Wiki So Far

The part of the Wiki I have signed up for was, New Media and Entertainment and I am a contributor. I have contributed part to the new media and recording artists aspect of it. I spoke about different artists that have been discovered off of youtube. The information I have been researching shows me how important new media is for entertainment today and how pertinent it is in society. The research I have found so far will help me contribute in important ways to the wiki. 

P2P File Sharing

Create a new post on your blog with the above title. In your post, cite at least one of the assigned readings and answer the following questions: What is file sharing? What is P2P File sharing? What are some examples of P2P file sharing? You must cite at least one of the assigned readings.   File Sharing is when an individual distributes or gives access to digitally stored information like, computer programs, multimedia applications, documents, and electronic books. P2P is a type of file sharing, it stands for peer-to-peer. With this type of sharing there are programs that are offered to share music, video, and other files over the internet. This file sharing epidemic has caused quite the problem, especially in the entertainment community. Over the past decade there have been numerous music programs for people to illegally download music. According Daniel Kreps of Amplifer, a mother from Minnesota was fined 1.5 million for illegally downloading twenty four songs. Many can think, as the article states, how does this make sense? if she purchased the songs on itunes it would only cost 24 dollars. It is something that many have mixed opinions on, yes you are stealing but a 1.5 million dollar fine is a little too much. File sharing has become an epidemic over the past decade with some positives, but also many negatives that go along with it.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Privacy and confidentiality are very much related to new media. More often than not, people will loose their privacy because of new media. Websites like, facebook, twitter etc aide in the process of having no privacy anymore. While signing up for these new media websites individuals need to realize that they are actually giving up their privacy. Over the years it has increasingly become more of a problem, there are confidentiality laws within these sites, but they are not enough. There are so many ways where outside sources can gain access to your information through these new media sites. While all these sites are fun and interesting, it is important to be safe, know the privacy rules and realize what you are getting yourself into. 

Advice

The use of new media could benefit Baruch College substantially. By using this, it will teach students real life skills that they will use beyond their years at college. Many companies today, have social media positions, so this could really be a great thing. Instead of using email to contact professors, twitter would be a great option to get in contact. It gives a more personal way of communicating and will also help the professors feel more comfortable with each other. Another great use of new media will let students express their creativity more. Many times, students often become bored in their classes, and feel like they are wasting their time. By using new media, students may be able to become more engaged in the course, and express themselves in a way which makes what they are learning interesting. New media is something that all college’s should use more, it will cause many benefits within the classroom. 

Creativity and New Media

I decided to create an avatar on second life. As you can tell on the last assignment I did not see the point of these worlds, so I decided to check it out for myself. It was very interesting to see and use. I navigated through the different rooms for a while to really get the feeling of what a “virtual world” entails. My conclusion from it is as much as I think it is interesting, I won’t be using this ever again. I feel that some people use this as a way to socialize, which is not beneficial in the long run. 

Creativity

Creativity is not something that can be defined; it is all up to you. New Media does aid individuals in executing their creative thoughts in various ways.  One of the most important sites that aids in this process is YouTube. Many use this site for things from showcasing their talents from singing to really anything else you can think of. Some of the most famous stars at the moment have been discovered off of YouTube like, Justin Bieber who is a name most people know. I also found out that there is a new show on VH1 where a woman does impressions of other celebrities, and she was found on YouTube all from doing these impressions. The article “The New Math of Mashups” by Sasha Jones talks about how music today, is very comparable with music from the past with the use of new media; the example they give is about a Jay-Z song.  This is something that happens in a lot of music today, but at times goes unnoticed because people do not realize what song the current one originates from. New Media has upgraded the creativity process. Today, there is the ability to have access to things that would have not existed event ten years ago.

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds are very interesting. I do not believe that these worlds are positive in any sort of way though. Individuals use these to make “friends” or meet new people, which in “real life” you are not really doing. For example, according to the article “I Report: “Naughty Auties” battle autism with virtual interaction”, the creator of the site says, that this can get users out of their shells and get them communicating with others. While that may be a true statement, it will not be beneficial in the real world. Many individuals have issues saying things face to face that they would have no problem saying over the computer. The only positive thing about virtual worlds could be how it brings people together from all parts of the world. Interacting with someone through the computer is not at all the same as interacting in real life. The article about virtual worlds in health care facilities really caught my attention. They portrayed it as being beneficial for situations, but for some reason I still am not in favor of this whole thing at all. I am a firm believer in things needing to be done in person, not with a keyboard or computer screen in front of you. I guess virtual worlds can foster creativity with people not being afraid to be themselves, like they are in person and not holding back their thoughts. From what I have seen virtual worlds look very life like now, I can’t imagine them looking even more real in the future.

Twitter

A twitter discussion and a blackboard discussion are very different. With Twitter, you are only allowed so many words; there is a chance your point will not get across. Being able to post on blackboard, gives you the option to write out a full response whether it be a paragraph or a sentence. Blackboard gives more of an academic impression and twitter gives more of a social impression. I believe that twitter and in class discussions are a semi similar. There are some classes where there is a discussion atmosphere and thoughts are thrown out at each moment. It is not very formal like blackboard discussions can be. Twitter and in class discussions give more of a personal and friendly atmosphere to things, unlike blackboard.

Social Networking Sites

The sites I visited were Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each and every one of these sites had differences and similarities. First off, LinkedIn is the most “serious”. It is used so individuals could obtain jobs and reach out and network with other people in their industry. There is no status updating, following anyone, or becoming “friends”. I believe that Facebook and myspace are similar in the simplicity of using it. Both add friends, and are used for more of a social aspect, not finding jobs like LinkedIn. Twitter is similar to facebook and myspace in few ways. One way is that, like on facebook and myspace you can have “friends” on twitter you can follow anyone you would like; even celebrities. LinkedIn doesn’t have much in common with these sites at all in my opinion. Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are used for social interactions, while LinkedIn is used to move forward with your future.

Social Networking

Social networking is such a powerful tool to use. These sites can be used for conference calls with work, without having to even be on the same side of the country, bring ideas together, stay in touch with people who you do not see, and so many others. There is a dark side to social networking sites though, many people end up getting themselves into deep trouble. There are countless numbers of stores of individuals losing their jobs or relationships because of something they posted on facebook. News also travels very fast, faster than some may want. For example, the la times article, “Obama, Kanye West and trouble with twitter”, the President called Kanye a “jackass” due to the event when he interrupted Taylor Swift, and this went viral on the internet. Even though there are bad aspects, there are also good ones. For example twitter was used to help land a plane that had aid for Haiti victims. Within this New York Times article, it is described how the plane with the aid was blocked from entering and the group sent out a tweet about it. As a result of this tweet, the U.S. airforce was contacted by other twitter users and the plane was able to be landed. I believe that these sites will evolve in the future, but I can’t exactly pin point how. It is difficult to think of what can be different about them when everything about them is so intricate. People depend so much on social networking today, its almost making society anti social; I can’t imagine this becoming even worse.