The Next New Thing

Since the sudden burst of popularity of the internet, many things that could possible be thought up of have already been thought of in one way, shape, or form. That is why when wondering about the next new thing, it is hard to think of the next facebook, or the next twitter. That's why I feel that when I see the next new thing, I'm thinking more revolutionary.
What I see in the future is an improved version of the popular website, Yelp.com. The improved version will not be a revamp of the review system, or aesthetics, but rather the integration of the growing trend of 3D (and even 4D technology). When moving from a Web 2.0 era to a Web 3.0 era, information must be suited to our needs and prefereces, and what better way to have that than to include possible 4D technology. In the specific instance of yelp, that means the user will not be stuck with limited information and pictures. Through the integration of the new technology they will be able to see exactly what the inside of a restaurant looks from a 3D standpoint, and be able to smell and/or feel the food before the consumer makes a conscious decision about the restaurant.
A new media like this can have a huge impact in the rest of the new media technology, and I'm excited for the day this will be created.

P2P File Sharing

Ever since the evolution of the internet, there has been a creation of a P2P File Sharing platform. P2P file sharing stands for "peer-to-peer", which means exactly that. Your peers on the internet can share files with you that you need, or file sharing, and vice-versa. In many cases, the file sharing taking place is simply sharing a work that was done, a software that may be hard to find, or a way for users to collaborate to create one final piece. It offers the user unconventional ways to get access to what is needed more efficiently. However, it has also evolved into something negative. For example, the emergence of torrents have led way for users to pirate sensitive information / media, and share it to other people who are unwilling or unable to pay for these files by themselves. Such can be found through the pirating industry of music, movies, textbooks, and even sensitive financial data of companies.

Some of the known P2P file sharing companies are mediafire, megashare (which has been closed down), dropbox (using its link-sharing option), and googledrive (using its link-sharing option). Whether the use of such platforms may be, P2P file sharing has changed the ways that individuals approach, and view the internet and social media. Just like all aspects of social media, measures must be taken to ensure that the negative side effects are kept in check, and to make sure that a user's privacy is secure. This will allow for a more interactive and collaborative experience on the internet and new media.

Link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/05/10/182651552/peers-find-less-pressure-borrowing-from-each-other

Our Class Wiki - So Far

The class wiki is an exceptional place to share and create information for others to see. I have had a blast reading the content created by my fellow peers, and contributing as well. I have personally contributed information to the following three wiki topics:

 - New Media and Sports: I helped add some information that I knew myself, that was not already in the blog. This includes the maintaining of professionalism on the social media platform by sports figures, the increasingly popular phenomenon of March Madness and the bracket challenge, and the advertisement transition from solely television to online streaming platforms.
 - New Media in Social Networking: I made sure there were no ridiculous claims, and made several minor edits here and there. I also added a new type of social networking section to include blogger and tumblr, through the blogging platforms. I noted the uniqueness of blogs, and made sure that people know that blogging social networking can include the elements of several other types of social networking.
 - New Media and Healthcare: I felt that this wiki was a bit short and added what I could on the topic. I added the use of Yelp when deciding on professionals to use, as well as the new Healthcare company that is emerging called Oscar.

I look forward to seeing the final product of the class wiki, and am excited on learning new things!

Advice to Baruch College

Using new media to improve Baruch college was a great idea, and I am here to help!
       
 First, I think Baruch should be using new media to update students more frequently. Being in college, most college students have a Facebook or a Twitter, so why not use those platforms to inform students of upcoming events, weather statuses, and school opening/closing statuses? These students will already be on these platforms, so they will not mind it as long as we don't excessively spam updates!

 Second, use new media to involve students more in campus decisions! Especially regarding USG! The whole idea of USG is to suggest and implement what the students want, so why not use new media to get a better idea of what it is that is wanted. Using polls, sharing options, and retweeting, it will be easier for USG to get a better idea of what is wanted. And also more time effective!

Lastly, allow students to post how they feel about Baruch. People want to be acknowledged a heard, so allowing them to share what they feel about the college, and having new media staff members respond is a first step.

These are a few of many possible extensions of new media to improve Baruch College. To keep the concept going, I am open to taking suggestions!

Privacy & Confidentiality

The concept of privacy and confidentiality are interesting when you bring in how it is affected by new media. As most of us already know at this point, most of the things we post are no longer private information as soon as it reaches the internet. Sure we can restrict settings and who can view it on our social media sites, but most platforms have additional terms and conditions... which most of us never read. They say that once a picture is posted through their platform, it essentially becomes their property, and they can keep such pictures for as long as they want. They do the same thing for our posts or status updates, if applicable. This being said, I think it would be wise of us to apply the same privacy and confidentiality rules in our personal lives, to our social media lives. That is, limit who you allow to see what you post, and limit who can share the information you divulge. Ultimately, you are taking a big risk, but it is always wise to try your best to prevent further damage.

Blog: Creativity and New Media

This picture was actually created by my friend. He demonstrated our competitive nature through an activity enjoyed by both, and demonstrated it through a virtual world. He clearly demonstrates his competitive nature through the creativity of substituting of the ball with my head.

Here I created an image in a virtual world that demonstrates the predicament I find myself in often - being late. The juggling of breakfast and coffee while running to my destination is a creative exaggeration of such a predicament.

Lastly, this virtual world picture demonstrates that I find it too early for whatever errand it is I have to complete.

What is important to note here is that a virtual character has already been created to represent me. This unique character will represent me in the virtual world for all situations until I decide to change it.
The usage of the virtual world is quite fun!

BLOG: CREATIVTY

     The evolution of social media has done wonders to the creative capacity of the world. Because of the usage of social media, the artistic explosion throughout the world has increased dramatically because there was a new way to spread one's old artwork without the necessity of expensive advertising. Through the possibility of "viral" marketing, one can come to gain many followers in a short amount of time. And even without viral marketing, one can still gradually accumulate followers to support their artistic endeavors.
     Many of the creativity promoted by social media can be found on the sites of YouTube, various blogging sites, and even FaceBook. Many people have found ways to create a living for themselves off of the social media provided by YouTube. YouTubers like nigahiga, PewDiePie, and collegehumor decided to focus all their efforts on creating videos of whatever they wanted to provide viewers a source of entertainment. Eventually the following grew larger because of word of mouth - essentially free marketing. Now, these individuals are making a living off creating videos of choices for viewers to life, all because of YouTube fostering their creativity.
     Additionally, blog sites have many ways of fostering creativity. Blog sites can be used to share advice about anything at all, can be used to share food recipes, artistic drawings, and more. These bloggers can then gain followers based on the interest of the viewers.
     Lastly, FaceBook has recently become a huge component of creativity in social media. Now that pages can be made of anything imaginable, that sets the floor for basically anything anyone wants to express. Through a quick search using FaceBook's search function, their page can be found in a matter of seconds.
     The bottom line is, social media has definitely revolutionized the world in terms of available displays of individual creativity. From up and coming music producers and singers, to possibly the next Michelangelo, through social media the next famous person is just a few virtual clicks away.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/10/050110crmu_music