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).