there is a new emergence of social media it means more people are discussing very different topics online. I believe that this discussion and the collaboration that occurs online allows users to form more creative views and ideas of the world.
Citations:
1. User-generated visibility: Secondary gatekeeping in a shared media space New Media Society-2014-Singer-55-73.pdf
Citations:
1. User-generated visibility: Secondary gatekeeping in a shared media space New Media Society-2014-Singer-55-73.pdf
Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds can be used in many different ways. In the Forbes article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?" the author discusses how many people think about the internet as just a flat screen when it is actually very interactive. In the game Minecraft players discover a virtual world that can be described as a "digital LEGO" where people build and create things online. In the journal titled "Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Simulations" researchers discovered that virtual worlds can develop immersive simulations that create a compelling, collaborative, and participatory experience for the user not possible in the real world to enhance users' learning.
The pros of virtual worlds is that it is very accessible. There does not need to be any traveling, only an internet access is sufficient to access virtual worlds. Also, it gives people the opportunity to engage in learning opportunities that might not be applicable in real life. The cons of virtual reality is that some people might use it as an outlet for dissatisfaction in their real lives. Because of this people may be engaged in their virtual worlds rather than their real lives.
Virtual worlds certainly foster creativity because they allow users to engage in activities that are not available in real life. An application that fosters creativity is Minecraft because it lets players create environments with very basic applications. But with these basic applications the end results are endless. I think the future of virtual worlds will expand into virtual reality where we can engage our senses into the virtual space.
Citations:
1. 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/
2. Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Simulations http://mfile.narotama.ac.id/files/Jurnal/Jurnal%202012-2013/Situated%20learning%20in%20virtual%20worlds%20and%20immersive%20simulations.pdf
The pros of virtual worlds is that it is very accessible. There does not need to be any traveling, only an internet access is sufficient to access virtual worlds. Also, it gives people the opportunity to engage in learning opportunities that might not be applicable in real life. The cons of virtual reality is that some people might use it as an outlet for dissatisfaction in their real lives. Because of this people may be engaged in their virtual worlds rather than their real lives.
Virtual worlds certainly foster creativity because they allow users to engage in activities that are not available in real life. An application that fosters creativity is Minecraft because it lets players create environments with very basic applications. But with these basic applications the end results are endless. I think the future of virtual worlds will expand into virtual reality where we can engage our senses into the virtual space.
Citations:
1. 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/
2. Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Simulations http://mfile.narotama.ac.id/files/Jurnal/Jurnal%202012-2013/Situated%20learning%20in%20virtual%20worlds%20and%20immersive%20simulations.pdf
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Social Networking Sites
The four social networking sites that I looked at were: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Facebook is something that I use multiple times in a day. I use it to message my friends and also catch up with people I haven't seen in awhile. I really like Facebook because it allows me to connect with friends easily even though we all live really busy lives.
Twitter is a very interesting form of social networking. I've only started to use Twitter recently because of the assignments, but it seems like a easy way to stay connected with the people you follow. Every tweet is restricted to 140 characters so every post you read does not take too much effort to read.
LinkedIn is one of my favorite types of social media. It helps professionals connect and also discover new opportunities that are job related. I really like LinkedIn because it helped me acquire my current internship.
Instagram is another form of social media that I use on a daily basis. In Instagram, users follow other users who post pictures. You can find really beautiful and captivating pictures on Instagram which is why I really enjoy it.
Facebook is something that I use multiple times in a day. I use it to message my friends and also catch up with people I haven't seen in awhile. I really like Facebook because it allows me to connect with friends easily even though we all live really busy lives.
Twitter is a very interesting form of social networking. I've only started to use Twitter recently because of the assignments, but it seems like a easy way to stay connected with the people you follow. Every tweet is restricted to 140 characters so every post you read does not take too much effort to read.
LinkedIn is one of my favorite types of social media. It helps professionals connect and also discover new opportunities that are job related. I really like LinkedIn because it helped me acquire my current internship.
Instagram is another form of social media that I use on a daily basis. In Instagram, users follow other users who post pictures. You can find really beautiful and captivating pictures on Instagram which is why I really enjoy it.
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