The Next New Thing

If I was to create some a new type of "new media", it would be to expand the Internet into the MTA system. We all know that riding the MTA can be very boring especially when some of us have to travel from home to school/work that can take over an hour. With Internet access, we are able to occupy ourselves with more important things other than listening to music, playing games, etc while we are riding the trains below ground level; we can save time by doing things we normally aren't able to do underground and use our free time to do something more important. For example, since I am a student, I can do some work that requires Internet access such as this CIS class. I believe that with Internet in the MTA system, people will be able to utilize their time more efficiently.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

For our class wiki, the first thing we had to do was to create our biography with our personal information on it. Out of the lists of topics that was posted I've decided to edit the page about cyber bullying in new media. With cyber bullying, it doesn't matter where it can occur because it can occur anywhere. And there are several side effects which can be poor grades, change of moods, withdrawal from friends/family, and many more. I feel that people who cyber bully are just cowards that hides behind a monitor to feel superior against others to boost their egos. The next topic I plan to edit is the new media and MMORPG's.

P2P File Sharing

File Sharing allows us users to gain access to digitally stored information such as programs, audios, videos, documents, electronic books, and more. With P2P file sharing, users can connect to a peer-to-peer network to get access to files from other computers. These files can be downloaded through this network and then transferred directly to your computer. An example of P2P file sharing is the use of a program called Bit-torrent. According to the article, "the BitTorrent Effect" by Clive Thompson , BitTorrent lets users to upload and download many gigabytes of data. Many people use it to watch movies or TV shows or to play games. But the issue here is legality. It is definitely illegal if this program is used to copy a movie or song, which is called piracy. This is why the movie and music industry are suffering because they are not generating as much revenue as they want because of BitTorrent. Sure, people are getting sued for piracy but in the end, theres no way to spread the illegal downloads through BitTorrent.

Privacy and Confidentiality

             Although new media has brought about a new means of communication in society today, there is an issue concerning privacy. Take Facebook as an example. People are allowed to see another person's profile without them knowing about it although it can be fixed by changing some privacy settings. Twitter is another example because people tend to tweet whatever is on their mind such as their location, what they are up to at the moment, and how they're feeling. Everyone gets caught up in these things and forget about privacy; some people want publicity in their lives so they can feel "good" about it. Even though technology has constantly been improving every year, more programs should be created to protect our personal information. Sharing information may be okay in the short run but in the long run, we should keep it confidential because the person reading your information behind his/her monitor may use it to their own personal benefit, in a good/bad way.

Advice to Baruch

         If Baruch hired me to improve the college by using new media, I would utilize the use of wikis. Professors are still able to use blackboard but wikis are easy to access and you are able to share documents and lectures that is available to anyone. It is a better way to communicate the information that you get for class. Another way to improve college is by using twitter during class sessions. I feel by using twitter, students can ask questions and that way, there will be a two way conversation in every class instead of it being a one sided conversation where the professor talks for over one hour straight without the students saying anything.  Students will have a better learning experience and will enjoy the classes that they took without enduring the boredom students have in class nowadays. In conclusion, new media will allow to communicate more efficiently, giving us a better future.

About My Term Research Paper

      My paper was about how new media has an impact on sports today. It basically goes into depth on how sports organizations are able to utilize the new media to give us consumers what we want, which is entertainment.  And it talks about how the sports consumers are using this new media to communicate with sport organizations giving them opinions and ideas on how to improve.
      So how did I do my research? For the most part, I search through the Baruch databases for any scholarly articles and any other articles related to my topic. I also use sites that I found through Google for additional information for my paper. With these articles, I learned that new media can send information at the rate that we have never seen before. Sports were once only known at the local level and today it has become popular worldwide.
       Why did I choose this topic? One reason is because I like to play sports, mainly basketball. And another reason is because it gives me an insight on what is going on between the fans and the business organizations and how it has continue to grow even at this point in time.My paper contributes to the field of "new media" because it is medium between the sport organizations and the fans and I find that without new media, we wouldn't be where we are today, sport players wouldn't be making as much money, and business organizations wouldn't be as successful.
        

Creativity and New Media

So I've decided to make a Second Life account and it is pretty amazing since you can practically go anywhere in this virtual world by teleportation. I created my own avatar (3rd picture) and here are some of the places that I went to:
 
                   Glimmer Island - one of the most beautiful places you can go to in Second Life

Mayan Stone ruins - one of the most famous creations humans will ever create in history

And your very own pet world where you can see all the pets you can possible want

These are just 3 of many places you can go in this online virtual world. Not only you can travel, you can create your very own avatar (see 3rd picture) and communicate with other people through their avatars. Anyone over 13 yrs of age can join and people can get creative with their avatars by buying new clothes with Linden Dollars which can be obtained using real currency. I find it really interesting because you can go to locations in this virtual world that you probably can't go in real life.