Creativity and New Media

Using the new media of the virtual game called Sims 3 and my creativity, I managed to a create an avatar (Sim) that share the same characteristics of me and build a house to live in. In this virtual world I would play myself by doing daily routines of eating, sleeping, communicating with others, and completing life goals just by a click of a button. I enjoy this game so much because I could escape reality and live another life or virtual life. Screenshots of my Sims 3 virtual world are below. Hope you enjoy =)

Creativity

New media can be referred to on demand access content on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. Most technologies defined as new media are digital. New media are online newspapers, eBooks, mp3 files, Youtube videos, fractals, flickr, and etc. New media fosters creativity by the widespread of digitization means that books, ideas, music, videos, photos, etc are accessible to all and can be created by anyone. The more free input in new media allows new ideas and  can develop into the creation of new technologies. Creativity flows through new media by the frequent competition in the advancement of the next best thing. Mash- Ups are examples of creativity in new media because the combination of digital bits of different things can create something new and innovative. For an example, in the article "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody pf Its Critter. But Why?" by Brooks Barnes states that Walt Disney allows people to use their famous animated cartoons as mash-up to rap music and may other things. There is a video of Winne the Pooh cartoon characters dancing with the mash-up to the rap song of Soulja Boy Crank Dat on Youtube. This shows the creativity of people using modern day songs and old cartoons to make a mash up video of pure comedy.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. Virtual worlds are representation of reality but it is much simpler than the real world. Virtual worlds bridge community and creativity. Different ways virtual worlds can be used is by training programs, multiplayer online gaming, Nintendo Wii, medical procedures, and etc. Virtual reality environments have been used for training stimulator for flight and military battlefield. Another result of virtual worlds is multiplayer online gaming such as Second Life and World of Warcraft. For an example, in the article "In Room 100, It's Sid and Nancy All Over Again" by Saki Knafo it describes how a man used Second Life to make a virtual world replica of the famous Chelsea hotel in NYC. In which Sid the Sex Pistols bassist killed his girlfriend Nancy. Another example, in the article "Naughty Auties battle autism with virtual interaction" by Nicole Saidi describes a virtual world center for those who have autism to meet and interact with people in a virtual tropical getaway. The Nintendo Wii has motion capture and intuitive interaction concepts similar to virtual reality technologies of the past. Also, doctors can interact with virtual systems to practice procedures or to do tiny surgical procedures on a larger scale. The pros of virtual reality are more personal, great social interaction and communication with people who share similar interests with people in a wider geographic location. The cons of virtual worlds are it is an inescapable aspect of social life with dangers of deception that can lead to low self esteem, feeling of worthlessness and insignificance. Virtual worlds foster creativity by technology developing from old media to new media. Newspapers turn into online newspapers, books into eBooks, music into mp3 files, video into Youtube, and etc all are examples of creativity in virtual worlds. What I think the future of virtual worlds will look like is actual other world experiences. If you have the money you would be able to creative and live in your alternative world in your spare time. It will be fun and relaxing as well you could do anything you every dreamed of.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Tumblr are all social networking websites that allows you to communicate and post comments, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Out of the many social network sites Facebook and Tumblr is my favorite. I go on Facebook to keep me updated with recent news, friends and family from afar, and to play games. I go on Tumblr to follow cool blogs from fashion, news, music and art. On tumblr, the site allows you to reblog, post, and comment on your own creative blog page. Social networking is definitely an outlet for expression and be updated on recent news.

Social Networking

Social Networking is the use of a dedicated web site to communicate informally with other members of the site, by posting messages, photographs, etc. Few examples of social networking websites are Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. The way social network is used is by a public web site that allows people to interact with each other whether is by text, pictures, or both. Upon being a member on a social networking site you can communicate to other members who can be friends, family, or even stranger. Social networking can be used corporately by many businesses can be a member on the web site and use the site to promote and sell their business. Most businesses use social networking as a form of marketing. The website allows them to advertise to other members on the site in which the business get many people to view and buy what they promote. The benefits of social networking are that you can communicate with friends or family who is not near to you by the click of a button. You feel more connected to your love ones because you could text, video call, or view up to date pictures of them through social networking websites. Also social networking can get your voice heard or make people become aware of an important problem. For an example, in the article “Tweeting Your Way to a Job” by Laura M. Holson states that Amanda Casgar wanted a job so badly that she used social networking sites to for her to get the position. Amanda tweeted, had a Facebook fan page, and posted videos in order to get the job and she eventually did. As well in the article “Twitter used to help land plane with aid for Haiti earthquake victims” by Helen Kennedy stated that doctors on with aid for Haiti victims sent out tweets to the U.S air force so their plane can land in Haiti. The dark side of social networking is cyber bullying and cyber stalking. Many people is cyber bullied daily because people go on sites and bully others by posting nasty comments and messages about them. Also many people black mail others with inappropriate and private pictures, messages, videos that wasn’t meant for the public to be seen. The rate of suicidal death has risen due to cyber bullying. As well as cyber stalking has made murder rates raise substantially. Irrational people would use social networking sites to stalk others to point that they want to find out where they live. Many young females have been raped or murdered due to talking to a stranger on social networking website. My opinion of the way these technologies might evolve in the future is that it will be extraordinary. Someone will create a website or phone that will always keep people connected and updated every second of the matters of stuff all over the world.

Blog vs. Wikis

A blog is a website on which an individual or group of users record opinions and information on a regular basis. It is commonly a bunch of information posted by an individual and commented by a group of users that want to share their opinion on the subject of matter. There is a selection of different types of blogs. Blogs can range from photography, food, entertainment, news, religion, and etc. For an example, Tumblr is a popular blog site in which you can post pictures, quotes, audio, and video and have your followers repost, like, and comment on them. Blogs are places to communicate on any topic you will like to address. It allows you to express your thoughts and feelings on anything on your mind. In the article “Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid” by Michael Wilson shows how blogs play an important role in communicating to people and getting them aware of a situation. The blog in the article allowed people to post and comment on the dangerous crack houses and people in their neighborhood. The comments and posts brought awareness to the situation. This caused the police to lock up the injustice people who lived in the crack house with the charge of drug possession.  It shows how the communication through blogs can bring awareness to getting protection in our society.  A wiki is a web site developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content.  A wiki is a collaboration of users that can continuously revise and edit a post to their liking. For an example, Wikipedia is a wiki that any one post and edit information on many topics. Wikis can be very inaccurate so you have to be careful where you get your research from. In the wiki “Wiki” by Wikipedia states that “A wiki is a website which allows its users to add, modify, or delete its content via a web browser usually using a simplified markup language or a rich-text editor. Wikis are powered by wiki software. Most are created collaboratively.”  This shows that wiki original content can be edited by its users while in a blog the content can only be edited by the individual who made it. Blog collaboration comes into effect by the comments and opinions left by users in reply to the post. A new use of a wiki that have not been done yet should be the display on the original content of the wiki before it ever been edited.

No Privacy through Social Networking

I have picked to write my analysis paper on social networking, a purposeful loss of privacy. I propose to analyze how social media such as blogging, networking, and videos can invade your personal privacy. What you post can be seen by millions without your consent. The government, hackers, and viruses can tap into your computer to find where you are and steal confidential information from your software. For an examples addresses, social security, bank accounts and other personal information can be stolen with one click of a mouse. Social networking websites may have ads contain viruses. As well as impractical people who would stalk and want to harm you. Social networking is an invasion of privacy no matter how private you make it.