The Next New Thing

Suggesting the next new thing would be easy, but actually putting that thought into action would be quite hard. I always like the idea of teleportation, being able to move from one location to another in a matter of seconds. This would be the next “big” thing because everyone would use it to their advantage. It would require a lot bright minds to put this into effect because it’s not easy. Losing a person through this sort of teleportation would be high because of glitches that the system might have. But to think if science can clone something, it will also be able to create a portal which can transport people from places to places. We wouldn’t need cars, buses, trains, and even airplanes anymore; it will probably leave us with a pollution-free environment. Funding this project is going to be expensive, and with the nation being in a huge debt, I doubt we are able to further this study. But I’m sure where there is life there is hope, so as long as we live on, the hope of teleportation will be a reality.

credit to http://adriazkaexperience.wordpress.com/category/life-around-us/inspiration/

P2P File Sharing

Now that we are all familiar with what new media brings to us and provides, we can use it to our advantage. We can actually store and share information with others around the world. File sharing is the act of sharing files, using media to transfer any electronic information. P2P filing sharing is similar but it uses software to transfer these data. One of the better well-known P2P filing sharing program would be BitTorrent, which “lets users quickly upload and download enormous amounts of data, files that are hundreds or thousands of times bigger than a single MP3,” Clive Thompson from The BitTorrent Effect explained. It’s helpful yet harmful at the same time. Being able to share information with a click of a button is very useful. Individuals would upload the file and then it can be downloaded by other people. The bad thing about this is sharing music and movies that have just been released, a lot of file sharing are free which means the music and movie industry are losing money because of the illegal file sharing taking place on the internet.

credit to http://www.lantechcomputers.co.uk/page14.html

File sharing was so popular when it came out because of all the information a person can get without leaving the house and without paying a dime. Programs like Kazaa, another P2P file sharing software, allow individuals to use it as a platform to share anything they want. These programs have dwindled down because instead of uploading and downloading information, there are websites that does the same thing. There are websites like 4shared that lets individuals upload and download files when you use their search engine. P2P file sharing has become a part of new media and it’s finding new ways to be able to “share” information.

credit to http://portermason.com/bassistwanted/2005/09/06/album-leakage/

Privacy & Confidentiality

With new media, there had been continuous issues with privacy and confidentiality. It had gotten better throughout the years but problems still arises because individuals believe that their personal information isn’t protected. A lot of people uses the internet and a lot of people input their personal information online. We just have to be aware which websites are more trustworthy than others. For personal social websites like Facebook, they have privacy options that you can put up so certain information can be shown on your page. Other websites like personal banking locks all your information and requires multiple steps to sign-in to ensure that you are the person that holds the account. With these extra steps of security, a person would feel more at ease.

credit to examiner.com

Even though it might safe and secure, there are so many problems with privacy and confidentiality. The main one I can think of would be online identity theft, whether if it’s a stranger or someone close to you, they can hack into your account which is dangerous and risky. With hackers trying to decode your password and get your information, it’s hard to trust any website after you’ve been a victim. There are so many cases where my friends on Facebook said they have been hacked because they did not post the status prior. Quickest way would be to change your password right away and hopefully won’t be hacked again. New media has introduced really great things but with it comes responsibilities and we need to be able to detect it first hand.

Creativity and New Media

When it comes to creativity and new media, creating avatars, images that represents you in the virtual world comes to mind. There are different kinds of avatars from 2D to 3D, a lot of them can be used in the virtual world of games and social events to meet other people. Usually when creating avatars, options of different skin color, hair, clothes and accessories are given so you can mix and match until you get the avatar you like most. The basics are free but other items used to glam up your avatar will most likely cost money.

from DoppelMe and Avatar Face Maker

With the above 2 screenshots, you can see the simplicity of the avatar. They are plainly 2D but in different forms. These 2D avatars don’t move or associate themselves with other avatars.

from Style Me Girl app

Another different kind of avatar would be 3D. These avatars can move and walk around to “socialize” with other avatars. They act very much like humans and some are even able to talk.

Creativity

New media has fostered creativity in a lot of different aspect. YouTube, one of the most well-known social website on the internet had made it possible for creating new innovative ways to express oneself. In Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why? By Brooks Barnes, creativity of “…postings (called mash-ups), are made by editing together snippets of animated movies and TV shows. The finished products look like music videos in which the cartoon characters do the singing.” This is a little collaboration between old cartoons and current music which bring things together and shows that people are moving forward with new media and intertwining it by creative something new. With the right amount of technology and creative minds, new videos are being posted on YouTube every second. The usage of graphics and software gives a new meaning to innovation. You don’t have to be a real movie director to be able to make short clips and videos.

credit to http://idsgn.org/

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can be used for business purposes or personal uses. The pros to the virtual world would be the “hands on” experience you can get. There are online games which allow an individual to create their own avatar and merely wander around in the virtual world to socialize and explore. There are actually some games, simulation games that are more useful than others. For example, Stephanie Simon in For health-care facilities, practice in the virtual world can have major benefits talked about having online simulation to help nurses be able be more prepared for real-life cases. On the other hand, the virtual world can be hurtful. According to Dave Itzkoff in VLES – I’ve been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life, he said that the virtual world is the “…most innovative and blatantly cynical project…” With these virtual worlds that represent the real world very similarly, people wouldn’t have to leave their house. They can spend hours and hours just exploring and playing online. The next thing we know, we’re going to live in a world just like the movie Gamer.

The virtual world foster creativity because of the endless changes it can bring. There’s so many new innovation and ideas that are created every minute. Business people can use the virtual world to reach out and sell their products virtually like through internet games such as Sims. I’m actually afraid of what the future might bring about of the virtual world. Movies like Avatar and Gamer makes me think that the virtual world will overtake our reality. We will not need to leave the house for anything anymore as long as we can live our lives virtually through gaming. It might even be more realistic as we might be able to have all of our senses be active.

Social Networking Sites

A lot of social networking website had changed throughout the year. I remember when Myspace use to be something that every kid should have an account in until Facebook started to take over. Then Twitter sprouted letting individual keep their friends and family updated with their status which then gave news media to spread information. Another social networking website that came into the picture would be LinkedIn; it can be helpful when looking for a potential job and it also gives you the opportunity to connect with your friends, past employers, and colleagues.

Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn can be used as entertainment, a form of leisure or something more serious like starting a business or networking. I find Facebook to be more of a personal social website which it allows individuals to connect with friends and family on a more personal level. On the other side of the spectrum comes LinkedIn which I associate with a more formal approach, LinkedIn allows a person to show their past and current work experience along with other strong characteristics; it comes off as a more serious and gives a business-feel to it.

I find Twitter and Myspace to be similar and sometimes Facebook can fit into the equation also. The three of these social network websites can be use for personal reasons or business and information purposes. Twitter is a medium which can be used to transfer information within seconds around the world; Facebook can do the same. With hashtags all over the internet, it makes it a lot easier to drill down to something specific that you want to know. Myspace had changed since it first came out because of the decline it had a few years back, now it focuses more on music (please correct me if I’m wrong).

A lot of these social networking website should be used in moderation for personal reasons because it’s very time consuming and sometimes you might just get carried away and accidentally put something on the internet that you didn’t intend to. Once it is placed on the internet, removing it will be quite hard since everyone will have access to see anything and anytime. Even though you might think you had removed it, it might have already been downloaded or seen. Does this ring a bell? The viral video of Alexandra Wallace and her famous quote “…ching chong ting tong ling long…” is an example of think twice before posting. The video caused her to receive threat letters and harassment because she was being “racist” (can be debatable), she even decided to leave her college, UCLA. You can read more about it here. So, any social websites are dangerous but they can be fun also. Who here plays Candy Crush?

Social Networking

Technology has advanced throughout the years making it easier for everyone to use to their advantage and even disadvantage. For the corporate world, technology had made it easier for recruiting, hiring, working more efficiently, communicate with current and potential customers and so on. Technology had made the point that, time is money. The quicker something is done, the more you can do and technology actually plays a big role in that area.

The benefits of these form of technology to society and the corporate world would be how easy and fast you can get your hands on something you want. Let’s talk about job recruiting and job searching. No longer does a person have to look in the newspaper to find a potential job listing, instead they can search the web and find 10 times more openings than they would with just a newspaper. On the other hand, this gives employers an opportunity to scout employees that they want. With LinkedIn, the opportunity of researching a potential job or employee is made simpler. In Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting, “…Crawford can scrape the entire network to dig out high-quality candidates that she can’t find elsewhere,” which would be extremely beneficial to her. But because there’s such a wide selection of candidates, it might also make it harder for her to pin out which would be the best of the best. Also, are the information on LinkedIn credible? It’s probably a risk employers and job-seekers are willing to take.

I believe there is a “dark side” to all this technology whether we think it’s for the better or worst. With technology being so demanding, nearly every household have something electronic, it’s no wonder that we live in such a technological advanced era. No longer do children go outdoors and play in the park or shop at the mall. They have been plundered into a world of digital software. According to How Does Technology Affect Kids’ Friendships? “…Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7 1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device…” The world of technology has slowly taken over the lives of the younger generation. It makes you wonder that in the coming future, would verbal communication be extinct? What was once used so much will no longer play any role in society; but can we change that?

Credit to healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com

I’m sure these technology will evolve in the future, as for if it’ll be good or bad, I’m not too sure of. As of current, I believe that it would help the corporate world and make it that much easier for people to find jobs. But for the younger generation, actually for everyone, verbal communication will probably be really minimal. Even in the corporate world, meetings are either held electronically through conference calls or virtual meetings. It doesn’t require the actual physical presence of a person anymore. At this rate, we might just hold meetings with e-mails and forums.

Credit to webserver.computoredge.com

Blog vs Wiki

Blogs and wikis can be similar and different altogether. It depends on which aspect you look at and what you consider of the two medium. When it comes to blogs, we might automatically think of journals or events that happen sequentially day by day. Wikis contain concrete information but can sometimes be steered toward a more opinionated set of data.

Convergence in today’s networked world is quite important. Things are coming together; and through blogs and wikis, information can easily be put together and passed on and receive by different people. When I think of networking, I think of broadening out and being able to communicate with people that have the same interest, hobby, or anything that is a common ground for you and that other person. If we zero in on how important it is to communicate with others through blogs and wikis, it is important. People that are introverts can use electronic mediums to reach out and express themselves.

Not only is information converging, but also old and new media. So, we have to factor in that old and new information are converging but also information in general. In the article, Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid by Michael Wilson, Mr. Miller said, “A group of people who did not know each other came together and traded information,” which shows that people are coming together to exchange information through the blogosphere.

 Blogging is definitely a way to collaborate with other people and/or blogs. One way is through advertising on the blog, especially through a blogroll on the side of a website. Another way would be putting two totally different things together, like fashion and makeup, to enhance a person’s blog. I’ve seen blog entries from different people specializing in their expertise area.

In my mind, I always thought of wiki as an information center. Where all the basic information is readily there but it doesn’t mean that it’s accurate or credible but it helps in aiding a person to receiving a little background information. It also shows a sense of convergence since so many different people are volunteering to submit information or even building upon the current information. In What motivates Wikipedians? it was stated that “Wikipedia, the Web-based user-created encyclopedia, is a prominent example of a collaborative, user-generated content outlet,” which actually brings people’s mind together and put together knowledgeable facts.

 So when it comes down to blogs and wikis; they’re similar in a way that it is used to convey and share information, but they’re also different in a way that one can be more personal than the other. Either way, both are a medium that is used over the internet to express something.

R-Topic: How has new media play a role in the Accounting field when it comes to filing taxes?

I chose this research topic because it connects with the major I’m studying and also where I’m working at currently. I will be looking at how taxes were filed in the past and how it had changed throughout the decades. I will be examining the question if new media had played a role and how deep of an impact it had made. In my research paper, I will explain the history of filing taxes and how new media had changed the process – was it for the better or for the worse – this will be covered in my research paper.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments of how I am approaching my paper, I will appreciate any criticisms or comments.

A little cartoon for a bit of humor.
Credit to http://asds.wikia.com