In my personal time I enjoy dancing. It is a talent I was raised into. I love to watch my younger cousins dance and correct them where I see it is needed. This is a video I recorded and edited myself in highschool of my cousin that has no rhythm. Excuse the shaking at the end, I literally could not stop laughing.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Creativity
New media devices such as YouTube create avenues for creativity in allowing users to create a wide range of videos expressing ideas, giving out knowledge, providing comedy and many other things. Mashups such as turning Disney's Winnie the Pooh into a Soulja Boy rap video (Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why? article). Mashups are so common in comedic videos. I have watched videos of Dora the Explorer in so many accents other than her own.
YouTube users are allowed to show their creativity in creating lavish videos for the world to see. I frequently watch the video blogger Ray William Johnson on YouTube to get up to date with funny videos circulating the Internet. Within the first hour of him posting a video, he has about 100,000 views. By the end of the day he has successfully achieved 5 to 6 million views. People comment and post video questions frantically to get their responses featured in his videos.
YouTube users are allowed to show their creativity in creating lavish videos for the world to see. I frequently watch the video blogger Ray William Johnson on YouTube to get up to date with funny videos circulating the Internet. Within the first hour of him posting a video, he has about 100,000 views. By the end of the day he has successfully achieved 5 to 6 million views. People comment and post video questions frantically to get their responses featured in his videos.
The use of videos to me expresses the largest amount of creativity.
Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds create oppurtunities to simulate a lifestyle for themselves they would not otherwise have. If I decided I wanted to be a pirate with a beard, I can make this my alternate reality on websites such as SIMS and SecondLife. For people like David Savill who uses the website Naughty Auties for people with different forms of autism where they can have social interactions with other people with similar conditions and find out information about their condition.
One of the problems I have seen in the news involving virtual worlds is that some men and women can get extremely addicted to living in a virtual world. Last month on Dateline, the addiction to virtual worlds was covered. Men and women who spent 18 or more hours at their computers just to maintain living their virtual reality. Even during the recession (No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real You article)people are spending lots of money they dont have in order to maintain their avatars.
In the future I think virtual worlds would be similar to the movie Surrogates, where people were able to stay in machines at home and live through their "surrogate" body. I think that would be cool.
One of the problems I have seen in the news involving virtual worlds is that some men and women can get extremely addicted to living in a virtual world. Last month on Dateline, the addiction to virtual worlds was covered. Men and women who spent 18 or more hours at their computers just to maintain living their virtual reality. Even during the recession (No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real You article)people are spending lots of money they dont have in order to maintain their avatars.
In the future I think virtual worlds would be similar to the movie Surrogates, where people were able to stay in machines at home and live through their "surrogate" body. I think that would be cool.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Blog about Twitter
In a Blackboard Discussion we have to click on each individual post and each reply in order to follow along. On Twitter I don't have to click on anything to view a tweet unless I want to see all the tweets of a specific user. I think not having to click on a person's post makes it more convenient, I can also see another classmates responses in my timeline.
Twitter lacks the interruptions that usually occur in an in class discussion. I can also reply to several tweets, without any form of confusion, just RT.
Twitter lacks the interruptions that usually occur in an in class discussion. I can also reply to several tweets, without any form of confusion, just RT.
Social Networking Sites
I love social networking sites. I have a Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook. However I do not remember the last time I have logged onto my myspace. To me, Myspace is so high school. Myspace replaced the former high school site Sconex, which was the rave when I was in high school. When I used frequented Myspace, it was all about making sure you had your top friends correct, your default looked hot, you had a good tune on your page and your actual page itself had some swanky design that made you seem just as cool. When I had a Myspace I was on it EVERY DAY. I found so many people that I hadn't seen elementary school. That connection with others without even having to physically be with them. Then I found Facebook.
Around my senior year of high school I got on the band wagon and joined Facebook. I remember my older friends that already started college, commented on my wall saying "What are you doing on here, this is for college students." I ignored their grief and I felt like I was joining a more mature world. Facebook is simple yet chic. Eventually all I only used Facebook and the time gaps between my log ins to Myspace grew wider. As time went on I found more people from elementary and junior high. Similar to Myspace, you can comment on someone's wall/page, comment on their pictures, Send messages, and IMs. Facebook just has a different appeal. There isn't a page that you have to regularly decorate or music to change. Facebook also has popular and Facebook specific games to play.
Two summers ago I joined Twitter after a long time of avoiding and chastising what it was about. What is the point of a site where all you do is write "Facebook statuses?" I thought it was garbage but my friends did a good job of peer pressuring me into joining. Not too long after joining I was hooked. I had an app for it on my phone and I was on it all the time. My friends and I had elaborate conversations via Twitter. I still use Twitter and Facebook very often but like most things I overuse, my use levels out over time.
Another social network that I use is called Natural Sunshine. I call it the Myspace for Natural Hair. Similar to myspace, users can decorate their page and comment on other pages and photos. The difference here is that this site is specifically for Natural haired women, men and others who are fascinated by it. On this site users create mini blogs to write about anything. Users can post videos, share stories on the main page, join groups for various things and view a slideshow of featured and most viewed photos. I go on this site often to post pictures to my group, Hair Swap Shop. I also enjoy browsing pictures, posting comments on blogs, sometimes posting my own blogs and questions for any user to respond to. The site also has user contributed information on healthy living, beauty, fashion, life and love.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Social Networking
Social networking sites are quickly becoming the "gods" in the Internet world. For many young to middle aged people, facebook is usually the first site attend after opening the internet browser. The use of social networking sites particullarly Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are used in schools and the work place. For my anthropology class last semester, all of my assignments were turned in via Facebook. There is a facebook and twitter page for many ttelevision shows and channels, fashion companies, non for profit organizations, hair care companies and so much other organizations. Readers frequent these sites for vast amounts of information that can be provided.
I live for status updates on Facebook. I have a mobile app widget on my phone that allows me to scroll through the recent updates. According to the article "Being There" on NYTimes, Facebook statuses are random and spontaneous outbursts that would not be otherwise accepted anywhere else. This medium for spontaneous outbursts is also available on Myspace and Twitter.
Some companies are starting to use social networking sites for employee recruitment. According to the article "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting" on NPR, Companies mainly use Linkedin to find candidates that fit what they are looking for, even before they have applied.
While social networking sites have mostly positive aspects, there is also a "dark side." Predators such as identity thieves, hackers, kidnappers, molesters, rapists and murderers use social networking sites to find their prey. Social networking sites have the options to post emails, home aaddresses, phone numbers, and to "check in" posting your exact location. People who follow these practices do not realize how much they are opening themselves up to possibly being victimized. Students are becoming more aware of properly setting their privacy settings to avoid predators. According "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" the setting and changing of privacy settings on social networking sites have significantly from 2010 to 2011.
Eventually social networking sites will take over the Internet.
I live for status updates on Facebook. I have a mobile app widget on my phone that allows me to scroll through the recent updates. According to the article "Being There" on NYTimes, Facebook statuses are random and spontaneous outbursts that would not be otherwise accepted anywhere else. This medium for spontaneous outbursts is also available on Myspace and Twitter.
Some companies are starting to use social networking sites for employee recruitment. According to the article "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting" on NPR, Companies mainly use Linkedin to find candidates that fit what they are looking for, even before they have applied.
While social networking sites have mostly positive aspects, there is also a "dark side." Predators such as identity thieves, hackers, kidnappers, molesters, rapists and murderers use social networking sites to find their prey. Social networking sites have the options to post emails, home aaddresses, phone numbers, and to "check in" posting your exact location. People who follow these practices do not realize how much they are opening themselves up to possibly being victimized. Students are becoming more aware of properly setting their privacy settings to avoid predators. According "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" the setting and changing of privacy settings on social networking sites have significantly from 2010 to 2011.
Eventually social networking sites will take over the Internet.
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