Technology has been changing rapidly throughout history and many new forms of new media are presented to us. With today's technology, we have to ability to choose what medium we use to communicate with other users.
I believe a new type of "new media" that will exist in the near future is a central artificial intelligence system that controls the creation and dissemination of information. This AI has to ability access anything in the virtual world.Users will no longer need to use a keyboard to type due to the AI's voice recognition technology. A user would simply interact with the AI regarding what they want to surf online. For example if you want to pull up Facebook, simply say "open Facebook" and the AI will recognize the user's voice to command it to open Facebook. Rather than webcam with your friends and family, the AI can project a live hologram of users you are connected with. Distant communications become more and more intimate. This feature is also useful for businesses that implement virtual conference meetings with their organization.
With a creation such as an AI, it will revolutionize technology and how we access new media. It will change the way we think and access to information will become 100 percent transparent.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Wiki So Far
I have not contributed to our class wiki, but I would like to write about a topic that interests me: technological singularity and the relevance of conscious artificial intelligence. My goal is to provide the historical context behind this theory, who formed this theory, how it applies to society and why we should care. As our technology improves, we will invent things of the unimaginable, things we thought that would only exist in our imagination.
P2P
File sharing allows digital media
(programs, software, movies, music, photos, games, etc.) to be transferred from
one computer over another through a network or the internet. Although
file-sharing may not be illegal, the content users tend to share can be illegal
and questionable. What had seemed to be a convenient way in transferring files
have created loopholes that allows users to share copyrighted content, but at a
cost. The infamous file sharing website Megaupload was shut down by the
government because it was profiting from offering file transferring service of
illegal pirated digital media.
A peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing is a network in which computer systems are connected to each other via the internet. Any type of file can be shared between these computer systems. Think of the P2P network as your home network connected through a modem and a router. Any user or device in that network can share files to any connected system. Each system can be a file server and a client. In other words, every system share the same responsibilities when data is processed. P2P file sharing is limited to what files users allow to share. P2P file sharing has led to the inevitable illegal software and music piracy. Piracy has caused the music, software and gaming industries to lose billions of downloads due to illegal distributed copyright content.
An example of P2P file sharing network is BitTorrent. BitTorrent is a program that allows many users to connect and download a file. According to Brian Stelter in a New York Times article, "people have swapped illegal copies of songs, television shows and movies on the Internet for years...peer-to-peer technology called BitTorrent, required patience and a modicum of sophistication by users" (Stelter, 2009). BitTorrent programs or client allows users to download through their protocol. The protocol enables and distributes the file across users that have downloaded or are in the process of downloading the file. The file breaks up into many small parts and unique part to this is that you do not need to full file in order to start sharing. Once you have the small part, you share it to others in the peer network. Tee torrent file is somewhat different in that it does not contain the file. Instead it contains directions to where you can find peers and seeders. BitTorrent has caused many profit losses and although there are actions being taken to mitigate illegal activity, there are far too many loopholes to take preventative measures.
Stelter, B. (2009, February 4). Digital Pirates Winning Battle with Studios. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/business/media/05piracy.html?_r=0
Monday, April 20, 2015
Privacy
Privacy in new media is becoming a controversial issue. Although new media is making our lives more convenient, it has also created numerous potential problems, such as intellectual property, copyright, identity theft, fraud, and cyber-bullying issues. Social media platforms seem to provide great services to its users but when examining their Terms of Service, you might think twice in posting private photos, videos or messages.
According to Joe Nocera in a New York Times opinion page, "internet companies collect information about us, which they deploy in the service of advertisers" (Nocera, 2014). The concept is rather simple. Once these social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter go public, they need to find ways to stay financially sustainable and maximize profits for shareholder. In order to profit, these social media giants sell our personal information and any pictures they see profitable. Under their Terms of Service, they usually state along the lines of granting themselves a license-able and royalty free, worldwide right to use any content you post. Although they state that users own their intellectual properties, it is contradictory in that users must grant them a license-able right. This is one of the loopholes that must be addressed.
Another privacy concern when using social media is that businesses that are transparent are more prone to sophisticated social engineered hacks. An employer or employee may post something on social media but little did they know hackers can use that information to their advantage. Any type of information can provide these hackers with leads. Huge data breaches would be costly for companies to take preventative measures.
Cyber-bullying has become an issue affecting teenagers worldwide. Although the government and many organizations are running awareness campaigns, they are not effective in preventing bullies from posting nasty and threatening comments to their victims. Victims are bullied physically and mentally, from school to a screen in their home. Social media poses many privacy issue to young teenagers when they post user content online. Bullies may steal personal photos of victims and post them online anonymously to ruin their reputation.
Information technology may have made our lives more convenient in many ways, but many of the problems it poses are often ignored, or very little is done about it. Information technology is only at the early stages of development and as we progress, we should think about potential future risks and how to solve current problems, rather than allowing them to occur.
According to Joe Nocera in a New York Times opinion page, "internet companies collect information about us, which they deploy in the service of advertisers" (Nocera, 2014). The concept is rather simple. Once these social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter go public, they need to find ways to stay financially sustainable and maximize profits for shareholder. In order to profit, these social media giants sell our personal information and any pictures they see profitable. Under their Terms of Service, they usually state along the lines of granting themselves a license-able and royalty free, worldwide right to use any content you post. Although they state that users own their intellectual properties, it is contradictory in that users must grant them a license-able right. This is one of the loopholes that must be addressed.
Another privacy concern when using social media is that businesses that are transparent are more prone to sophisticated social engineered hacks. An employer or employee may post something on social media but little did they know hackers can use that information to their advantage. Any type of information can provide these hackers with leads. Huge data breaches would be costly for companies to take preventative measures.
Cyber-bullying has become an issue affecting teenagers worldwide. Although the government and many organizations are running awareness campaigns, they are not effective in preventing bullies from posting nasty and threatening comments to their victims. Victims are bullied physically and mentally, from school to a screen in their home. Social media poses many privacy issue to young teenagers when they post user content online. Bullies may steal personal photos of victims and post them online anonymously to ruin their reputation.
Information technology may have made our lives more convenient in many ways, but many of the problems it poses are often ignored, or very little is done about it. Information technology is only at the early stages of development and as we progress, we should think about potential future risks and how to solve current problems, rather than allowing them to occur.
Advice
Information technology has improved and made significant impacts on our daily lives. It is fascinating to see how more and more users are using the internet as a medium for communication and information as technology evolves rapidly. Although technology is changing our behaviors, ideas and the way we think. I believe information technology has not been effectively incorporated into higher education.
Although many professors are implementing information technology use into their assignments and class environment, there is no interactive support. For example, professors should host web conferences with their students to encourage an interactive environment through new media instead of assigning assignments that require no thought. Professors should also ask critical thinking questions to encourage students to participate. Professors should also encourage students to use their university website to communicate with other students and ask questions.
Another advice I would give is to implement online chat systems for many departments so it saves students and faculty members time. Online chat systems will save students a trip and waiting endlessly on lines for help. I personally have experienced this type of problem when trying to meet with an advisory. Wait times at the advisory's office usually takes more than two hours, which is quite unreasonable if you are only meeting with an adviser for five minutes. New media needs to be
implemented in higher education to its full potential. Due to the fact that Baruch college has limited number of faculty members that can help students in various departments, an online chat system works best. Limited number of faculty members will cause traffic in waiting lines which can be overwhelming.
Implementing webcam support services is also a great idea for technical support or any sort of problems. To prevent spam, students will be required to log into their student accounts and be identified that way. For some departments at Baruch college, they require that you leave a voice message. I usually find that inefficient and unreliable. Overall,information technology needs to be improved in many areas at Baruch College.
Although many professors are implementing information technology use into their assignments and class environment, there is no interactive support. For example, professors should host web conferences with their students to encourage an interactive environment through new media instead of assigning assignments that require no thought. Professors should also ask critical thinking questions to encourage students to participate. Professors should also encourage students to use their university website to communicate with other students and ask questions.
Another advice I would give is to implement online chat systems for many departments so it saves students and faculty members time. Online chat systems will save students a trip and waiting endlessly on lines for help. I personally have experienced this type of problem when trying to meet with an advisory. Wait times at the advisory's office usually takes more than two hours, which is quite unreasonable if you are only meeting with an adviser for five minutes. New media needs to be
implemented in higher education to its full potential. Due to the fact that Baruch college has limited number of faculty members that can help students in various departments, an online chat system works best. Limited number of faculty members will cause traffic in waiting lines which can be overwhelming.
Implementing webcam support services is also a great idea for technical support or any sort of problems. To prevent spam, students will be required to log into their student accounts and be identified that way. For some departments at Baruch college, they require that you leave a voice message. I usually find that inefficient and unreliable. Overall,information technology needs to be improved in many areas at Baruch College.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Creativity and New Media
Below is an original picture of one of my favorite super-cars. I decided to use this photo to show an example of how new media and digital technology tools can alter a photo. I decided to use Adobe Photoshop as a tool to change the original image into a sketch. I turned the original image into a sketch by changing the saturation, blend mode, Gaussian blur, and inverting the original image.
CREATIVITY
Before the introduction of new media, old media was used as a medium to transfer information to the audiences. As technologies become more and more advance, new media fosters creativity in a way that it provides users digital technologies that enhances their ideas and creativity. Digital technology encourages users to generate content. Computers are not just a medium to process information. It is also a medium that helps in creative expression and design. Through videos, blogs, music, databases, and generated content online, users can express their creativity and imagination in many ways. Without digital technologies, many of these imagination and ideas would not come true.
A clear indication that new media contributes to creativity can be seen in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) community. EDM DJs compose their own music and many mash-ups using pop, rock, or hip-hop songs to include in their electronic music. By using new media, these DJs are able to produce unimaginable creative music. For example, "Frontin' on Devra" is an example of a "mash-up," in which, generally, the vocal from one song is laid over the music from another" (Jones, 2005). Digital and new media allow for recycling of songs through mash-ups and remixes.
Another example is the creation of virtual worlds in MMORPGs, where mythology and fantasies exists. Video games would not exist without digital technologies and new media, which allows for creativity by providing a platform to utilize these ideas.
Digital technologies have served as a way to express our creative ideas. These ideas can come from other users' works or a combination. It also allows users to enhance their creativity by being able to access to many user generated content worldwide. Digital technologies also allows for inner imagination to be realized through the tools it provides to generate the content. Digital technologies have impacted our lives significantly, especially on how we think creatively.
Jones, S. (2005, January 10). 1 1 1 = 1 - The New Yorker. Retrieved March 30, 2015, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/01/10/1-1-1-1
A clear indication that new media contributes to creativity can be seen in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) community. EDM DJs compose their own music and many mash-ups using pop, rock, or hip-hop songs to include in their electronic music. By using new media, these DJs are able to produce unimaginable creative music. For example, "Frontin' on Devra" is an example of a "mash-up," in which, generally, the vocal from one song is laid over the music from another" (Jones, 2005). Digital and new media allow for recycling of songs through mash-ups and remixes.
Another example is the creation of virtual worlds in MMORPGs, where mythology and fantasies exists. Video games would not exist without digital technologies and new media, which allows for creativity by providing a platform to utilize these ideas.
Digital technologies have served as a way to express our creative ideas. These ideas can come from other users' works or a combination. It also allows users to enhance their creativity by being able to access to many user generated content worldwide. Digital technologies also allows for inner imagination to be realized through the tools it provides to generate the content. Digital technologies have impacted our lives significantly, especially on how we think creatively.
Jones, S. (2005, January 10). 1 1 1 = 1 - The New Yorker. Retrieved March 30, 2015, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/01/10/1-1-1-1
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