Creativity & New Media

For this assignment I decided to try out a site mention in one of our assigned readings. I used Lego's Design By Me program to create the Lego chessboard. The 1st screen shot is of my White chessmen and the 2nd is of my Black chess men. I decided to give the white men more feminine colors. I also wanted to make the chessboard green rather than the traditional black and white. I thought this was interesting because you don't normally find chessboards in other colors. This program was fun since I always enjoyed playing with Legos and blocks when I was younger.

Creativity

I think New Media has definitely come to embrace the creativity of its users as well as fostering it. Twitter not only designs and engineers new uses for it's site, they have also learned to monitor and use the feedback from is users. Many of Twitter's features such as hashtags, retweets, and the "@" symbol, were not thought up by professional programmers. Instead, these were introduced by Twitter users, which Twitter than adapted and modified. They monitored their site to see what was going on. When something interesting began to take shape, they took note of it and then decided on whether they would implement it as a feature. To improve these user's idea's they would take the original, and see what they could add to it in order to be more user friendly (ex: hyperlinks with hashtags and @ symbols) or more secure (ex: direct retweets so that the original content may not be modified). Twitter is not the first or only company to take advantage of its users. However, in doing so, users get a chance to come up with new ideas. Not only does this allow us to be creative, but it encourages us to think outside the box, as it seems that we have a say in what we want from the technology we are using. Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers

Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Though virtual worlds have been around for years, they have not been as popular with general internet users as Facebook or Twitter has. However, these worlds have been utilized by a smaller sector of users which have put it to great use. For example, hospitals have begun using virtual worlds to train staff. Using a virtual world platform such as Second Life is much more inexpensive then hiring actors to play patients. It is also much more interactive and immersive. Nurses can control an avatar and walk through corridors, check patients and set up triage centers, rather than sitting around a table staring at dioramas with figurines. Doctors controlling the patients and monitoring the nurses can throw in unexpected scenarios such as a catastrophe that would test the nurses skills. This can all be done on Second Life where a hospital can rent virtual land, build their virtual hospital (price depends on specifications), and maintain control of their virtual facilities for a few hundred dollars a month in "rent". Some programmers have even made a business out of this by creating generic buildings for one-time or short-term use available for daily "rent". (Avatar II: The Hospital)

A man from England developed a new use for Second Life 3 years ago. He created Naughty Auties, an online community that allows individuals living with autism spectrum disorders to communicate/socialize with others. This virtual world allows people who would otherwise have trouble going out in public and socializing in person, to meet others and carry conversations through the privacy of their home. (iReport: 'Naughty Auties' Tackle Autism With Virtual Interaction)

The use of virtual worlds however, comes with both pros and cons. Although using virtual worlds to train employees or students can be much cheaper, some employees or students may live in suburban areas where the internet connection may be slower. Others may not be very familiar with computers and may have difficulty learning to use one. Naughty Auties is a great benefit because it not only allows individuals living with autism to socialize, but allows their friends, family, doctors, coworkers, and many others to do so as well. However, I'm always afraid that individuals with negative intentions can use virtual worlds such as Second Life to prey on others. Because your identity can be hidden, you can become anyone you want and talk to others. For example, a child predator can go onto Webkinz World (although the site says their chat rooms are controlled) pretending to be a child and interact with other young children. (Toy With a Second Life)

Virtual Worlds do however foster and encourage creativity. One example is the Hotel Chelsea which has changed over the years. One creative visitor from out of town took pictures during his stay and went home and created the hotel in Second Life. He created the hotel to reflect it's roots and times of the past, including the former hotel manager, rather than what it has become today. (In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again)


Though I think virtual worlds have become more popular over the years, I do not think it will be as big of a hit as Facebook has become in terms of online social media. I cannot imagine creating an avatar and walking it through streets and buildings to talk to people and read status updates or look at pictures. I do however, see RPG games gaining in popularity, especially with new technological advancements.

Blog about Twitter

I think Twitter discussions are much more complicated than Blackboard or in-class discussions. On Twitter, if you don't respond fairly quickly, it might be very confusing for others when they read what you write. It can be hard for them to figure out what you are talking about if you just type in a response. Therefore, you should retweet someone else's tweet so that others may then follow your train of thought. Of course, the level of difficulty also coincides with how many people are in your network and the amount of traffic that the network of people gets. For example, Kanye West will have a bigger network than our CIS class.

When having a discussion in class, you can immediately respond to your professor or classmates. Or if you would like to talk about a previous topic, you just say so and refer to which subject. It is much easier to follow as everything is verbal and you are interacting in person.

Blackboard discussions are both easier and more complicated than Twitter discussions. On blackboard, when you respond, you can respond directly under someones thread. You don't have to search for anything because it all shows up there. However, it is sometimes hard to read the discussions themselves because they are shown as links, sort of like emails, that you must open in order to read. They also vary in length.

When you are on Twitter, you can search for certain keywords and all tweets with those keywords will appear. Since the tweets are short and limited to 140 characters, you can also read the main point in a few short sentences.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook is the most popular social networking site for now. This site allows you to search/connect with friends, post on each others walls, put up statuses, upload/share pictures, videos, or links, sell items/look for a job, and so much more. You can communicate with immediate friends or with a larger network. Recently, FB even created a "chat" feature which allows users to communicate instantaneously through the site without having to comment on each others walls. You can create events and invite others to join as well, collaboratively planning these events.

When I deleted my Myspace a few years ago, I remember it becoming less popular and more of a site for high school and junior high students. Maybe that was just my impression, but it seemed like everyone was leaning away from Myspace. Myspace was a simpler version of Facebook. Where you could be friends with people, post on their walls, comment on/post pictures, and send each other messages. I grew out of Myspace after using Facebook. I liked the FB platform much more, the website design, as well as the features. However, it seems like Myspace has now turned itself around and revamped. The site has improved and has a ton of new features that I've never seen before, like Games, Threads, and Events. The site even has "Badges" that you can earn now. For example, a badge for "Old School - joining Myspace before it was cool." I guess the website has said what I was hesitant to say. It seems that Myspace has now become somewhat "cool."

Twitter is a site that allows users to "tweet" or basically write whatever they want, in 140 characters or less. It's pretty much a FB status, but on a site with a concentration on just tweets and nothing else. You cannot post jobs or sell items (in the traditional sense as with FB) or play games. You can however, follow other Twitterers (your friends/classmates, newspapers, companies, celebrities, politicians, musicians, and much more). I really did not like Twitter when it was first introduced. I thought it was silly, I mean who cares what someone is doing right this minute? But I didn't realize the potential for the site at the time. Now, I see that Twitter can be very useful, such as to break news, to bring people together, or help raise donations (currently for Japan.)

Xanga was also a big hit in high school. We used to have "friends" or followers on Xanga. My friends and I all used to write on it. Not necessarily about ourselves, but about anything, school gossip, feelings. We would also comment on each other's Xanga's and it would turn into a massive chat. The site also allowed you to edit the colors, font, and design. I remember at one point, that the thing to do was to insert tags into your blog so that you could track how many times and who was viewing your Xanga. I guess we didn't use it for the traditional purposes of blogging. Again, it seemed like a much more ancient version of Myspace and Facebook even though it was only a few years ago. When I think about sites like these, I realize how much media and technology have advanced and can only wonder what the future will be like in 10 - 30 years from now. What kind of technology will the next generation be growing up with.

Social Networking

Technology has developed tremendously within the past decade and many new uses for these developments have come about. Recently, during the most recent presidential election, President-Elect Obama (at the time) used Facebook and other online websites to reach out to his supporters. He overcame fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton and opponent John McCain with his use and understanding of what technology could do for his campaign. He was able to reach thousands of his fans with just a few clicks through emails. His supporters were notified of rally and campaign updates on Facebook and he raised a record breaking $600 million online. ("How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power," by David Carr, The New York Times. November 10, 2008)

Corporations have also turned to developments in social media technology when it comes to hiring employees. Sites like Linkedin, where professionals can set up profiles, network with each other, and list their job skills, allows users to advertise themselves as well as giving recruiters the opportunity to browse through candidate profiles. This could lead to potential job offers and company additions that are particular to the position in question as the site allows recruiters to filter their searches to find individuals with specific desired skills. (Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt, NPR, March 16, 2008)

Internationally, countries like India have also used new technology developments to help them in law enforcement. New Delhi's traffic police created a Facebook page initially for supporters to join and post comments or suggestions. People began posting videos and images of traffic disobeyers which led to the issuance of violations. Without the help of these photos/videos, many of these violations would've gone unnoticed with a force of just 5,000 and a population of 12 million. ("In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers" By Heather Timmons, NY Times, August 1, 2010)

However, though these advances in technological uses are productive and positive, certain consequences may also arise. For example, photos of traffic violators may have been tampered with to falsely incriminate individuals or for entertainment purposes. Sites like Facebook, where users can post pictures, may deter businesses from hiring an individual if they find inappropriate photos. Presidential campaigns though over, may use their email list for future campaigns or projects. The individuals on these email lists may feel pestered if they receive too many emails concerning subjects they do not wish to be a part of.

In the future, technology may become even more interactive. Perhaps, a site similar to Linkedin, Myspace, or Facebook will be developed specifically for colleges to use. Potential students can create profiles and submit applications over this interconnected network. This network should encompass the majority of colleges worldwide so that everything can be done on one site, rather than applying to each school separately. The site should retain a professional atmosphere rather than a casual one such as Facebook or Myspace.

Blog vs. Wiki

Now that we have all created our blogs and have been using our class wiki, we should have all noticed a difference between the two platforms. In general, wikis are websites with interconnected web pages that are created and edited by its users. These pages can cover one topic or a broad range of topics. Wiki edits are usually done through a simplified markup language. Some sites allow anyone to make changes while others may have security blocks that limit who can view, edit, or add new links to the wiki. Wikis are often edited in real time. When someone makes a revision on a wiki from New York, the next person to view it in California will see this change. Wikis are interactive, involving the wiki user if they choose. (Wikipedia on Wikis)

Blogs on the other hand are more passive in a sense. Normally, one person or a group of people will be allowed to post articles on a particular blog. Other bloggers or visitors can leave comments in response to these posts. However, they cannot edit the actual content of these blogs unless they have access. Basically, an author(s) writes the blogs and readers read them and comment if they choose.

Both wikis and blogs have now grown in popularity. The most famous wiki is www.Wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia known for both its information and inaccuracy. Some popular blogs are www.perezhilton.com, which covers celebrity tales or www.engadget.com, a source for technology enthusiasts. Blogs and wikis have also been the topic of controversy. Wikipedia has enacted stricter editing policies in the past few years to deter vandalists and to check sources ("Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen, The New York Times, August 24, 2009). The US military has had trouble with soldier's blogs which may leak sensitive information or be used as an entrance for viruses or hackers into their systems. ("Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog" By James Dao, The NY Times, September 8, 2009.) Societies and individuals also worry that blogs may become a new source for online bullying and defamation without the appropriate consequences ("Stung by the Perfect Sting," By Maureen Dowd, The NY Times, Aug 25, 2009).

Although issues with wikis and blogs may arise at times, our world today is shaped by the convergence of new media with our lives. Take Wikipedia for example, although some of their information may be inaccurate, for the most part, it gives us a great amount of information needed for class research. Even if we are not to use or cite from Wikipedia, it is a great starting point for further research into a topic. Though we personally may not keep a blog, some of us do visit them for our daily scoop of celebrity gossip, entertainment, or research when it comes to buying new technology. For example, I read many camera reviews a few months ago when shopping for one, and many of the reviews came from electronics bloggers. Stores like Walmart have even utilized blogs to facilitate consumer correspondence regarding products that it sells. Although correspondence in this way is very different from traditional communication between Walmart and a single consumer directly, it is efficient as consumers relate to each other which products are worth their money or which products they should buy to improve their lifestyles. This way, consumers are free to talk amongst themselves and Walmart is free to read their posts in order to serve them better (Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write a Blunt and Unfiltered Blog, NY Times, march 3, 2008.).

As mentioned above, Walmart has found a way to allow consumers to utilize blogs in a collaborative way. Another example of blogs used in collaboration is with a drug bust case in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Residents of 93rd Street in Bay Ridge blogged about their neighborhood crack house and its unruly tenants. A core group of bloggers which met on this neighborhood blog got together and brought the case to the community board and authorities. Through their collaborative efforts on the blog over the course of a year, arrests were finally made (Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid By MICHAEL WILSON The New York Times June 26, 2008).

There are as many uses for blogs as there are for wikis. Wikis can be used by the public (wikipedia), by businesses, and even by schools. We are using a wiki in our class. However, I think Baruch students can benefit even more if wikis were introduced into every classroom. I once had a Sociology professor that wanted to develop a class wiki for terms, definitions, and notes but decided against it as she thought it was too troublesome. I too thought so at the time. But now having had some exposure in this class, I feel that it is manageable if it were introduced to all students and professors on a larger scale. If each class was given one or two lessons, they could easily learn the rest as they go along. I think using wikis in class would be a great resource for all. Students can collaboratively put up notes on class readings and assignments. Doing so may give students a greater incentive to complete their work as they must also contribute to the class wiki. This can also be a one stop source for study notes. Students can also help each other if they have difficulty under-sanding the class material.