Creativity

New media fosters creativity in that it allows users to have input in what they are using. It allows them to adjust the programs,come up with new ideas to better the programs as well as come up with new programs. In the article, Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers, Professor Von Hippel says, " ...Consumers often come up with ideas for products, and companies wait on the sidelines to see if they have mass appeal.

Another way that new media fosters creativity is that in individuality. Through the use of new media we are allowed to get to know others and to see themselves in the projects they have created. For their individuality and creativity we have come to know a lot more artists such is the case of Justin Beiber who was discovered because of his videos via youtube. In the article, The New Math of Mashups, Sasha Frere- Jones says. "...A Stroke of Genius is so good that it eventually led Freelance Hellraiser to do official remixes for Aguilera and others, and he has just completed, at Paul McCartney's invitation, an entire album of McCartney remixes" Because of new media and the countless possibilities individuals are getting paid.

Creativity and New Media

I LOVE photography! I have thousands of photos. I went through so many changes and was able to enjoy so many things in 2010 so I decided to share some pictures of myself within the last year or so. Hope you enjoy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/acourtney/

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

I had no idea Second Life existed. I remember watching an episode of Law and Order SVU which dealt with crimes happening in virtual worlds but I thought it was made up and not based of reality. I have signed up for second life just to see what its all about but have not had the time to fully get into it.


Virtual worlds are great for people who do not have the ability to socialize as they would  because of a phobia of the outside world.  The CNN article entitled, Naughty Auties battle Autism with Virtual Interaction, Simon Bignell says," For people who have social, emotional, communicational problems ... we can get them familiar with an environment before they actually try it out in real life. Also, Diseases such as autism, multiple sclerosis all prevent individuals from living a normal life. This is a great use for a virtual world because its gives people a sense of a normal life because they are able to interact with people and do things they will not be able to do in their real lives.


While virtual worlds help people who cannot socialize freely I believe they also hinder socializing. I believe some individuals will use the virtual world as a crutch to support the reasoning behind why they are not out and about living life. In the article,"I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff, he says, "Despite knowing that its real-life inspiration exists right outside my door, I have spent the last few months making such visits to the Virtual Lower East Side"


In virtual worlds you are able to visit places you may never get to in your life, you meet people from all over the world and have conversations and I believe this fosters creativity. Also I believe the future of virtual worlds is going to be huge in that students will be able to attend classes from the comfort of their home, using their avatars, grocery shopping will also be done from the home, going to the post office and a lot of errands that are done daily will soon be able to do from home

Social Networking Sites

Facebook is my most used social networking site. Its pretty cool and is user friendly.  It has a professional layout and your not bombarded with spam unlike other social networking sites. The privacy options are great, for example you can block your name from coming up in google search and you also have the option of changing your settings to see posts from certain friends. Also some of the games on facebook like cafe world are pretty cool

Twitter is a good social networking site as well. I use twitter to find out what's going on with celebrities but also if I want to search for a topic and see what others  around the world are saying about it in real time. Twitter has good privacy options as well. It layout is organized and simple to use, however I prefer the old twitter to the new twitter, The right panel on the new twitter has way to much information.

I have not used Myspace in years and have deleted my account.  I signed up for another account and still feel the same way about myspace that I felt when I deleted it. Its annoying and it seems like it is being used by teenagers. Myspace appears to be a good source for musicians and those looking for their big break in the music world. The layout is not appealing and there is to much going on the page.

Tagged is another social networking site. It appears that this site is used for people wanting to meet others for dating purposes. It has the same setup as other sites, you can update your status and have a profile. It also appears to be used by people in their 20's

Twitter

A twitter discussion is different from a blackboard discussion in that you can say all that you want to say with unlimited words whereas with a twitter discussion you are limited to 140 words. With regards to an in class discussion it can go on and on but with a twitter discussion you have to get straight to the point.

Social Networking

Social Networking is an influential part of today's society. It is used among all races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds. It also used for both good and bad. I believe that the two most important uses of social networking is that marketing and advertisement and for personal use, to keep in touch with friends and making new friends. In terms of marketing and advertisement companies use sites such as facebook, twitter and myspace to let the public know about their products, upcoming sales and anything else that will allow a profit to be made. Also companies use social networking sites to obtain the public's opinion about their product and any suggestions of how the may improve their services. In the article, Leaving Friendprints: How Social Networks are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security Eric Bradlow says, "says the Holy Grail for marketers is to track consumers and their friends and what they say about a product via social networks."


In the article, Is Myspace Good For Society, Steve Chazin says," Social networking tools have made it nearly effortless for me to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. I can know what’s on their minds (MySpace), who else they know (Facebook/LinkedIn), and even what they are doing at this very moment (Twitter)."

In terms of a dark side to social networking it will have to be privacy and also sharing to much information on these sites. Teenagers share alot of information on these websites that usually gets them into a lot of trouble. In the summer of 2010 I remember it being reported that homes were being burglarized because of the information individuals were posting to their sites about their vacation plans

I think that an up and coming use of social networking will be that of politics. Just as how President Obama used these sites to win the election. I think that alot of candidates will be following in his foot steps

Blogs vs Wikis

Blogs and wikis are similar in that they allow you to receive information. Both are user friendly and allow a reader to discuss any subject for millions to see. Despite their similarities they are differences, blogs offer a personal view. In the article, Walmart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog, Walmart employers offer their opinion on merchandise sold at their stores. A quote from the article says, "The result is an intensely personal window into the lives, preferences and quirks of the powerful tastemakers."


Wikis can be edited by anyone thus leading to misinformation, incomplete information and information that should not be known by the general public. The article, Has Wikipedia Created a Rorschach Cheat sheet,"Psychologists have registered with Wikipedia to argue that the site is jeopardizing one of the oldest continuously used psychological assessment tests."


Convergence is important to todays world especially for the consumer. For example I have a twitter account to express my thoughts however alot companies advertise their products and sales on twitter allowing me to get bargains on things I would probably not get. Another example is that of cable, internet and phone being sold by one company. I remember when I first came to this country Verizon was a phone company now they offer Fios and they also have cellular phone service.


In terms of collaboration the Walmart article is a good example of that. The employees took to the blog to voice their opinion on products Walmart sells. This is good for both the consumer and Walmart. Consumers have a first hand account of products they are interested in and Walmart uses the information to decide what sells in their stores

Change of topic

Hi guys I decided to change my topic. I will still be discussing social networking however I will be discussing its impact on families. Divorce and other family issues are related to social networking and I would love to explore that