Blog: Next New

To think of a new "type" of new media that does not yet exist, one should look at the current situations to know which solutions to look for. To name one specific issue within today’s society, it would be fake news. Fake news is commonly going viral as there are many articles created solely to mislead people into believing something that isn’t always necessarily true. These days, click-through rates are valued more than the content of something and this, unfortunately, often results in the spread of false propaganda in which individuals are more likely to spread. With the rise of technology, real and fake news now spread at faster rates and can be shared onto different platforms. 

To overcome this growing issue, I have pondered upon a new media device that I believe will change the way our society works as well as new media. This device is a software that scans all online information and grades it by authenticity and reliability. For example, if one were to scroll through their Facebook feed, before clicking on a shared article, there would be a color scale next to the article representing how truthful a source is. As viewers see the graded scale include colors such as red to represent unreliability to green as trustworthiness, users may now spread information that is accurate instead of propaganda that influences the way a society views politics.

Though this has been tried before using AI, it has not been perfected as there are many flaws within the algorithms. As creators of spam content keep evolving, they are constantly learning to find the loopholes within these algorithms and mend the truth. The problem is, as there is are millions of different opinions, everyone has a different perspective of a story and the truth becomes blurred. To battle this, the device can scan the articles and test for not only engagement of source but also which platform the source was published on and what other platforms linked this article as a reliable source. Additionally, this software can compare the title of the article to the content within the post and show how relevant the body of the post is to the title, ultimately demolishing clickbait articles. In order for the device to differentiate between real and fake information, the developers need to program this scanning device carefully. After feeding examples to the software, the device should have the ability to distinguish the authenticity. From this, the device grades the article by percentage and viewers are able to know whether or not the article is worth reading.

Blog: Wiki So Far

So far, I have been able to edit and contribute more information to what someone has already spoken about. In the Youtube subcategory, Jefree Star, I have updated the information to make it more accurate to the times, grammatically edited mistakes and have also included content that is relevant to new media and how the social media platform, Youtube, has skyrocketed sales for Jefree Star's Brand. Additionally, I have researched more information on my topic of interest and plan to include the acquired information into the wiki. My topic of interest is a social media app known as Tik Tok which has become widely popular within the "Gen Z" generation recently. From my current research, I have noticed how successful this app has become and has given many a positive start within their social media careers. I plan on discusses the content it provides, the likeliness of a video going viral and both the benefits and consequences that come alongside with the app. In addition to incorporating this information, I plan on adding more graphic images in other topics that interest me such as Youtubers and their content or creations that they promote. 

Blog: P2P

According to Eric Pfanner, in "Should Online Scofflaws Be Denied Web Access?" the author explains the concerns and benefits of file sharing and questions if it should be illegal or not. To define it, file sharing is the process in which individuals share and transmit files of computer data in a network or internet with various access levels. Through this process, one can add on and transmit their data from one computer to another, which ultimately becomes much more  efficient for the users to work on documents especially if they are in different locations. P2P file sharing, however, is a peer to peer file sharing which gives people the ability to use media files through a software program that locates that specific computer which has that wanted file.  An example of P2P file sharing is RapidShare.  To simplify, RapidShare allows users to upload files too big to e-mail. Once the software finds that specific computer which has the wanted file, they can then download that file into their own computer.  Another example incorporates the fact that many free media is released online and encourages voluntary payments for donations. This becomes beneficial for both consumers and producers of this content for consumers now have access to the media and the producers receive more recognition.

Blog: Privacy

The issue with privacy is often a concern for many these days and, with new media on the rise, the threat of privacy has become very prominent. As more and more people become more involved in social media, there are often including almost all aspects of their personal information into their profiles. This has now been a concerning issue for especially Facebook users. In 2018, there was a huge scandal regarding this matter as over 2.13 billion active users worldwide were misled by the privacy policy. During this time, it has become a major political issue which revealed that Facebook had harvested the personal data of millions of peoples' Facebook profiles without their consent and used it for political advertising purposes.
 In another aspect, an additional privacy concern resulting from social media is the fact that employers are using new media as a source for recruitment for job placement. As they scout for  potential candidates' profiles and accounts, they look for any possible flaws that would interfere with the company's values. Through this, many are concerned that sometimes their accounts may be interpreted  incorrectly and will place them at a disadvantage when in search of a job.

Blog: Advice

If I were hired by Baruch College to use new media to improve the College, one of my first suggestions would include improving the their social media platforms such as Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. When I was a high school student determining which college was right for me, I tried to do the most research as I possibly could on the benefits of attending any school of my choice. From this experience, the first thing that I have looked into were the student life via the social media pages. For me, it was very important to realize that in addition to providing a great education, the school had to inspire me to want to improve myself and grow as a human. I believed that the social media pages such as Youtube videos where a great example for exploring if this school is best for me. To my disappointment, there were not many social posts and it made me feel less motivated to go to this school. Thus, if I were a hired to improve the college, I would focus on the improvement and frequent activity on the social media platforms. By showing a fun and  lively environment of Baruch college, it becomes a much more attractive element for potential new students.  Other aspects of improving the New Media would be to improve the Blackboard of the CUNYPortal website. With all of the extra buttons, it becomes much more complicated site to work on as it is very confusing for those who aren't adjusted to it. For example, if I were on the team, I would pitch to make blackboard discussion posts more legible and less complicated to read due to its organization. By simplifying their options, writing becomes much easier and people will be more eager to do their work by not having to deal with a complicated site.

Creativity and New Media

Attached is a screenshot from my Instagram feed. Within the photo is a picture of myself eating three cones of ice cream. In relation to what was currently trending, the final season 8 of Game of Thrones, I have decided to make my caption similar to the title of my favorite GOT character, Daenerys Targaryen. To match her long title, I decided to put my own twist on it by making it represent myself and the ice cream cones to be my three dragons. 

The original GOT title reads,  "Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons”

My take on that reads "Rebecca Edelstein of House Edelstein, First of Her name, The unburnt,  Queen of the Samples and First in line (at Costco), Khalessi of the Great Food, Breaker of Belts and Mother of Sprinkles. Game of Cones."

This simple yet obnoxious caption is one way I used a New Media platform,  Instagram, to foster my creativity by relating my post to a then hot topic of discussion, Game of Thrones.  

HW Creativity

New Media fosters creativity in many different ways including in marketing and advertising to consumers. Using these platforms allows for the companies to not only strive to match consumer needs but also promotes creativity with a particular campaign. The ideas are often driven by the medium and how the consumers use them. After experimenting with the new media platform, the company finds contextual ways to be relevant and can invite users to be part of the process in certain campaigns.
In Claire Miller's article "Twitter Serves up ideas from its followers" she states just how this process is beneficial to companies as "consumers often come up with ideas for products, and companies wait on the sidelines to see if they have mass appeal." By allowing consumers the freedom of using the platform in their own ways, the company notes what they should prioritize and how they can use a platform to their advantage. The developers of the new media constantly ask themselves "‘Why are people using this and how could we make that better?'" By doing so they're allowing themselves to explore the benefits of a platform and later use it to their advantage in a creative and innovative way.