Creativity and New Media

     New media innovations like social media have changed the way I look at the world around me. Specifically, Instagram made me more aware of the change of color and light throughout the day and how it reflects on different surfaces to create unique effects. It has opened my eyes to a new way to take pictures. Most of the pictures on the site are aesthetically pleasing and creatively styled with props. Before using Instagram, I just took pictures with people on special occasions like birthdays. Now, after using social media, I take pictures of everything, not just people. This new media creation has taken me out of my comfort zone. It has helped me find the beauty in the everyday things that would have gone unnoticed by me.

     For example, I took a picture of the Unisphere pictured above. Inspired by users of Instagram, I creatively styled it with the branches and leaves surrounding it by stepping back a few feet and slightly tilting my camera up. This allowed me to use up the entire space and not leave any blank spaces.

     I remember the day that I took the picture where the window is reflecting on the water. I was surprised that I even noticed it. The water was so still that it looked identical to the real-life version.
     With the Instagram app, I am inspired to get creative and I am able to edit my photos without spending significant time learning how to do it. I am able to create great images without a heavy cost. In the pictures above, I slightly edited the shadows, highlights, and increased the saturation to bring out the color. The app's editing feature is simple to understand that I was able to use it without any problem.
     In conclusion, new media has inspired me to look at the world more artistically and appreciate being able to see in color.

Creativity

     In the New Yorker article titled "1+1+1=1: The New Math of Mashups," it talked about how D.J. Reset used digital software to combine songs. Through new media, he was able to find the right vocals for the song by testing different acapella voices on the Internet. Also, Mark Vidler explained the benefits of digital technology. He said that new media technologies like the Internet and computer make it easy to distribute and create song mashups. Thus, the reduced cost of producing and distributing them allows more people to make their own mashups and explore what other things can be combined together. The current software might be missing a feature and someone could add it. This new addition could lead to creating other things that might be unimaginable otherwise.
     Claire Cain Miller's New York Times "Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers" article talks about how Twitter outsources some of the idea generation to its users. This is great because it creates features that its users actually want and need. Twitter does not have to spend time and money developing something that potentially might fail in user popularity. Other companies also use social media to get feedback from its consumers to create better products and services. Therefore, new media allows more people to be involved in the innovations created.
     In conclusion, the collaboration provided by new media allows people to share their creations which then inspire others to get creative and share their ideas.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

     Virtual worlds are a multiuser virtual environment which can help people create supportive communities, escape reality, and may act as a de-stressor. The pros of virtual worlds are that they can be used to improve gaming experiences, training programs, and virtual prototypes. The cons of virtual worlds are that it may have a lag time, lack of acuity, and overlook basic laws of physics. Virtual worlds foster creativity since people may collaborate to create something new in the virtual world that they could not have done in real life. This may inspire others to get creative and develop their own creation. Since now there are virtual reality headsets and we can experience a different place anywhere, I think that in the future virtual worlds will no longer only be seen and heard; they might even be accompanied by distinct smells to make it more realistic. Maybe someone will invent a contact lens version of the virtual headset. However, that would pose a safety risk for your eye health and physical safety. So, it may be awhile before that is created to be functional.

     Health 24's "Virtual World May Impact Real-World Behavior" article states that two research studies found that the type of avatar (hero or villain) one uses affects that person's behavior in real life. For example, if a person had a villain avatar, they were more likely to give a future participant spicy chili than chocolate. However, if the person had a heroic avatar, they were more likely to give a future participant chocolate than chili sauce. Thus, virtual worlds may be used to influence a person's behavior which may be a good thing if you are trying to help someone become a better person. However, if a person has bad intentions to make someone worse, then virtual worlds are not good since that are being used to achieve something bad. Thus, being able to influence a person's behavior through the use of virtual worlds may be a good or bad thing depending on the situation.
     In the New York Times article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life," the writer used the virtual world called 'Virtual Lower East Side' to visit many real-life landmarks in the neighborhood. An advantage of visiting the online version of the Lower East Side was that users could go to clubs and see people perform without waiting on long lines or being in crowded places.  A disadvantage was that it introduced people outside the neighborhood to it which may come with a risk for the residents in the real Lower East Side.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are all social networking sites meant to foster relationships and keep people connected. However, they are each unique.

Facebook posts can be tailored to a specific audience (everyone, friends of friends, only friends, or just you) which is a great feature. You can post pictures, videos, and status updates as well as say how you are feeling and check in to different places. You can also say if you are interested or are going to an event. However, there are too many links and advertisements on it which fill up my feed. I think that this social media site is very content heavy in terms of words. I have noticed that my older relatives use it more than my friends or myself.

On the other hand, Twitter provides a platform where one can get to the point faster which can save time. It is a form of microblogging which allows you to be updated on what happens in the lives of the people you follow no matter how small the incident.

Instagram is focused more on visual content rather than words or links. I think that it is a more personal platform since it is specifically dedicated to sharing pictures or short videos You can share the location of where a picture was taken. It is a platform where you can show off what you have been doing, where you have been, and with who you have spent time with by tagging people in a picture or in the caption.

I think that Snapchat is even more personal than Instagram since it is mainly for sharing 10-second short videos along with pictures. You can add the location of where you are. Unlike Instagram, to share your location at any moment, you have to be at that place when you share the video or image. For example, you cannot be in Midtown and say that you are in SoHo. You will only be able to use the SoHo location in your post. However, Facebook and Instagram are incorporating a feature like this. They recently introduced a feature where you can post a video or picture for 24 hours just like Snapchat.

Social Networking

Social media can be used to inform people about what a company sells as well as build relationships with their current and potential consumers. It also allows their audience to provide feedback through comments and ratings which the company can use to improve their service or product. A society has many choices for its people. Thus, a benefit of social media to a society is that it can help its businesses differentiate itself and bring in more consumers. The more unique a society is, the more tourists will go there and increase that society's profits. These profits will improve the lives of the people there. 

As mentioned earlier, social media can increase a company's exposure which may lead to more profits. For example, Chicago Tribune's article "Facebook Search: Facebook Adding Search Feature" mentions that Facebook would use users data to provide advertisers with more targeted pools who would potentially be interested in their services or products. Thus, companies would be able to target potential consumers more to increase their market share and revenue. However, there may be a "dark side" here regarding privacy and security concerns. We provide our information on these social media sites to show our friends and family. But there are outsiders who may want this information to harm us. How will we prevent this?

An advantage of these technologies is mentioned in a National Public Radio article called "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting." It talks about how a recruiter was able to find high-quality candidates on the social networking site called LinkedIn. 

In my opinion, these technologies might evolve into something that will end up hurting our human interaction. We are using social media so much that some people get social anxiety and are now afraid of face-to-face communication. Companies are using our information to show us targeted ads. What effect will this have in our decision-making process in the future? These technologies may become a part of how we live our everyday life. 

Blog vs Wiki

   Both blogs and wikis enable communication of information and provide a place where feedback can be given. Through this collaboration, people can work together and come up with new ideas. Blogs allow anyone to be a reporter and a publisher. They reflect the blogger's unique perspective which makes it a more personal version of the news. Blogs provide everyday people with the power of the media since it is a place where people can share their version of events, thoughts, and ideas. A blog can be thought of as a personal diary since it is usually only one person who is creating the written content. Through the use of comments, the blogger can communicate with his/her readers. Thus, it is a form of new media since it provides a platform where news can be shared, readers can respond, and the blogger can interact with his/her audience. This two-way communication leads to collaboration. Bloggers can build relationships with their readers and other bloggers with similar interests. Additionally, bloggers can read each other's posts, comment on them, quote each other, and link blogs together. This convergence and formation of communities lead to increased creativity, motivation, and inspiration.
     The unique personal characteristic of blogs is supported by Michael Barbaro's "Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog" article. At first, Wal-Mart created two blogs, but they were a failure because people sensed that they were not sincere. However, Wal-Mart's Check Out blog was a success, since people used their individual voices and were not being controlled or limited to what they could write.
     In James Dao's "Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog" article, a military member nicknamed Mud Puppy had to go underground with his blog because his superiors want to monitor what is written. They are worried about security. However, Mud Puppy made a good argument that soldiers pay the cost of war since they are the ones actually fighting and experiencing these situations. Mud Puppy most likely has an audience who would like to know what it is like to be in this situation.
     On the other hand, wikis allow many people to contribute information. In addition to being scalable, it can adapt to change. It is a knowledge base created by many people that has decentralized control. Wikis can be used to share information among people everywhere as well as within a company or industry.
    In Noam Cohen's "An Internal Wiki That's Not Classified" article, it places an importance on collectively sharing information which is a defining characteristic of wikis. In the article, there is a State Department wiki called Diplopedia which allows people who work in the State Department to contribute to it to keep the information up-to-date and help find information faster. In another article by Noam Cohen titled "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People," it focuses on trying to make Wikipedia more dependable since many articles have already been made the information is already there. Wikipedia needs to ensure that the information is correct so it is revising the information and is now requiring that changes be approved.
    A possible new use for a Wiki could be a page where people with different skin types (oily, dry, neutral) share the products they use on their skin to maintain it acne-free. It may also include the makeup products they use which would be helpful for those new to those products and are feeling overwhelmed.

Project Description

Social media has become a major influence on how we communicate and interact with each other. It has provided us with an opportunity to stay connected with friends and family regardless of distance. We can also create communities among people with shared interests and increase our creativity by looking at what other people have done. Even though it has its benefits, social media has disadvantages as well. It has led to cyberbullying as well as a decrease in self-esteem and confidence since people compare themselves to others. It can also lead to miscommunication and lower social skills since it is hard to show nonverbal cues in writing. Although emoticons do show different facial expressions, they are open to interpretation depending on the text and person receiving the message. Along with focusing on the positive and negative aspects of social media, I will explore the mental, psychological, and social impact it has on youth since they use social media the most.