The Next New Thing

I had written my term paper on the new medium of streaming, and it's many uses since its introduction into our new age of technology. The CEO if Netflix had proclaimed that in 16 or so years, broadcast TV will be dead. And I wholeheartedly agree with him. The fact of that matter is, we've come into a new dawn of capabilities, where our internet speeds are fast enough to stream not only shows, but giant, HD movies, as well.I feel like Netflix will be the first to use that expansive ability to create a service that not only provides shows, but Live TV, as well. Maybe, JUST maybe, cable companies will come to realize that cable and satellite services are the last generations "new toy", and the "new toy" of this generation is the convenient use of watching anything and everything on laptops, tablets, and phones- wirelessly, and affordably. And because some of the bigger giants, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, have already created a niche within this target segment, it would be ahrder for cable providers, such as TWC and Comcast, to create a monopoly of sorts and extort money from their customers.

It would be a beautiful thing, and something that I hope would happen soon.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

Although I did not yet start on the Wiki-Blog for our New Media class, my intention is to create a wiki blog that expands on the use of New Media in journalism, and how it's changed over the years. I'll get into more detail of blogs, editorials on tablets, images and videos being released, etc. My research so far has included these details and more. 

P2P File Sharing

1. What is file sharing?
2. What is P2P file sharing?
3. What are some examples of P2P file sharing?

The idea of file sharing is very simple. It's the ability to distribute/provide documents, programs, multimedia, and other digital multimedia, and do so through a third party program or removable storage options. This sharing capacity gives new meaning to exchanging of ideas, since the actual involvement of sharing is relatively easy and convenient.

P2P, or peer-to-peer file sharing, is sending and accepting files that are usually through a third party network, allowing users from anywhere in the world to download any item that other users have uploaded to this third party intermediary. An example of this party is BitTorrent, which allows "users to quickly upload and download enormous amounts of data..." from books, to TV shows, to HD movies, to video games, and even to files most people wouldn't truly consider legal. Now, what is interesting is that, in most cases, the distributing of these items is usually never accepted as a means to view by the company who created the item. However, with how expansive a network P2P file sharing is, it's almost impossible to completely stop. Many companies have even accepted that this is a form of viewing their content (HBO on Game of Thrones).

An example of P2P file sharing is, myself, going to a site such as thepiratebay, and searching for a movie or show that another user has uploaded. In some cases, there are "fake" links, but, in most cases, the links are real, and can be put up as soon as the episode or movie has been released. I then would download said item and easily unzip and view. It's a very simple, easy task, involving very little outside download (other than the file itself). Although technically illegal, networks are starting to take notice, and as The Wire article states, "If enough people start getting their TV online, it will drastically change the nature of the medium. Normally, the buzz for a show builds gradually; it takes a few weeks or even a whole season for a loyal viewership to lock in. But in a BitTorrented broadcast world, things are more volatile. Once a show becomes slightly popular - or once it has a handful of well-connected proselytizers - multiplier effects will take over, and it could become insanely popular overnight."

http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bittorrent.html?pg=3&topic=bittorrent&topic_set=

Privacy & Confidentiality

In this post, discuss how the issues of privacy and confidentiality are related to new media.

Let's face it- without new media, our lives would be definitely different. The fact of that matter is, these are our assets in this technologically advanced world, and allows us to become inherently more connected to the world. We get news and articles within an instant, able to see videos and images on the go, and capable of sending out important information to anyone who needs it. However, for every positive, there is a negative.

Privacy and confidentiality issues remain the biggest drawback to new media. Users get affected by some sort of privacy issue every day; users who are uneducated become victims more so. You would think that such a vast problem would have a solution- and it does. Antivirus software, firewall, phishing disablers, ad blockers, and many more help us roam the internet with relative ease. But, these annoyances and dangers are still out there, and hackers and thiefs find new ways to attack the general public every day. However, sometimes these issues may not be truly issues at all, and are aimed at help the general public. Wikileaks is a great example of this. Every now and then, the company releases confidential documents that shed light on horrible practices done by the government; in most cases these things are kept secret. Wikileaks changes that. Obviously, the government believes this is an act of terror- yet the general public believe that they have a right to know what the government is doing. At the end of the day, there will always be good and bad with new media. The power is brings is awesome, but the negatives can be frightening.

Advice to Baruch College

You are hired by Baruch College to use new media to improve the College. What are some suggestions you would make using new media?

The main success new mediums have over any any other type of technology is its ease of use and its convenient accessibility. This blog, for example, can be viewed by almost anyone, and can be commented to those who are allowed. And it is this type of freedom of expression that truly is missing from Baruch College. For all the weekly newsletters and meetings the student body has, how much does it truly represent the school as a whole? One thing to improve the accessibility of students to be more outspoken about our college is to use an open blog, available to only Baruch students, and monitored by another group of students so that those who spam the blog can be removed. It is the best way to share ideas and be more hands on to the goings on of our college. 

Another great implementation we could use is a Twitter handle that is more used. I believe Baruch has a Twitter handle- but the majority of students do not know about it. We  need to get our student body more involved, and the best way of going about that is to use the new, advanced new mediums that allow interchanges of ideas and opinions. Currently, from what I can tell, there is no medium that does that, and allowing this to happen will make a huge step into making the college a more involved place. 

Creativity and New Media

I recorded the Eagles-Cardinals game on my DVR and uploaded snippets of it to create .gifs, including this hilarious moment by one of the Eagles wide receivers.

Don't worry- he's okay.

Creativity

One of the most important functions to come out of new media is the ability to create original content. Blogs, videos, games, avatars, and entire virtual worlds came be created instantaneously (or within a specific time frame). We've reached an era where original ideas can be conceived and accessed easily, and the users have taken this to their advantage. A perfect example of this is the game Minecraft. This open world game is simple- you create a character, and "mine" the world of coal, iron, gold, silver, etc and create buildings, obstacle courses, murals, and even entire planets. It's the very definition of creating original content.

Original content is not just excluded to creating tangible worlds and construction of buildings and items in a virtual reality game. Blogs and social media sites, like Twitter, attract all sorts of original content. Nowadays, tagging a person's name (using the @ key) and creating trends (using the # key) is a norm for Twitter. But, Twitter and its creators were not the ones to come up with this ingenuity- it was the users. As the NY Times article "Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers" explains, the idea of hyperlinking another user's Twitter handle and creating hashtags to make following important news and information easy took the creators of Twitter by surprise. Original content, as you can see, can not only benefit the user and his/her friend- but entire companies as well!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html?_r=0