020. Our Video Essay

     Our video essay is about the effects that social media has on the sharing of images.  Many photos are passed around through Twitter, Facebook, reddit, Tumblr, etc.  Some of these photos end up becoming rage comics or memes and go viral.  The video will take our audience through the evolution of the "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy" meme.

019. Twitter to Shop?

Click here to read the article.

     New media has become an increasingly valuable marketing tool for many companies. As the article mentions, about 95 million Americans are using social media to shop. It doesn't seem like a surprise these days, especially since Facebook has 800 million active users and Twitter has 140 million users. Many companies are using social media in order to keep their customers updated about promotions and new products. These updates are the hooks that draw in customers to shop. Without social media, most of the 95 million shoppers wouldn’t bother with looking into what’s new with the companies.
     What’s interesting about the article is that Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide created different user profiles to categorize social media shoppers. I would probably categorize myself as the “Opportunistic Adventurer” or the “Strategic Saver.” Honestly, I use Groupon all the time. Back before Groupon, I never really did anything besides stay at home. Movie tickets and paintballing was always so expensive. Now there are always deals from places like Studio Movie Grill and paintball arenas in Forney. Social media deals have allowed me to consider doing things that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
     The article mentions that using social media in the wrong can cause companies to lose followers. This is extremely true. If I’m following Sephora on Facebook, I expect posts about beauty products and deals. Posts about anything else would cause me to stop being a “fan” on Facebook.
     In all honesty, I feel like this article is very credible. It’s not due to the fact that it came from The Wall Street Journal. It’s more due to the fact that the information came from Leo Burnett. This company is a well-established marketing firm that has worked with companies like the Walt Disney Company to create successful ad campaigns like “The Year of a Million Dreams” campaign. Of course Leo Burnett would know what companies need to do in order to create a successful social media campaign.

018. Social Media = Brain Candy?

Read the article.

     Social media: the only tool in the world that can magnify mankind's already narcissistic nature. Is sharing our thoughts and experiences with the Facebook or Twitter world as self-rewarding as the study suggests? I think the answer is most likely yes. Maybe the self-rewarding feeling does not always stem from the posting itself. Maybe it stems from the amount of comments and likes that your post accumulates. If people like what you have to say, it only seems natural that you should feel good about your post.
     The self-rewarding feeling could also come from the fact that you got something off your chest. Maybe you were super angry about something but was unable to tell people about it directly. Social media is a good way to get those feelings out there (unless getting those feelings out offends certain people). I know for a fact that I like to vent by going on Twitter rants about my terrible experiences. Doing that lets me feel better, and I don’t have to worry about bottled up emotions that could later lead to depression and/or anxiety.
     In terms of the actual science behind the observation that divulging information is considered to be self-rewarding, parts of the experiment conducted seems a bit iffy. I mean, finding which brain regions are affected when we post online seems like a genuine piece of information. Questions arise when the researchers stated “that the test subjects would turn down money (just a few cents) to talk about someone else, in order to enjoy the more pleasurable sensation of talking about themselves.” There obviously has to be some sort of threshold where monetary rewards will outweigh the pleasurable sensations. A few cents is not a good enough incentive.

017. Generation YouTube

MysteryGuitarMan

Watch the video here!

     YouTube has become a phenomenal tool in the world of new media. Ordinary people now have the ability to put themselves out there and potentially become online celebrities. Whether or not that is a good thing is in the eye of the beholder. For several people, YouTube has changed their lives. One of the examples mentioned in the video was Michelle Phan, a makeup guru who was originally rejected by Lancome. Through her YouTube popularity, Michelle became a worldwide phenomenon who eventually became the spokesperson for Lancome. While becoming a celebrity seems like it would be super fantastic, sometimes the celebrity status can change people. Michelle’s original videos from her humble beginnings are, in my opinion, of a much better quality than her newest videos. In her newer videos, it seems like she’s trying too hard to endorse products that she may or may not actually believe in. The genuineness of Michelle is then put into question. This is one of the evils of YouTube popularity.
     On the flip side, YouTube has improved the lives of those who need it most. The families that earn money through the YouTube views and Google AdSense programs now have a way to support their kids. If only all stories of reaching the YouTube celebrity status were like that.
     Music on YouTube has become increasingly popular. I mentioned in my presentation that music companies are making good use of YouTube as a promotion tool. With overseas companies like SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment looking to penetrate the global music market, YouTube has become a potent tool in their promotional arsenals. Now they can get their names out into the world easily.

016. Is Facebook Sexualizing Teenage Girls?

Read the article here.

     It does seem a little bit depressing to see how the pressures of society have forced young girls into feeling like they have to look perfect all the time. Many girls these days seem to build their self-esteem based on the public's opinion of their image. In terms of the sexualizing of teenage girls, the article seems to have hit that part of the issue dead on. Posting photos on Facebook does seem to be a popularity contest with the photos with more “likes” being winners. With this view in mind, I can only imagine how the girls with no “likes” feel.

     I’ve seen many instances where image has become more important than a girl’s happiness. This sort of activity doesn’t just happen on Facebook these days, though. Tumblr is another site where image is everything. Instead of collecting “likes,” the girls collect “notes.” Some of the young girls I know throw out their pride and integrity in order to post pictures that sexualize their image in hopes of becoming “Tumblr famous.” I can tell from experience that girls whose images are not appreciated do fall victim to anxiety and depression.
     Many parents are not aware of the affect that image can have on young girls. The pressure to be perfect can sometimes be more overwhelming than the pressure to do drugs or drink alcohol. Sometimes this concept is hard for parents to grasp because the pressure to be perfect isn’t tangible while drugs and alcohol is. It’s even harder for parents to understand how social networking sites can have this effect since such technology did not exist when the parents were their daughters’ age. The omnipresent camera lens has suddenly become the root of all evils.

015. Digital Nation

     In the Frontline program “Digital Nation,” the writers talked about how new media and technology is causing the younger generation to become more reliant on their multi-tasking abilities. Everyone always has their Facebook on or their cell phone right next to them while they’re in class or writing a paper. They’re always afraid of missing some kind of “important” social interaction. But as the video says, even though multi-tasking is efficient it does not always lead to quality work. I know that I am one of the many college students plagued by that problem. Students are constantly looking for excuses to take a break from their work. I guess we’ve become more dependent on the idea of instant gratification. Write one paragraph for an essay and then reward ourselves with an hour on Tumblr. As a result, our ideas aren’t cohesive in the long run.
     One of the speakers mentioned the idea that today’s generation might be (actually, he states that today’s generation is) getting dumber. It seems like an unfair observation. How does one measure intelligence? Is it based on one’s ability to learn or is it based on one’s ability to display his or her knowledge? Intelligence can’t be measured by grades either. Sure, new media is decreasing this generation’s motivation to learn. As one of the kids said, no one needs to actually read Hamlet these days. He or she can just merely use Sparknotes to find a summary of the play. Just because a student chooses to take a shorter, more efficient approach doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is dumb (although a case can be made for the boy who said that he would read Hamlet if there were 27 hours in a day).

014. Facebook

     According to the article by Zuniga and Valenzuela, about 1 in 3 Americans use Facebook.  I’m pretty sure that that number might have gone up within the last two years.  Maybe. If people aren’t using Facebook, then they’ve at least heard about the site.  Facebook has basically become omnipresent in today’s society.  In terms of MySpace and Twitter’s rankings as couple of the world’s most accessed sites, I think that MySpace’s ranking as dropped drastically while Twitter’s rank has gone up since 2009.
     The article talks about how social networking sites have allowed for democratization and for the voices of minorities to be heard. While the numbers show that those that have a better socio-economic status rely less on SNS’s services, it does not necessarily mean that the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum is using it for political purposes. Perhaps the lower class people spend more time on social networking sites because they do not have the means to participate in other leisurely activities like going to sporting events or the movies all the time.  Instead, they’re stuck on Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr.
     The article by Wittkower about Facebook discusses the use of social networking websites using an existential point of view.  Not that I’m any sort of philosophy expert, but the question has often crossed my mind about why people use Facebook. Is it really to connect with friends? Is it to start drama? Some of my friends don’t even know half of the people in their friends list in real life yet they still keep them as “friends.” I guess Facebook is a place where you post your thoughts, feelings, and experiences and just hope that it matters to someone. Even if it doesn’t, it’ll always be there for you to revisit thanks to Facebook Timeline.

013. Paper Topic

I want to write my paper about the advertising industry on the internet. This includes the advertising industry's use of YouTube, Good AdSense, and other such internet tools. I can discuss the effects that such tools have on the success of businesses. The accessibility of mass media advertising for small businesses will be a key point in the paper.

012. Growing Up Online

While watching the first half of this documentary, all I could think about was whether or not my MySpace page looked as tacky as the ones shown in the film. Sadly, it probably was.

Aside from that, the documentary itself was very interesting. It’s strange to think about how each generation younger and younger kids are learning how to use a computer. When I was in grade school, the most I knew how to do was ply Zoombinis or Paws in Typing Town. Now my sister is on YouTube watching a slew of anime or Disney Channel shows. If she’s not on the computer, she’ll be watching the videos on her iPod.

I think about that mom who tried to get her children’s Facebook passwords. How can she honestly expect them to fork over that piece of information so easily? I understand that she’s trying to protect her kids online, but come on! Kids still want a realm where they can live free of their parents constant protection. I’m sure they generally know how to be safe online. There has to be some other motive for that mom to want their passwords.

Then there was the entire scene about the girls picking fights on MySpace. There was one girl who talked about how colleges can now see the videos on YouTube. Irresponsible behavior can affect one’s future now. With the internet, it’s impossible to sweep anything big under the rug. This is why I have to be careful online, especially if I want to be part of the Disney College Program next year. I also have to be careful because, as a youth group leader, I have to set a good example for the kids that I teach and am friends with on Facebook. I run the risk of getting kicked out if any crazy photos of me showed up drinking or something like that (good thing I don’t drink). Everyone is vulnerable online.

011. Bloggerrrs

Ah, yes. The 2008 presidential campaign between the technologically literal and the analog generation. First off, I'm going to say, "Well played, Obama." It's true when the author basically asserts that McCain lost the race because he resisted social media. Obama's utilization of Twitter, YouTube, and other new media outlets allowed him to connect more directly to the younger voters. The main targets drawn into this online political campaign were the voters who had just turned 18 in 2008. I remember a few of my classmates in my AP US History class talking about how they were going to vote for Obama. Needless to say, his online campaign obviously worked for the students of Hebron High School.

Honestly, why wouldn’t any politician want to invest his or her time in online campaigning? It’s a much cheaper medium to go by (it’s virtually free) and can reach millions across the globe. Better than spending millions on a traditional campaign that may or may not be as effective as using Twitter and YouTube.

As a closing note, I would like to point out that Barrack Obama has a Tumblr. That is all. (http://barackobama.tumblr.com/)

010. Baby, I Was Born This Way

I found it interesting that the introduction was written in a way that addresses those outside the Digital Natives group. It seems like something that my mom could understand. I am that daughter that shows up late at dinner and texts under the table…

The concept of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants is an interesting way of describing the technologically adept generation and the analog generation. I guess I was born a Digital Native? I’m not really quite sure. According to the article, the World Wide Web debuted on the year I was born. Even so, I still remembered the days where I didn’t have internet at home. All my family had was free dial-up from Netzero. I know what a tape cassette is, what a Walkman is, what a postage stamp is. Yet I’m still incredibly adept at using a computer. Am I a Digital Native or am I part of the transition generation?

Digital Immigrants in my family would definitely be my parents and everyone within their generation. My mom barely knows how to operate Yahoo! Mail much less the internet itself. However, she has a knack for finding and printing out online coupons. Actually, my dad isn’t as much of a Digital Immigrant. He understands computers very well, but then again, he works and my mom doesn’t so he’s required to be knowledgeable about these technologies. He has a lot more exposure to the digital realm than my mom does.

In terms of protecting kids online through laws, it’s a hard thing to do. There’s always going to be lines in censorship that can’t be crossed. Parents can’t always expect the law to protect the kids. Kids can develop their own judgment about right and wrong online. If your kids are smart, you don’t have to worry about them being sexually solicited because they’ll know how to ignore shady messages. Pornographic images? You have to trust your kids with that one. Unless they’re out looking for nude pictures, they’re going to have a hard time accidentally stumbling on such sites. If something happens, they can exit the site (unless they have their own secret agendas…).

009. New Media in Everyday Life

In Lister's article "New Media in Everyday Life," the author states "that technologies are socially shaped but that society is not technologically shaped." I have to disagree. In today's society where the world of social media is rapidly expanding, those who are not adept in using these new tools fall behind very quickly. Everyone is now slowly being forced to conform into the world of social media.

There are quite a few theories listed in the article about everyday life being a central concept in regards to technologies. Stating that social media is “the site of consumption of mediated popular culture” is like stating an obvious fact. Everything is accessible online from blogs and news articles to movies and music to online gaming realms. No one can say that it’s possible to go online without being bombarded by popular culture. Even if you’re not looking for it, it will inevitably find its way to you especially through channels of advertising. Companies on the internet want you to consume.

New media has also had a strong effect on the shift of social relationships. Back then, if you wanted to contact someone, you called on the phone, mailed a letter, or talked to that someone in person. Now, you can instant message, Skype, e-mail, or Facebook someone. In a way, new media has created a more impersonal world. It affects those who are offline, too. Parents are unable to truly connect with their children who are stuck in the digital world.

Virtual identities are also a big topic in new media. Online disguises can change relationships between people who wouldn’t normally interact. Someone who is normally an introvert can do and say whatever they want online. All he or she has to do is merely hide behind a keyboard. For some, it can be invigorating being able to speak out more. Believe me, I know. I used to be able to talk to my crushes freely online but as soon as I walk into school, I shut up immediately. The dependency on technology in order to communicate may be hindering.

008. Language Online

This was the first thing I thought of when I first started reading this article. The English language can be such a strange thing.

Anyways, after reading the article, I feel a little bit more informed about the "science" of electronic communication. Before learning all of the technical terms like MUDs and MOOs, all I was really familiar with was IM, IGN (in-game name), SMS, and SN. I never realized that there was such a plethora of acronyms for the different aspects of online communication. To me, online communication was just online communication. The only difference is where the communication is taking place. Synchronous and asynchronous? I didn't know those terms until now. Based on my understanding, synchronous is just communication between one person to another person whilst asynchronous is communication from one person to many people. Many social media sites offer the option of communicating by both synchronous and asynchronous means. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and MySpace let you share things publicly, but they also have the means for people to private message each other.

Honestly, I'm not quite sure how else to respond to this article. It seems pretty straightforward with its explanation of different media outlets and how they work. Please don't penalize me for not having a longer response. ><;;

007. Becoming Screen Literate

Kevin Kelly’s article “Becoming Screen Literate” offers a very accurate depiction of society’s shift from being literate to being visual. The omnipresent screens in today’s world has somewhat created a dependency on visuals. I’ve mentioned a few times before about the adaptation of novels into movies. The audience becomes less inclined to read the novel and instead waits for a movie to be released into theaters.

As Kelly states, the ability for the average Joe to create his own films cheaply has revolutionized society’s ability to create. Whilst writing a book or a symphony isn’t easy, creating a video for the masses is. Videos are also relatively cheap to make due to the digital revolution. The existence of iMovie and Windows Movie Maker allows for easily accessible tools to edit videos. YouTube, Veoh, and DailyMotion allow for the easy distribution of your video to the masses. Everything is set for you to create your own motion picture.

Kelly also mentions the manipulating of preexisting works and distributing the results to the masses. Anime music videos was something that I’ve dabbled in before. It was a very easy process to create and distribute my video even for a middle schooler. Those who voice act can create their own abridged versions of their favorite animes like LittleKuriboh does for the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.

Easy video production has allowed for advertising to become cheaper for some companies as well. For example, Doritos hosts a contest for user created ads for the Super Bowl each year. This year’s winner only spent $20 for his ad for doggie treats, a collar, and 2 bags of Doritos. Cheap video making helps to open a world of possibilities.

006. The DNA of Information

“The DNA of Information” article was very fascinating to read. It explains the world that we live in in a way that I haven’t really thought about before. Separating the existence of certain things into bits and atoms is an interesting way to compare things that we encounter in our everyday lives. The author lists several advantages to bits including data compression and error correction. However, some things would seem very impractical in the form of bits. For example, cashmere sweaters and Chinese food.

It’s mindblowing to think that some much information can be translated into mere 1’s and 0’s. I’m no expert on binary code, but it’s truly amazing what kind of progress we’ve made in technology just through the process of compressing data. Media is not only available in a simplified format, but it can be accessed at almost the speed of light.

Whilst digital media and computing has been trying to come up with more user-friendly interfaces, I believe that it will be next to impossible for the older generations to fully grasp technology as we now know it. As we reach old age and the next generation comes in, we might experience the same problems with understanding new technology.

For some, digital media has caused some human relationships to decline in quality. We rely heavily on social media to communicate rather than face-to-face conversations. There are some who have different personalities online than they do in real life. Bites cannot replace the atoms of an actual human being.

005. Socialnomics

My first response to the video was, “Wow. I really like the typography.” Of course, that’s merely the graphic designer side of me. I enjoyed the visual effect of this moving infographic. The information presented was also very striking. Years ago, no one could have imagined the impact that social media could have on the world today. Back in grade school, people still wrote letters to each other by hand. Now everyone just writes on each other’s Facebook walls instead.

There were a few facts presented in the video that really strikes me. First, that 1 in 5 couples meet online. It seems like finding a significant other is that much easier through social media. In all honesty, I could never really be part of that statistic. I have a hard time going out with people that I’m not close with. I would never go out with a guy I just randomly met at the bar (or on a dating site). To each his own, I guess.

Another fact that I found really interesting was that more consumers trust peer reviewers than advertisements. It shouldn’t really be a surprise. I am one of the many who would rather watch a YouTube makeup guru reviewing products than trust lofty claims made by advertisers. Despite all that, I am still working towards being an advertising designer. Digital marketing is a flourishing industry so it’s easier to find a job that’s art-based these days.

004. What About New Media?

Terry Flew opens her article with a very intriguing question: what in new media is considered to be “new?” The outlets through which new media is presented these days isn’t exactly “new” in their existence. However, the developments made within each outlet are considered to be “new.” Take Facebook for example. Facebook as a company isn’t exactly considered “new” these days. It’s been around for quite some time. The concept of the Facebook timeline, though, is considered to be “new.”

It’s interesting that Flew mentions Netscape Navigator in her article. I haven’t used Netscape Navigator since middle school that was for experimenting with building websites. After Netscape Navigator came Internet Explorer. Both browsers were used less than a decade ago and these days no one uses Netscape Navigator anymore and Internet Explorer users are becoming more and more extinct as the amount of Google Chrome and Safari users rise dramatically.

Throughout the MySpace era, I learned how to use HTML and began to acquire skills to become a potential web developer. Even though that was back in high school, HTML hasn’t seemed to have become obsolete just yet. That’s amazing considering how quickly new media becomes not-so-new media. I guess it’s because HTML is basically the foundation of web development and will remain so just like how programmers still use C++ to code their work.

003. Mobile News

Richard MacManus' article "How Online Reading Habits Have Changed Over 2010" offers a pretty accurate depiction of reading trends over the past couple of years. Absorbing the news has become easier and easier for social media fanatics especially with the rise of Twitter. Current events can be presented in 140 characters or less. However, there are many problems with the shorthanded news reporting. Those who don’t care enough to read further in the issue can only view current events in a superficial light. Anyone who does this remains somewhat ignorant in a way.

However, the social media world’s attempt to make news easier to obtain helps to educate the masses. There are members of the younger generation who wouldn’t normally care for worldly issues. Now that they see their friends on Facebook reading certain articles, they, too, become interested in reading the news. I know that the Facebook news feed has helped me become educated in the news my friends are reading. It helps create a conversation starter for the next time we hang out. Thank you, Facebook timeline for telling me what articles my friends are reading on Yahoo!

In regards to the RSS Readers, I’ve never really used them even while they were at the height of their existence. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what they were until I read this article. Now I know (kinda).

002. Why Can Heather Write?

While reading this article by Jenkins, I am reminded of Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 where books were burned in an effort to suppress the birth of dangerous ideas. Religious institutions that wished to ban the Harry Potter books were working towards the same kind of censorship created by the firemen in Fahrenheit 451. Then the extinguishing of ideas stems from Warner Bros working to stop the appropriation of Harry Potter. Obviously, even with both sides working to reach their goals, fans will continue to find ways around such restrictions. If you tell a child not to do something, he or she will inevitably do it. It’s basic psychology.

As Jenkins states, the existence of books like the Harry Potter series does indeed help spark a child’s interest in reading and writing. However, it seems that kids these days aren’t really picking up books as often as they should. For me, the adaptation of books into film has caused a decrease in the amount of reading being done by this generation. Why read the books when you can watch the movie? This can be said of many novels these days: The Chronicles of Narnia, Twilight, The Hunger Games. The trailer of The Hunger Games trailer has sparked curiosity in many viewers but there are several people who would much rather wait until March 23^rd rolls around instead of pick up the trilogy.

In reference to Heather’s appropriation of the Harry Potter franchise, why stop her? She’s an example of the positive influences of the media world. In addition to inspiring an interest to improve one’s writing skills, Heather offers the company a mean of transmedia storytelling. In a way, her little Hogwarts newspaper is a form of free advertising for the Harry Potter franchise.

001. Transmedia Storytelling

It was difficult for me to really appreciate much of the Jenkins article. I have never been exposed to The Matrix franchise though my boyfriend has been meaning to force me into watching the trilogy. However, I did understand much of what Jenkins said about transmedia storytelling. In a way, transmedia storytelling can be seen as an advertising campaign for a certain franchise.

For those who have not taken an advertising or marketing class, an advertising campaign is defined as “a series of coordinated advertisements and other promotional efforts that communicate a single theme or idea” (O’Guinn). In the case of The Matrix franchise, the promotional efforts are made through the creation of the movie trilogy, web comics, animes, and computer games. Transmedia storytelling is being widely used in the entertainment industry today. The article points to Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! as very good examples. Pokemon is not only a TV show, but also a children’s card game, manga, and a very successful video game series. There are also currently 11 Pokemon movies.

Transmedia storytelling does not have to be limited to movies, TV shows, and children’s card games. In the case of the Harry Potter franchise, the transmedia storytelling has expanded into a theme park in Universal Studios Orlando. Effective advertising? I would say so.

Many movie companies are picking up on successful novels and turning them into popular franchises. Harry Potter is one example along with the ever popular Twilight. Next will be Suzane Collins’ The Hunger Games.

Transmedia storytelling is a very widespread practice in the world of popular media. It can compare to an advertising campaign in the business world. Taking advantage of the many entry points in the entertainment industry can really boost a franchise and intrigue consumers. Using different medias to appeal to different consumers can help to guarantee a massive following.

And Now Begins My ATEC 3325 Posts

Cuz before, I used to use this for my LIT class based on pop culture. But anyways, now this blog is dedicated to my intro to computer mediated communication blog assignments. That is all.