The Next New Thing

Today we use our tablets, phone, iPad or any other hardware to access the internet and it has helped evolve new media at a faster pace. The constant change makes it hard to define new media thus also unpredictable.  But there is one video that I saw ( posted above) that blew my mind and showed different possibilities of what the "Next New Thing" can be.  The next new thing would be something that can help us incorporate the way humans see/think into mobile devices which I believe will enhance productivity.

By this I mean if there is a way for us not give commands to the computer but something that thinks like us or along with us and both the computer world and our world come together.  As ridiculous as it sounds, the possibility of this coming true is possible.  This will not only speed up the process of innovation but also change our lifestyle completely and make this world a different planet.

Our Class- Wiki So Far

My topic for the Wiki Contribution for this class in New Media & Dating and New Media in Entertainment.  Both these topics have been vastly influenced by new media.  New media has changed the dating scene all together.  Before going on a date, one usually has an idea of what they are walking in to.  New Media has also affected the way we watch movies, shows and listen to music.  My research was taken from daily periodicals.  There is always something in the news pertaining to new media and how they have revolutionized the entertainment and dating world.  

P2P File Sharing

File sharing is providing access to digitally stored information using world wide web, manual sharing, removable media, or centralized servers.  P2P stands for peer to peer which is a network where one can share files without a central system.  P2P is popular in the internet world and has vastly grown over the years.  P2P makes   information readily available for anyone from anywhere in the world.  With P2P file sharing arises the question if it is ethical to share anything and are the laws made for it fair?  A classic case for P2P file sharing is music.  The case of music piracy has been a topic of discussion since years.  An article by Daniel Kreps in Amplifier  posted on November 4, 2010 discusses a case where a mother from Minnesota was fined $1.5 million dollars for downloading 24 songs from a P2P file sharing network.  The lawyer for the lady are arguing that are 24 songs really worth that much when it would only cost $24 to download these song of iTunes.  As per the article it doesn't matter to the record labels how much she is fined but she is a cautionary example for others. P2P file sharing is not only limited to song sharing but also files, online books, legal documents, confidential information, shows, movies and much more.  It is illegal to share these information but the question is if it is unethical?  The issue of ethics is equally important in IT  as much as it is in the business world.  You can't one rule or law for all P2P file sharing and the answer to the ethical aspect isn't the same either.

Privacy & Confidetiality

The use of new media has changed the internet world and with it arises the privacy isssues.  Everything and anything can be put on the web due to the ease of access to the internet world.  An example that appealed to me is an article in the New York Times about the teacher being fired over her Facebook picture.  The question arises that is anything private and is sharing your private life on the web safe?  We might make a post without thinking but it has implications and might haunt one later.  Today whatever is posted on social media about you or by you is screened by interviewers.  New media has its benefits but we should be really careful with what we do with it and especially what we post in the web world.  I just have to Google someones name in order to get some basic information, which is scary.

Advice to Baruch College

New media provides the opportunity for many to many communication.  Baruch College is a commuter school and has a huge student body.  Sending out daily or weekly emails is not the best way to communicate, but using social media for public announcements and events is the best form of communication.  CUNY Alerts is the closest example of Baruch incorporating new media in sending messages.  New Media should also be used for educational purposes in lectures.  Most of the learning takes place outside class through Blogs, YouTube videos  and V-logs will be an extra help and postings by fellow students would help the learning process.

My Term Research Paper

Benefits of Social Media

The topic I chose for my term research paper is Social Media and its implications.  My decision to pick this topic was based on the fact that websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have become an integral part or our lives today. They have changed the way we think and how we chose to communicate.  But we have to keep in mind that its not due to the social networking sites that our world has changed from how it was like a decade ago, but these social networking websites are a product of those changes.  Websites such as Facebook were created to reduce distance between friends and relatives that do not live near you, but it has evolved into something much bigger than that.  The control ultimately lies in our hands and it is our responsibility to not over expose ourselves and the duty of the government to create laws pertaining to social media and how the content is used.

Social Media has proven to be helpful in many ways.  A few examples are the use of twitter in response to the earthquake in Haiti and the use the use of LinkedIn to find jobs in this economy.  But all is not swell in the social media world as one constantly faces privacy issues and there have been research conducted on how non for profit organizations are not using social media to its best ability. In my paper I have incorporated all these ideas and more arguing my case on whether social media is better or worse than the real thing.

Ceativity

New media provides us with a new way to handle information which effects our thinking process.  That is simply one of the reasons why new media fosters creativity.  Creativity is also encouraged as the people have more authority and their ideas are being heard.  An article titled, "Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers" in the New York Times published on October 25, 2009 mentions the several successful ideas companies have incorporated int heir business model by listening to the consumers.  Even non-technology companies are adopting "user-generated innovations"; companies such as Ford hired college students to come up with an idea to come up with a successful way to use sync sound system the way consumers prefer. In the article it is mentioned how twitter was reluctant to use "#" which was suggested by one of the users, but the popularity of this trend among the users convinced Twitter to make this an official feature.  The fact that innovation has now been democratized, one doesn't have to be an IT genius to come up with creative ideas.  The power now truly lies in the peoples hands.