Next New

We currently live in an exciting ever changing technological revolution. It's almost overwhelming to think of the next new thing in new media , because more likely than not it already exits. Usually when one thinks of something new in new media it's an extension of something that already exists that needs improvement. I would probably create a file sharing app that allows students of a given class share copies of chapters of their textbooks. I have spent many of times copying chapters of  multiple textbooks in the library, and after the semester was done it would go in the trash. This could help someone who cannot afford a textbook, and help the environment by saving trees. The user would have to search for the class, the book and download the images on their mobile devices.

P2P

File sharing is the act of sharing and distributing digital media such as music, movies, literature (e-books/textbooks; my personal favorite), games, software programs or photos. Kazaa, Napster, Pirate Bay were controversial programs that allowed users to share and download digital media free of charge which created issues of piracy, copyright infringement, intellectual property and many ethical problems. To simply define Peer to peer (P2P), it is when 2 or more computers are networked to allow files and folders to be shared publicly or with a selected amount of users. An example of P2P is the infamous Napster. It was the first time I have heard of MP3, and it was so simple to use and best of all free.

Music was being downloaded over the Internet in monumental amounts and this created a huge controversy when record companies and music artists began to sue fans for piracy. Music companies began to see the financial loss with programs like Napster . The article titled "Online Piracy and the Emergence of New Business Models" explains the revolution of P2Ps programs like Napster. "Napster and its followers’ contribution to technology was noteworthy. A leading entertainment and media analyst considered Napster to be “absolutely a groundbreaking technology that changed the way consumers listened to music, discovered music, and interacted with music." Napster influenced the tech world in a major way. While MP3 files are still available to download over the internet, not easily so like it was 15 years ago. 

Privacy and Confidentiality in New Media

 

More and more, people are connected and subscribed to new media. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Netflix and the list goes on, has billions of users signed up. All these sites require some personal information, and paid subscriptions are sensitive to having ones financial information exposed. The issues of privacy and confidentiality have been brought to the forefront with reports of hacking, issues of personal information and photos being potentially used against users,  identity theft, and corporations who have had customers financial information unsecured and potentially exposed to hackers. 

 

Most of the new media discussed today are accessed through portable devices such as phones and tablets. Because people have such easy access to post updates on their lives, some might give away too much information that can be used against them.  Heavy users of such platforms like Facebook or snap-chat may be more susceptible to have issues of privacy, for example public figures. For instance there have been news reports in the past to homes being burglarized of celebrities because they would let their large audience of followers know they were out the country. It doesn't only happen to celebrities, but everyday people. While social networking sites have tried offer options of privacy to its users, it continues to be a problem.

Creativity and New Media

New Media fosters creativity in a limitless way! I am a big believer in positivity and wellness, and I recently discovered many mobile apps that send notifications to your device that reminds users to find the highlight of their day, their gratitude and also has a place where one can interact with different users. It allows me time to reflect for just a minute and boosts up my mood. My work in human services can sometimes be a thankless and draining job, so I brought the idea to the attention of some workers and superiors to create a forum for the employees in tracking our gratitude for the day.  I haven't created a cool interactive app for my colleagues, but the 'whats-app' group feature is simple and accessible. The group page allows us to check in and list our gratitude of the day.

HW Creativity

New media has fostered creativity in that the access to content is so easily attainable. Mobile devices and applications has made it easier for people to stay connected for longer amounts of times, allowing creative ideas to emerge online instantly. Websites like soundcloud for instance has made careers for relatively unknown performers because the access to their music is so easy to attain. Careers have been made though the use of 'mashups'. Many users take digital samples of artists music and apply their own twists and creativity to music tacks.

In the NYT article, "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?" written by Brook Barnes (2007) describes the mashup of a very popular rap song sampled in sync with a popular Disney animation. Walt Disney is notorious for their copyright protection, but have chosen not to take legal action against the creators of these mashups. My perspective on the matter is the mashup craze doesn't hurt the companies because it is only expanding their demographic, thus creating possibly more revenue in the end. New media is constantly evolving and shows no signs of slowing down.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, YouTube. I don't know an individual who has not visited at least one of these sites in the past week, and I am almost confident that most cannot go without visiting these sites. From my memory, Facebook was initially used for college users who wanted to interact with their colleagues/classmates.  Facebook has grown exponentially since then in being thee social networking site. It is used by billions of users, monthly! Facebook can be used for entertainment, for long-distance relationships in families, for those in the military, for dating and for sharing new and exciting discoveries (Food, news, politics, etc).

Twitter has never been my favorite of the social networking sites. It's entertaining and somewhat of a challenge to express my random thoughts in under 140 character count.  Twitter is and never be as reliable in my opinion to Facebook; too may tales of 'hacking' have been publicized. Politicians and other ppublic figures reap the most benefit from Twitter. The simple platform can be a great tool in interacting with a large number of followers.  

YouTube is possibly the most impressive social networking sites of all. Access to video blogs speaking of all topics has turned everyday small town people into celebrities and creating careers for 'vloggers'. Advertising deals, book deals, music careers and much more has happened in recent and years and the popularity continues to grow with billions of users. 

Instagram is possibly my favorite social networking application. Perceptions of 'happy' and busy people have turned my interest into writing my term paper. I have personally heard friends saying the had to detach from Instagram for reasons of not feeling inadequate. It's interesting to see how a simple photo/video influence the mood or behavior of an individual. 'IG' is a simple photo/video uploading platform that is user friendly for most people. Its easy to interact and installing the privacy option is straight-forward.

Blog Social networking

Social networking is an amazing marketing tool for launches of new products, for honest and interactive reviews, and for informing a vast and diverse audience. For many social networking is entertainment, but many don't realize we the users are potential targets for multi-million dollar industries. It expands more to just money making industries but in politics as well. Former president (also in my eyes 'still my president'), Barack Obama utilized the power of social network to up run his campaign in 2007. In the NYT article "How Obama Tapped into Social Networks' Power" written by David Carr (2007), it explores how new media proved to be a powerful tool in the world of politics. For Instance in the article it explains:  

“...Thomas Jefferson used newspapers to win the presidency, F.D.R. used radio to change the way he governed, J.F.K. was the first president to understand television, and Howard Dean saw the value of the Web for raising money,” said Ranjit Mathoda, a lawyer and money manager who blogs at Mathoda.com. “But Senator Barack Obama understood that you could use the Web to lower the cost of building a political brand, create a sense of connection and engagement, and dispense with the command and control method of governing to allow people to self-organize to do the work.”

This method of interacting with supporters through social networking has changed the face of  politics, some say for the better and some say for the worst. Sometimes there is so much misinformation that people an become indecisive or simply lose trust. It's evident in today's  both social and political climate that social networking is only going to expand.

The benefits of social networking is the freedom to express one self individually or in large numbers, but that also brings up the ugly side to social networking. Gossiping sites are very popular when it comes to public figures, but I can't imagine how incredibly disturbing it would be to have information regarding ones character online for thousands or millions to see. For example, seeing reviews on professors on sites like ratemyprofessor.com has admittedly made me steer away from certain professors, but when there was no choice for another professor, I found the reviews to only be slightly true but for the most part exaggerated. The article on campus gossiping websites "They're back and they're bad; Campus gossiping website" written by Jeffry R. Young (2009) exhibits the dark side of the web.  It can be detrimental to a person's well-being, and the constant attention can also perpetuate that "bad behavior" equals good attention. Perhaps the consequences of sites that promote gossiping and "fake news" can bring about a positive movement. Cyber-bullying, rise in suicides among adolescents, can now be something people can be aware of, and start a chain of reaction to eliminate negativity by interacting in a quick and efficient way by offering support and creating more resources.

They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites

They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Siteso me shows that down-side of social networking.