BLOG: Next New

The next new type of new media? My guess would probably be on instantaneous media or networking. With Google's new glasses and a handful of other companies working on a watch with multiple capabilities, we will have the opportunity to receive information anytime, and especially anywhere. We'll have voice-activated platforms that allow assist in organizing and speaking with you throughout the day. You'll hear about where your friends are, what's happening in other countries, how the markets are in the US, and reminders of who's birthday you need to buy a gift for tomorrow. It'll almost be like a second brain - one that's solely affiliated with a constant stream of information on the internet.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

So funny story. I've actually worked on the communications page from the start, and have filled up LinkedIn along with Google+. Someone else, however, has also been editing the same page and when I attempted to save the page, my hard work was completely washed away! I left the page alone and decided to move into a page where I figured no one would be in - real estate!

For our class wiki, I have decided to add my knowledge of real estate. It's something that I have been looking into for the past few months as I am talks with a few friends to move together once we begin working. Over the next few weeks, I plan on completely finishing the real estate wiki page, and on top of that, also assist in filling in the other categories on our webpage as well. As of now, I've created the dynamics of how I want the information flowing, along with some of the subjects that I want to go over in the future.

BLOG: P2P

To start off, file sharing is essentially a form of data transfer between two users, or peers. P2P, or peer-to-peer file sharing, is a bit different from normal fire sharing where a network is created with no dedicated server involved. Both file sharing and P2P openly speaking, are form of piracy. It has allowed users such as you and I to transfer files and data between each other whether we own the rights to do so or not. Nowadays, it has become a main form of accessing information, media, and files without any transfer of money or asset. Having started decades ago, P2P websites and applications have been developed to allow any user to acquire data or files at ease. For example, thepiratebay.org and 4shared.net have made themselves a name of being a hub for piracy to occur, with thepiratebay taking on a large amount of scrutiny over the years. According to Thompson Reuters, Bittorrent has become one of the most successful P2P programs, and also allows users to quickly upload and download huge data from multiple sites such as torrentfreak.com, torrentz.com, and thepiratebay.org. Overall, the ability to transfer data at such an efficient pace has transformed our generation into one where we now have access to things some normally would have the resources to acquire themselves. To some, P2P is considered to be a wonderful opportunity while others, it's an attack on their hard work and success.

BLOG: Privacy

The availability or unavailability of privacy and confidentiality within social networking websites is definitely a recurring issue. To be honest, I see it as an ironic problem. The better our technology is, the more innovative social networking can potentially be. The more innovative social networking is, the more accessible information can be. It's definitely a problem as new problems come up with the availability of user information. It causes catfishing, cyber bullying, and also cyber stalking. Just to give you an example of what's exposed, you can potentially find one's name, address, phone number, interests, family, and also friends. This can be found on Facebook alone! So for those that do use these social networking websites, be wary of who can see your information. Due to a lot of press on privacy issues, a majority of platforms now allow users to control who can see their information and who cannot.

BLOG: Advice

If I was hired by the school to improve student and academic life on campus, I would try to implement specific social networking platforms into classes and overall campus activities. As distracting as social media may be, there are numerous opportunities and ways where it can benefit both the students and professors as well. As a student, I find it difficult for people to not only communicate to their professors outside of class, but also keep track of the work and projects they have. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn to allow constant updates would be extremely beneficial for students. Think of it like Blackboard, except on your favorite social media website. It'll definitely save me time on my part!

Creativity and New Media

(Link) My Brother's Graduation Video

So for this assignment, I wanted to show the class one of the first thing's I've ever created over the internet. To give a little background story, my brother graduated about a year and a half ago and both he and I brought a camera to document the entire thing. It may not have been a big deal, but we were the first generation to graduate college in America, so everyone in our family was excited for us. We were going to just keep these stashed file along with all the photos, but I decided to make a video out our footage (mainly his) so the rest of our friends and family can enjoy it.

My brother went backpacking Asia the day after, so I decided to surprise him while he was there. It took me about 8 hours total to get a nice flow going on and work on all the transitions. It came out much better than I thought it would, and although it was time consuming, it was definitely worth it!

     *It can get corny at times. Especially the music. 

Creativity

Am I a creative person? I would like to think so! What I enjoy most about certain hobbies, work, and even class projects is the opportunity to be creative. It allows a person to put life into their thoughts and imagination. Music and art are perfect examples of what I'm talking about. With a talent in an instrument or with a brush or pencil, you have the ability to breathe life into your creations, especially if you're extremely creative. However, these examples don't apply to everyone. As depressing as it sounds, I do not have the specific skills to play an instrument or draw for that matter. What does foster a certain form of creativity for anyone to enjoy is today's new media. It allows people to voice their opinions and tastes, and also gives them the freedom to customize anything! Take music again for example. Although not everyone has the ability to write their own music, they can edit and remix a track with the right ears and creativity. In the article "1+1+1=1: The New Math of Mashups",  Sasha Frere-Jones depicts creativity being practiced though a mashup of different songs and music. Using digital software, people are now able to take excerpts of numerous songs and “mashup” them to create a new song. It's gained so much popularity that even mashups and remixes of a number of tracks have given people a name in the music industry. In this example, creativity is definitely growing in this form of new media.