creativity and new media

So this is my 1st time trying this. I created an avatar on smeet.com, yup thats me in my yellow dress, hopefully my link takes you to what i have created. Enjoy



http://en.smeet.com/smeet-web/loader.do?v=1&domain=3&language=en_US&cafftag=smeet_us&avatarUrl=http://avatars.mysmeet.com/Shared/AvatarTemplates/Female_03/thumb/preview_300.png&partnerId=~8819643&CampaignID=URL&isUserHost=1&roomId=0-8819643-0&src=http://base.smeet.com/smeet/LoaderWidget.swf&widgetType=E&backgroundUrl=http://orep.smeet.com/smeet-repo/byuri/-0/res/User/008/819/643/Rooms/0-8819643-0/Preview&

creativity

New media fosters creativity in many ways. For one it allows for people to use technology to create forms of videos, second life, and mashups. One can use different songs and combine them like that of the "Grey Album" which in the article "The new math of mash ups" was a mix of Jay Z's Black Album and the Beatles White Album. The ability to combine different forms of music allows for the creation of a new sound, something people maybe familiar with but can now gain a new ear and maybe a profound love for. Basically it is with the creative mind that new media and technology develops, by combining old and new forms of media we create a newness a fresh form of interactions.

modeling reality with virtual worlds

Virtual worlds are very interesting to me, it has become another form of life and interaction, they also have pros and cons. They can be used to help those with issues interacting socially, those with disabilities such as Asperger's syndrome like in the article iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction by Nicole Saidi. The virtual world has become an outlet for many. Its a way for people to be safe n feel safe n less intimidated and still engage and create a social life for themselves. It also helps in recreating and reenacting certain places and events as i read in the article in Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again,"by Saki Knafo. The pros are that it helps people who arent able to do certain things in this life live them out through a virtual world or second life. The cons are that it hinders face to face interaction and it also creates a false image and who knows what a persons intention may truly be. I think in the future virtual worlds will probably allow more people to interact and create a life they wish they could have lived or even live in a different time.

blog about twitter

Twitter seems pretty similar to a blackboard discussion to me. The ability to input info and have others reply is just like tweeting and then replying with the @ except blackboard is no symbol necessary. In comparison to an in-class discussion well its close also, one person gives their opinion and then some one makes a comment for or against or adds on to it, its just a continued conversation like the blackboard thread or tweet on a topic of interest when # is attached to that topics name.

Social networking sites-myspace,facebook,twitter

The social networking sites such as myspace, face book, and twitter have similarities and difference. In my opinion myspace and face book are very similar, they both allow for a profile, status updates, picture uploads, and various other features. I myself started off with the social net site sconex where i was able to interact with friends and even make new ones. Later as the social network grew i was introduced to myspace, where i found the same friends but could now interact with them by chatting, it was like my new instant message center. i used to love changing my profile background adding music and switching pictures. Then came facebook it was again my new outlet to the global techy world. Being able to update my status became my favorite activity, not only did i say what was on my mind but i also gave my opinion and funny quotes. It was my "blog" so to speak. And then there was twitter, after joining so many of these social websites i refused to join another but peer pressure is a biatch. My friends constantly raved about twitter so ofcourse i began tweeting. The difference with twitter is that its not as intricate as facebook and other sites. Twitter you can only added a certain amount on text, but its cool when you want your friends to see your status you jus add an @. When you want to rewrite a friends status you simply retweet or RT. Its just a cool simple way to interact with friends old and new. In my opinion these sights are all addictive, you may just be online to check an email and you see a notification and low and behold your on a social networking site.  

social networking

Social networking sites such as face book have become ways of interacting and expressing ones interests activities and feeling. There are many ways these sites can be used, for example a company may use sites like face book to market their business and products for free, instead of creating a website and paying a fee. An example is my boyfriend that currently started his party picture company via a face book page, so instead of creating a website he started a page takes pictures and uploads for partygoers to see.  There are benefits that these sites have to society. For one they help people to learn more about others, topics, and worldly relevant issues. In the reading  “Being There: The subtle art of the Facebook update”, by Virginia Heffernan, she describes how we gain insight into the lives of our friend even when they are thousands of miles away. Social networks help people to engage and interact with each other 24/7. An example is the recent issue in Africa of the overthrow of Egypt’s leader, which started with the use of face book to gain and inform followers of the protests and problems facing the region. Of course there is also a dark side, in the article Knowledge@Wharton, "Leaving 'Friendprints': How Online Social Networks Are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security illustrates that people leave finger prints of behavior in which we leave information for predators and thieves. Privacy has become an issue as well as personal security. It is not that we do not try to be safe but important information is often leaked through various sources. It has become harder and harder who to trust and what sites are safe. Hopefully in the future social networking will be easier controlled and safer.  

Blogs vs Wikis

In blogs one can publish their ideas and feeling on various topics. It is like a different form of a personal web page. Unlike wikis it’s not exactly a collaborative forum, although comments can be made to ones blog it can’t be edited by others. On the other hand wikis deal with teamwork, in my thoughts I compare it to a newspaper, there’s an editor and various contributors to a particular topic. With wikis one is able to correct any mistakes or add more information to help better understand the topic at hand. The good thing with blog is that it can be monitored. While wikis can be edited by the wrong person and negative info may be added if not properly screened. Like the article on “celebrity blogs: the impact of new media” says “ blogs are having an effect on where and how people are receiving information”. The way information is received is completely different and can be gathered from many places online, it is no longer necessary to watch the news or buy a news paper, it can all be redeemed at the click of a mouse. The article on “More on how to build your own Wikipedia” illustrates the positive of wikis. It shows how companies have been able to work on a project and build on information necessary to make the project more successful. A new use for a wiki could be to use it as a form of maybe party promoting. For instance when a club or group wants to promote they could create a wiki for which they gain info on destinations or themes or it could be a source for those having the event to work together so that everything moves seamlessly.