Creativity and New Media

I am not a youtuber, I do not create any videos or mash ups. I'm not a disigner or a "technology savy".  I am not attracted to any computer game either. Therefore, for this assigment, as I am social media user, I decided to create an emoji from my phone. The app to create a emoji, is called ZMOJI. This application allowed you to create an emoji with your same charateristics. This emoji can be used on Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter and Instagram. Furthermore, you can save it on a PDF format to iBooks. I usually use this kind of emojis to communicate with my family and friends through iMessage or WhatsApp.

Creativity

 Creativity is displayed in memes, youtube videos, emojis all thought  the new media.  A couple of years ago, a YouTube user created a video,  “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” where it turns Disney characters into rappers, this is a clear example of how new media fosters creativity. New media have an infinity set of tools that can be used to enhance creativity, especially for our young society. 

According to the article “Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?”, media companies tolerate internet mush up and parodies because there is a bigger issue, the wholesale privacy. Some companies, as Nickelodeon, are comfortable with the use of their cartoons. Dan Martinsen, a Nickelodeon spokesman, states that “our audiences can creatively mash video from our content as much and as often as they like.” This is a way to promote creativity without having any legal issues with copyright of this company.



Barnes, Brooks. "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Second Life, The Sims, and an array of other games and simulation programs have been created through the years. Virtual worlds and environments now exist for people to digitally "visit", as social networking became the norm; so have virtual worlds. These digital worlds have many uses, such as providing a platform to set up meetings with others, socialize with friends; even dance with strangers. For many people facing disabilities, games that can offer a connection to the outside world (assuming a disability has hindered their ability to function/interact normally) provide an additional space for growth, education and enjoyment. Virtual support groups are a good idea, some exist on Second Life. Many people attend (in the digital form, of course). Online schools can be conducted virtually, replacing the classroom and website with digital classrooms and chalkboards/projectors. Every avatar would have their own voice and unique identity, everyone would be able to listen to and see what notes the professor displays to the class. For people that would like to travel, or even those that can't; physical locations can be discovered virtually and visited. There was a case of recreating an old favorite, such as Hotel Chelsea (located in Manhattan). This old and respected establishment was changed when new management took the reigns of the establishment. Many people missed the old hotel, which led to it being recreated almost piece by piece (digitally) in Second Life. This might help those seeking an adventure and want to get a feel for the place(s) first. Users can design and build any type of construction that can come to mind, encouraging those that may have an interest in the field, but no entry into it or related experience. Sure, we have seen that this technology opens many doors due to the practical use of it. In other instances, it might make people take a liking to being hooked on digital encounters and interactions. This would lead to one being alienated from the real world, opting for the digital counterpart instead. People that suffer from social anxiety and similar deficiencies are prone to such results. "Walk into Naughty Auties, a virtual resource center for those with autism, and you'll find palm trees swaying against a striking ocean sunset. Were it not for the pixelated graphics on the computer screen in front of you, you would swear you were looking at a tropical hideaway."  People with disabilities are already having fun mingling with others on virtual worlds. In the future, I believe A.I., introvertism and virtual reality (with goggles/glasses) will be a reality we will be dealing with. Imagine Facebook, Second Life, & Facetime with a pair of virtual reality specs on. Think texting while walking is bad? Guess again. 

Twitter

A Twitter discussion is very different than a Blackboard discussion. On Twitter, you can join the conversation in a more open space; something I like a call a Living Environment. You can be an outsider and join in, or you can control the posts with the corresponding #Hashtag by moderating and reviewing incoming posts. Keep it brief, share what you need to share but get to the point. In a Blackboard discussion, it is strictly for school use, and you must post with correct titles and in the correct locations in order to be acknowledged and given credit. It is not as easy to navigate as is Twitter per se, though it basically has the structure of an old school Forum or Message Board. It is easy as well, basically built for messages and posts as well as media, though not as wide spread or common place as an environment such as Twitter. An in class discussion is different because of the phsyical aspect of it, which definitely helps and transforms the learning experience; the online discussions just add to the richness of the educational experience. An online class, for example; is one of the fruits of New Media; what a great way to further education by using technology in such an efficient way.

Social Networking Sites

What's in a typical digital day for you? Personally, I go on Facebook daily because now it's more of a routine thing, as is the case for most other people with either a phone or laptop. Facebook is great because you can find people you've known but haven't seen or spoke to in a long time. It makes event planning amongst friends an easy task, as well as keeping in touch. On the flipside, divulge too much information to your e-friends, and it might get ugly. Facebook digital ugly, only thing is; it can and probably will reflect in the real world if damaging enough. Facebook is good, just becareful how you use it and what information you make public. Twitter is another great social media platform, a big plus here is the fact that you can keep yourself as anonymous as you'd like, you can use a name and an alias; and you can still make yourself (and be a part of) any conversation imaginable. They almost prevent you from putting your foot in your mouth (so to speak) because they want to control the flow of whats sent across their Twitter World. How so, you ask? They limit posts to 140 characters. About the first 2-3 sentences of this post. Basically, keep it short and sweet; as well as on topic. That's the cool thing about Hashtags, any current event or discussion can take the worldwide stage by simply putting a #Hashtag in front of it. Another great site is Linkedin, this would be social networking for the career oriented, or so to speak. It is said that most career moves made are thanks to a friend or an associate, which in part is true. That's where this site steps in, so let's say you are interested in an internship of somekind, or employment in a specific field or company. This website let's you connect with other like minded individuals from a vast majority of companies and trades. Make yourself known, connect with others and find a niche for yourself here, it can and will probably help you in your professional life. Want to browse articles, pictures, videos, music; and a never ending discussion board? Reddit is another great social networking site. You can create new Reddit sections, you can join already ongoing discussions on other peoples posts. Want to get advice from scientists perhaps? Then go over to ScienceQuestions and ask away. Imagine any topic, anything you can think of, and chances are it exists on this social networking giant. If it doesn't exist, no problem; just create your own thread or subsection and await the mass response. Such as Twitter, you can also keep yourself as anonymous as you'd like, you can reveal yourself; then again you don't have to and can use the guise of a bogus username.

www.twitter.com
www.facebook.com
www.reddit.com
www.linkedin.com

Social Networking

When it comes to social networking, and it's benefits; there are a few things that come to mind. From a corporate point of view, the recruiting process can be facilitated via some form of social media such as Facebook or Google+. A company can engage directly with possible or existing customers in a much more comfortable manner, rather than cold marketing techniques previously used. In terms of societal impact, social networking is a great effective tool to communicate with a vast majority of people, many times the reason can be either personal or work related as well. New technologies benefit many trades as well as many people, let's take schools as one example. If you need to show students a terrain or do an interview with an interesting person, you now have the option because of modern technology. As we see in an article written by Bridget McCrea named The Journal: "He said, 'Hey, my mom knows a scientist,'" recalled Lusk, "so we were able to get in touch with Dr. Isern via e­mail­­through that parent contact­­and get our first online field trip set up." At the time, Isern was in the Antarctic working on several research projects. Amenable to the idea, Isern worked with Lusk to set up a 45­minute session using a laptop computer, webcam, and Skype's communication software." There are many benefits from this new age style of social interacting, but many speculate that there may be a dark side to all of this. This may be true, since data mining and constant surevillance and privacy issues are and will continue to be a thorn in the side of all of this. Even though, I believe the power of good or evil is present with everything that is done and used. One might use a knife to slice meat, while a murderer uses the same object to murder someone. It lies in the hands of those responsible enough to interact within social networking environments, you must take it seriously because even though the world is digital; it reflects the physical world around us. We must accept these new technologies and modern spins on traditional methods, as stated by Andrew Savikas in his article Media: Don't fear new technologies: "It’s ironic that we’re so bad at dealing with change, because it’s something we face constantly–though arguably never before at the current rate. But taking a moment to look backward in order to gain perspective on what’s ahead offers two benefits: It reminds us how common big changes are in our cultural history (and that we nearly always end up better off in the end). It also reminds us that the way things have looked throughout our lives and careers is certainly no more “natural” than anything that has come before or will come later." Let's use modernized tools like social networking for the benefit of society as a whole, for the good far outweighs the evil if used for positive reasons. How might social networking change, or better yet; evolve? One day, I believe virtual reality headsets will be used in conjunction with social networking platforms. Let's imagine for a second that you have the need to log in to facebook, sure thing; just put on these VR goggles and let it scan your eyeballs in order to securely log in. Speak to post status updates, and swipe the images displayed in front of you to scroll through them. I imagine this is the direction we might be headed into currently.

Citations:

1. McCrea, Bridget, The Journal 9.06.12 Taking Students Where No School Bus Can Go - The Journal.pdf  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxiYXJ1Y2huZXdtZWRpYXxneDozNDg1ZTMzOWRjODhiZTFj
2. Media: Don't Fear New Technologies by Andrew Savikas, Forbes.com, February 19, 2010. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxiYXJ1Y2huZXdtZWRpYXxneDo3ZTNhMWI5MTRhMDUzZjY