Creativity and New Media

I installed a program called Ventrillo. This is an open source high definition voice communication software for any operating system and 32 or 64 bit. One person can host a conversation through the software and the others just join to it. Then they can talk, laugh, and anything else they can think of. This can be used to talk with friends while playing games or to generally converse with a group of friends at the same time.


You can install it from http://www.ventrilo.com/dlprod.php?id=4 and it is very easy to use.    



This is the client. It is very easy and fun to use. I would recommend this program to everyone.

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Creativity

Ask yourself where mankind would be today without the internet. How would our business transactions happen? What about the music or advertising industries? It is hard to imagine these entities existing without the internet and social networking sites. The greatest thing about these sites is that they give the tools of creation to the people. There is no need to pay professionals big bucks to make a video website or slideshow. All the tools of video editing and creation are free and open to the public. In the article "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why", Brooks Barnes explains how average people are making small video mash-ups of Disney cartoons and turning heads, lots of them. This is the door of creation. Anyone and have an unlimited audience and perform until they are discovered. I think that this pushes people to try new things and learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. It is also a way for things to be created not by an individual but by a group of strangers from all over the world.
 

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Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

There are virtual worlds at almost every corner of the internet, yet many people do not know much about them. They are, however, catching on with astonishing speed. We often hear about Second Life, which is a virtual world where people try to recreate real life, make friends, and build communities. This is only one way these worlds can be used. There is another side to these virtual worlds called MMOs or Massive Multiplayer Online Games. In these games there is a huge world, custome avatares, and tons and things to do, from minning for ore to battling dragons. These are almost all based in fatasy and offer an extra-realaity exerience for the user. Other virtual worlds exist but in almost every case the main focus is virtual colaboration. These people are still communicating with other humans, just virually.

The benefits of these world are almost endless. People can make friends, have fun, learn, and even find a mate or spouse. They help those with disablities fitin and feel accepted. In the article "Naughty Auties battle autism with virtual interactions", Nicole Saidi explains how people with autism use Second Life (a virutal world) to overcome communication problems and make friends. Also, in the article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life", Dave Itzkoff relates the story of young people hanging out in virtual representation of real bars in the lower east side of New York City because the real club was crowded. This is just two examples of how these worlds can be beneficial. There is however a good and bad in all things and virutal worlds are no different. People get addicted to these online worlds and slowly loose touch with reality. They replace good human friendships with virtual ones and become hermits, living in there rooms while ording in food all the time. It is also a huge waste of time if you weight that time and realize what you coul dhave accomplished if you have used that time more effectivly.

These worlds help us analyize our world and find what is bad and good about it. It also helps people think outside the box and find new ways to collaberate. In the future I think that these virtual worlds will be used for everything from sex, to military training, to cooking classes. There really is not limit to wat they can be used for.

ArcPolitic

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Blog about Twitter

Twitter is pretty interesting. I just started to use it and it is fun following people who interest me. The thing is it is more like a little word or sentence here or there. You can go back and forth but the letter limit is 140 characters. This can make for some dry conversation. I think that a blackboard discussion is more in depth and diverse for these reasons. But the twitter conversation is more quick and to the point. Thus, i believe that twitter is better for updating and following updates and not for speaking the mind.

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Social Networking Sites

I have had the experience of testing out or using most of the main social networking sites via this class or of my own personal choice prior. They cross paths at points but are unique in their own ways.

Facebook is the one I have probably used the most. It seems like it has the most activity and the most users. I can stay up to date with friends and family and communicate with others that I do not always have the time to call. There is a chat feature that makes quick back and forth communication easy. The layout is smooth and user friendly and I think that it is the easiest to navigate.

MySpace seems to be a sleazy version of Facebook. it has most of the same elements like messaging, posts, and profiles. However, it has much more options available to the user to customize. You can add you own music, background, themes, pictures, and whatever else you want. The thing is, you will get a hundred messages a day from porn sites or other inappropriate places trying to get you to buy their products. This was my main frustration with MySpace. It also does not have a user base as large as Facebook, and lets face it, no one wants to have to manage two sites.   

Twitter is a networking site that lets you follow the daily updates of people whom you interested in. You can also post your own tweets or updates. I just started to use this and it is exciting to think that I can follow the tweets of politicians and other people who merit my interest. The interface is very easy to use.

LinkedIn is a great networking, if not the most note worthy networking site. This site is basically to network with others in the search of new career opportunities. You can post your whole job history, display contacts, look for people, review resumes, and many other job related functions. You can send messages and make friends. I think it is a great site and that its popularity will continue to grow. 

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Social Networking

Social Networking, a whole new form of social interaction...... virtually. This is in stark contrast to traditional communication which has been done via personal meetings, traditional mail, and even phone calls. This is a tweet here, a post there, and even the occasional tag.

If these words seem foreign it is because they are not wholly acculturated at this point, but they are getting there. Social networking is taking over communication is all variants like a well honed virus over the human immune system, there is just no stopping them. Nor is there really any effort to stop them because lets face it.... they are fun AND convenient. Today, they are used to keep track of high school friends, find jobs, and even grow businesses. No one is limited nor judged in this because it is open to one and all for the enjoyment of all. Think of it like an electronic revolution in freedom.

This is not it, the uses and potential in social networking is endless.  In an article titled "How Obama Tapped Into Social Network's Power", David Carr explains how the Obama administration took advantage of the social networking sites to raise money, awareness, and support. Look at Mr. Obama now, or should I say Mr. President. This helped fast track him into the white house and set a new standard for future political campaigns. We already see most of the political contenders this time around doing the same thing, but big shots are not the only ones getting involved. Students all over the country are sharing in real time what is going on with them at that exact moment. In the article "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy", Clive Thompson explains how people horrified by the potential for their information and status being instantly known soon got over their fear and embraced news feeds and other tools that increased the speed with which users could update each other.

So if they are so great why is there concerns that pop up now and then. Well, having all of your information on one of these sites is kinda like having your undies hanging out your window. Everyone not only sees the undies but the brown streak also. Once posted it is hard to do any sort of damage control. A classic example is Mr. Wiener, a New York Politician who's life and career were destroyed after crude photos of Mr. Wiener's.... well... wiener got out and made the rounds. The sad thing is he posted them himself. This is a testament to the "newness" of social networking. Many people do not quite understand the consequences that would come from an unconscious post or tweet. This is thus the "dark side" of social networking which is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

In the future we will see these technologies take over industry and societies. However, they will also create new industries and societies in return. A double edged sword at the fingertips of every living human...... who know what could happen.

ArcPolitic         

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