Social Networking

The creation of social networking sites has revolutionized the way in which people can communicate. It allows for clear and open communication with your friends and colleges through the simple use of the internet. The use of social networking sights will revolutionize how business look at consumers and how we communicate with the world on a large scale. Sites such as YouTube and Facebook are a new form of communication in popular culture that allows us to look critically at others ourselves and the world around us through the simple act of discussion.

Facebook right now is the gold standard for social networking sights with over 350 million users worldwide it connects people every day. One of Facebook’s most noteworthy features is the open forum set up. When people communicate on Facebook, such as status updates or posting on someone’s wall, one does that for everyone to see. This allows for an open style of debate for whatever subject a person may be discussing on Facebook, from U.S. foreign policy, to discussing Lady Gaga’s newest song. This allows for all of the user’s friends to chime in and give their own perspectives, sharing of ideas, and not confining the think tank to the two people having the original discussion. A greater number of perspectives on a certain subject make a discussion more dynamic and multifaceted. With such a form of communication we are able to better understand the reasoning behind conflicting arguments as well.

Facebook can also be used as a tool for political awareness and action as well. Right now, one of the biggest political battles is taking place over gay marriage. During the election in November 2008, there were many groups and events being organized both for and against Prop 8. On Facebook there where pages where one could become a fan of Prop 8, or just as well join a group opposing Prop 8. From there the groups could spread the message of protests and demonstrations.

This increases the political awareness of Facebook users and also givers them opportunities to participate in the democratic process. Politicians themselves all have Facebook profiles. I am a fan of President Barak Obama, who has been constantly updating his profile on information about health care reform and other important political happenings. These are just some of the ways Facebook can allow citizens to become insightful and productive members in the ongoing national debate over democratic policies.

YouTube is another social networking site that allows for society to become more critical. The singular best aspect of YouTube is the ability to share experiences with others through the use of posting videos online. This allows for viewers to gain somewhat the same perspective as the person filming. A great example of this would be the videos of Iranian protests during the disputed Presidential election this summer in Iran. Through the use of YouTube we were able to see a young, bright, and beautiful women, Neda, die right before our very eyes. Because of this startling image was so readily available, not only to the members of opposition but the world at large, she became a symbol, a rally point in which people could connect with and marched in the streets of Tehran for. Also, because all forms of foreign of media where banished from the country, YouTube videos and other networking sights such as Twitter became the world’s only window of insight into what was happening in Iran.

Neda is only one example of the new type of celebrity that now exists with the help of sites like YouTube and that is viral video fame. Now a person only needs to do a few seconds of entertaining actions and they can easily become famous on the internet. It is now truer than ever that anyone can be famous. These people include Chris Crokker (Leave Brittney Alone!), Chocolate Rain guy and many others. The invention of YouTube allows for people to create and post content that they hope people will find appealing. Once a video is posted the online community then decides if a video is noteworthy or not. Such fame in this manner can be seen as the online communities’ affirmation that one does have something of value and worth recognition. Such a recognition can be seen a society being critical.

Facebook and other social networking sites also have certain aspects that allow for better communication due to the fact that everyone is equal in the community, and the community is easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. This is one of Habermas’ first key deciding factors on whether or not conditions for debate have been met. The second aspect that needs to be taken into account is to answer the question, “who uses social networking sites and how?”  Facebook used to be open to only college students, but as its popularity grew it became open to the whole public. This is good because a larger usership allows for a greater and more open debate. One of the aspects that makes Facebook such a great place for open debate and discussion is the ability to post your own thoughts and ideas on the subject through all different forms of media, from links, to relevant websites, to YouTube videos. These can more effectively illustrate your point then just text. This allows for the encompassing power and influence of the internet to become more accessible and active. This also ties into John Dewey, when he states “We are organisms, we live within an environment that we affect, but that also affects us.” This is due to the fact that all social networking sights are a community of people whose individual action on the site affects the whole. This is a great example of plasticity and how we can both be shaped by our environment, as well as shape it. Because of all these aspects, social networking sites are and will continue to become a great place for debate and discussion.

One of the major aspects of Facebook is, even though it is a completely free service, there is still profit to be gained from it. When on Facebook you can become a fan of anything, from water to the Bush Administration. Throughout one’s use of Facebook, one joins groups, pages, or become a fan. These all become representative of your likes, dislikes, and interests. This is all personal information that can be sold to companies and used to create more direct and to the point advertisement for companies to push their products on you. Every single time a user puts more information about themselves onto their Facebook account, they give advertisers more information. Advertisers have already started to use Facebook to promote their products. I myself am a fan of Dr. Pepper and Blockbuster, both of which have been using Facebook to relay information about special offers and deals coming up. This is dangerous because advertisements get in the way of rational debate because it is strategic action. We must remember, just as we all have equal voice and access to Facebook, so do advertisers. The need for us then becomes even greater to be critical citizens of society and on Facebook, and not only consumers in order to not be persuaded buy the secret codes hidden inside the advertisements.

Facebook and YouTube is a prime example of an existential double edged sword. On the one hand a person can argue that it is existentially empowering because it is a place where people can go and discuss the human condition, which is everything that has to do with our lives. On the other hand it can be seen as existentially dangerous because advertisers, the destroyers of rational debate with their strategic action, have access to it too. Advertisers have the ability to take our mindsets and use them against us to push a product. Some companies have even started using YouTube and trying to make their own viral video campaigns. It is sometimes hard to tell if it is reality or fiction. This is dangerous because parts of society have trouble distinguishing reality from fiction as it is.

The use of social networking sights has redefined how we communicate in the world. They make it easier, quicker and more effective. Sites such as Facebook have cemented themselves as permanent fixtures in the communications landscape and will continue to evolve in their features, influence and popularity.

Turning 21 iPhone Application

The process of making an iPhone app is a long and involved practice, from conception to actualization. It took the efforts off all the team members using their skills and knowledge in order to get things done. During the process we found many obstacles and problems we had to overcome, but with teamwork and dedication we were able to modify our original plans and still come out with a fun and enjoyable application for people to use.

The first part of the production process was brain storming. We all had ideas on what would make a good product that we could then market to a larger audience. Many of us had our own demographic, college students, in mind. My original idea was to create an application that allowed for people to stream the on campus online radio station KSUN. The only problem with this idea was that it was too simple and would not be very involved in order to make. Later I came to find out KSUN was already working on something quite similar.

That leads into the next problem that other people and their ideas faced, which was finding out that their idea had already been made into an application. With the world full of app developers, two people are bound to come up with something of the same idea. We discovered that when we wanted to make a North Star Tahoe Skiing application and realized that it was already out on the market. We had some good ideas to augment the application like adding a friend locator feature but, once again it did not make sense to pursue this idea.

We decided on doing an application about all the things people should do once they turn 21. This sort of idea is right up our ally because most of us have either turned 21 recently or will soon. We decided to break up what the each person would be doing into several different sections called “Choose Your Scene.” From there the user would be given a number of tasks to complete by the end of the night. We wanted to include functions inside of our app that would allow the user to take pictures and video of the event, in order to document the night and have memories of what happened. We also included several dozen drink recipes as well in our Mixology section. We had a great idea and we summed up our entire application in our design document. After we completed our design document, came one of the most difficult parts of the whole process, finding a programmer or engineer to build it for us.

As part of the Computer Science department I went and investigated possibilities for people in the department to help us. I discovered that there was a class in which the students were learning how to build smart phone applications. I had a discussion with the instructor of the class Ali Kooshesh and he agreed to allow our class to pitch our app ideas. Unfortunately, only one of the groups actually got a programmer out of that endeavor. It seemed from a codeing side some of our projects were lacking in difficulty, which would not give them a good enough grade.

The second idea I tried was going to the Computer Science Club meeting and pitching our idea to them there. Unfortunately even though I mentioned that there might be compensation involved no one was interested.

We also, as a group, tried a number of different things such as putting out a Craig’s list ad for a programmer. As well as investigating a number of online app generators. We finally settled on using the website Buzz Touch. This website allowed us to create an approximation to what we wanted for our original application. The website actually had just launched in April so we were some of the first to use the service. For the most part, use of Buzz Touch was pretty simple and easy to understand. As the days went by we were given more options on what we were able to include in our application such as YouTube videos, links to websites, like Black Mango Media, and graphics and other artistic design decisions. Through the use of Buzz Touch we were able to create our application with no need for programming experience. We were not able to include everything that we wanted, but we got most of the content included.

We are now at the final stage of development. Soon we will pitch the idea to the class and explain what it does and what we wanted it to do. We will be presenting with the idea keeping in mind that we want to pitch our application to a company with ties to alcohol such as Blue Fin. From there we hope our application could be a useful marketing tool to get new drinkers to buy their products.

All in all while there were difficulties in creating this application. It was a lot of fun and yet still hard work. A lot of thought and planning had to go on in our own little four person group in order to get aspects of the application just right. I can only hope that we can actually market our application and release it to the public for consumption. If so, I will be able to say with full confidence that I am an iPhone application developer.

Objective and Subjective Screening

In the book The Language of New Media, the author introduces the concept of the screen and the role it now plays in day to day life. A screen is, for the most part, an artificial visual display created to show the image of information, objects, people and places that are not there. Through the use of a screen, people can see things with their own eyes that are otherwise far away. There are two ways that object images and ideas can be presented on a screen objectively or subjectively and it is up to the viewer to ascertain the difference.

The screen was first used in warfare as a way of getting information in real time. An example would be the first types of radar on warships and submarines. In a submarine there is no possible way to see where one’s opponent is. The use of the screen created a representation of the battlefield and the enemy. Essentially it becomes the window in the submarine. From there once the representation of the enemy has appeared on the screen, action is taken, a strategy is developed, and a firing solution is put into effect. Since the screen is processing information in real time, new information is constantly allowing for a change of strategy to take place if the incoming information and its interpretation deems it necessary. It is these tactical advantages that win wars.

The idea of the screen is interesting because it is both like looking through a window and looking through another person’s eyes. The window only gives a person a certain degree of sight and blocks out everything else in the world and does not give the viewer any choice in what they see for the most part. This is unless the viewer decides to go to another window/channel/input/ect. This means that the screen only gives a narrow view of what can actually be seen.

The way a screen is like a person’s eye is that they can, through the use of a video camera, capture images that they see right in front of them and broadcast to others. The catch with that is the person with the “eye” or camera has complete control over what the viewers see. Through the use of video editing, what is really going on in the visuals can be misconstrued and misinterpreted by the viewer. This misconstruing of visuals by the viewer could be the intent of the producer. This is called propaganda or spin.

Through the use of screens I myself have seen countless places and time’s some real some not. That is the catch 22 with the screen. It is a doubled edge sword in that, like stated above, only the producer has control over what is seen. The screen is used in modern day society as the primary form of dispersal of information. But those who disperse such information do not always subscribe to the highest ethics of journalism and participate in yellow journalism (cough*Fox News). This represents a deliberate and narrow “eye” view of certain situations which can put the entire public conciseness in jeopardy.

I mention these possible situations because “with great power comes great responsibility”. The power of the screen to distribute information and unify a culture can also be used to highjack it through the use of propaganda.

It is my opinion that whenever images and information are shown on a screen in modern media they can be shown in two ways, through a window and through an “eye”. The window is the objective view of the two and the image is not been diluted or disillusioned the perspective is objective. But when images and information are shared through an “eye” the viewer has been prompted and is seeing what is displayed through a certain point of view. In this instance an opinion has been integrated along with in information.

The invention of the screen transformed modern society by allowing images to move freely and not having the need to have an actual physical form in order to be shown. That is why the screen is so useful for the distribution of information, because it can change at any moment. But remember, “With great power comes great respociblity.”

Halo: Reach Beta

This week, on May 3^rd 2010, the beta version of Halo: Reach was released to the general public. The Halo series is one of the most popular first person shooter games in the video game market. It is formatted exclusively for the Xbox platform due to the fact that the game’s developer, Bungie, is a subsidiary of the Microsoft Corporation the creator of the Xbox platform. It was thanks to the huge popularity of Halo that help establish the Xbox 360 as the most successful platform of this generation of consoles. Since the release of Halo’s original game “Halo: Combat Evolved” in November 2001, Bungie have released several other games continuing the series into a full-fledged gamming franchise. These games include Halo2, Halo3, Halo3: ODST, and Halo Wars. Halo: Reach is the newest continuation to the franchise slated for release for Fall 2010.

The release of the beta is an important step in the development process of this video game and shows how invested Microsoft and Bungie are at making sure the player’s experience is the best it can be. By showing off a version of the game before the actual release, Bungie is getting a huge amount of data that will help them better fine-tune the game, to make the final product streamlined and formfitting for the Halo franchise. The release of the beta singles a new way development is done in the gaming community. Because this is only a pre release, gamers can comment about the game and tell the developers what they like and dislike about it. Developers can then take the comments of the gamming community and use them in the final production process of the game. This shows once again the increasing dialogue between producers and consumers through the medium of new media. Due to the fact it takes a huge amount of time and effort to make a video game such as Halo and that it is exclusive for Xbox, Bungie wants to make sure that all glitches and problems will be taken care of. This is done with the use of the beta.

As with any product Halo is doing its best to diversify the content of the game in order to make the experience new and fresh. They do this with the introduction of classes. The four classes consist of Air bound, Guard, Stalker, and Scout. Each have their own unique ability that gives the player a distinct tactical advantages.

Airbound, my personal favorite, gives the player the ability to fly around with the use of a jet pack. This not only gives you an advantage with altitude but also with speed. It is important to also note that in Reach players now receive falling damage, unlike the previous games. This means when descending players need to feather their landing with the jet pack. This is a great move by the developers as it adds to the degree of difficulty.

The next class Guard equips the player with a full body shield that can be activated when their health is at critical. The shield will only protect the user for a short while and will blast any other players that are close by away. The only drawback to this class is that when the shield is activated the player must remain stationary. This class is good when guarding flags on capture the flag or in order to survive grenade blasts.

Stalker allows the player to be constantly cloaked and move through the map undetected. The catch with this class is the more a player moves and the more they fire the more visible they become to the enemy players. This is useful for stakeouts like domination where your team has to capture a couple different locations and hold them in order to win.

The last class is Scout. This class is most reminiscent of Call of Duty because before this Halo characters had only one speed for the most part. Now players have the ability to run really fast across maps in a sprint type manner. This class is best for people with swords and hammers because it allows the player to charge and come into striking distance rather quickly, preventing other players from shooting them down before they get too close.

The introduction of these classes mirrors that of Call of Duty in which each player has certain abilities. These Halo classes are not as complex and intricate as COD because it would go against the Halo game play motto of simplicity. Unlike Call of Duty, Halo players can now make customizable avatars to their own exact specification. Players earn points by playing online and in the campaign. They can then spend points on new armor, helmets and possibly more classes’ abilities, but that has not been confirmed. COD is the same way in that players can gain weapon upgrades and new class abilities.

One last thing to note about Reach is that health has once again been changed. This time players have both life and health like way back in the original Halo. This also means the reintroduction of health packs to the game which will cause players to modify their game play in keeping the locations of these packs mind.

All in all the game play for Halo: Reach Beta is extremely fun and enjoyable. The data that Bungie will gain over the 15 days that it is released will allow them to make the best game possible. The diversification of the player’s ability will make the game that much more challenging and enjoyable. I would give the beta a 9 out of 10, which goes to show how exited I am for the actual release.

Long live Spartan 117!!

Black Mango Media

In our COMS 320 class we have formed a private company. The main goal of this company is to make and provide goods and services that consumers need and want. This, in some respects, is my first instance of entering the professional world. On my Linked in account, a social networking site, for professionals to meet, I put in my profile that I was a founding member of this organization.

Our first order of business in our company was to name it. We all wanted it to be a name that would stick in the mind of potential clientele as well as the consumers. After much deliberation, where a dozen or so suggestions where brought forward, the group decided upon Black Mango Media. I think that it is an interesting name and is defiantly unique in its own respect, but I did have reservations about it. One example is that a black mango reminds me of old and rotting fruit. This could give on lookers a somewhat negative connotation towards our name and therefore our company. On the other hand Black Mango also reminds me of black box which is a device found on air craft that possesses a great amount of information on conditions that professionals in that field of work find most useful. This parallel is one of many that people can draw from our name both positive and negative. 

After the name was established we now needed to develop products and services that we could provide to the consumers. We were asked to brain storm on ideas that we though could be useful to people. The one idea I had was to create a smart phone application in which the on campus radio station that I host a show on, KSUN, could be streamed and listened to over the phone. It was decided that we would not pursue this line of thought because the product had a very narrow range of potential consumers, mainly only people that go to Sonoma State. Once we discussed all of our ideas for products we could create, the company broke up into several groups to work on specific projects.

I came to work on the application “Turing 21” which is ironic because of the fact that I am only 19 years old. We are currently in the production phase of our application. We have now got a design document detailing exactly what we want the application to do and what it will say. Our greatest challenge that we have and are currently facing is finding a person that is able to program the application for us. Once we get the programmer on board and have the product made we will then be able to release our product to the open marketplace and the world will be able to see what Black Mango Media brings to the table.

Week 7 Reading

This next chapter in Convergence of Culture takes a look at how new media technologies are affecting the democratic process here in the U.S. and how it is creating new types of democracies online as well. Technology, of course, had always played a vital role in our elections. Before computers it was the printing press that allowed the information to circulate to a wider population. The same could be said about trains which allowed for candidates to travel all across the U.S. in relative ease, giving voters a chance to see and hear the candidates first hand.

Now there are now over 101 ways to reach voters online. An example of that is how John Kerry in the 2004 election sent out an email announcing his running mate before he did the traditional televised broadcast of the announcement. This allowed for the information to spread and stir interest before the more official announcement took place. This gave time for people to speculate on the reasons why he made that decision. This was then was picked up by the mainstream media giving Kerry some more publicity.

Now days there are even more ways for politicians to directly connect with the voters. In recent times Twitter has been a huge tool for lawmakers. Through its use they are able to communicate the moment to moment goings on of their office. From drafting legislation to voting on bills (healthcare being the primary example). The use of these technologies has made Washington D.C., as well as other legislative bodies, seems closer and more interactive.

I myself can see the politicians’ use of new media technologies every day. I am a fan of President Barak Obama on Facebook. I now receive regular updates on my Facebook page about key legislation that the president finds to be important (once again mainly on healthcare). I use Facebook literally every day and so do many other people, especially other college students. The use of this new type of social technology has allowed Obama to better connect with a demographic of voters who traditionally do not have a high voter turnout. It was Obama’s ability to connect with young voters in that allowed him to with the 2008 election.

Once again the book has highlighted how new technologies that are teaching children about real world ideas. Take for example the mayoral elections that took place in Sim’s City Alphavill. This program was originally meant as a game, but for some it was an accurate representation of a real democratic process. This is quite similar to sights such as the Daily Prophet and Sugar Quill mentioned in the last chapter as it actually encoruages children as well as adults to learn about and actual vital subjects that is integral to being a literate and informed citizens. This is necessary for a democratic process, because the more informed the public and the debaters are the more piercing and insightful the national discussion becomes.

The use of all these technologies creates a whole new facet to democracy in which anyone can participate in the discussion whether it is on Facebook, Twitter blogs, chartrooms, or message boards. Only through debate and discussion can we as a nation come to some form of consensuses or compromise.

Week 6 Reading

In The Convergence of Culture Chapter “Why Heather Can Write,” the subject moves back to fan communities coming together and communicating through the internet. Now not only is the communication for the enjoyment of fans (in the previous chapters it was Survivor and American Idol) but also for an advancement of one’s set skill and abilities.

In the case of this chapter it is Harry Potter and the writing of “fan fiction.” The creation of fan fiction, done either by a child or an adult, can still be a learning experience in the realm of writing. Harry Potter has been widely accredited with turning a generation onto reading (myself included). Now through the creation of fan sights people can share their love of the franchised and delve further into the universe that J.K. Rowling has created in her books. Participants on their sights not only write and post their “fan fiction” online, but also receives critical remarks as well as constructive criticism of their writings in order to improve it.

Keep in mind the majority of these users are still adolescents in school. The use of this sight not only allows for the children to have a safe and healthy outlet, but also is in itself a learning experience. Through the constructive criticism of older and more experienced members on the sight, young children are now becoming better writers at a much younger age. And while they are interacting and enjoying a subject of their own choice the user is learning the subject English Lit Composition.

Certain proofers though have more specific abilities when it comes to reading a first draft. Certain rules proofers should always abide by are suggested by the online sight Sugarquill.com. They include letting the submitting writher know if one is better at story cohesion or grammatical correctness. From this point on, potential writers have their stories critiqued not only for grammatical errors, but also to make sure points in the story make sense and making sure the characters have sensible motivations for what they do.This all encompassing experience encourages children and young adults to become better writer. Soon after these experiences online, one can hope to see some of the participants go on to write and publish their own original works of literature.

This type of learning experience has become more effective than a traditional classroom. This is due to the fact that children can identify better with Harry Potter more than other more traditional literary figures(of course Harry Potter in his own right will go down in history as a great literary figure for its massive popularity).

Children add their own real life aspects to their characters by incorporating it into the back-story of their online profile. This also gives them a way to express other emotional concerns that goes with growing up.

This all goes back to universal popularity of Harry Potter and how through the internet people are able to express their enthusiasm for the subject. Through a direct or indirect way the use of new media and popular culture are helping certain Harry Potter fans to learn valuable lessons.

Week 5 Reading

The chapter Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars is all about fan participation in an active franchise and how it is a complex love hate relationship with extremes on both ends of the spectrum.

On the one hand, it is the active fan participation that keeps a franchise as large and successful as Star Wars going. Fans want to add to the universe that George Lucas has created because they see it is such 3-dimesional way. The world inspires them to create their own stories with the universe as the starting point.

On the other the production company can see this creation of fan fiction and movies as a violation of their intellectually property. Production companies throughout the past few years have had to find the right type of balance between the two extremes. The question now becomes: “How much is too much?” Where do production companies draw the line from fans actively participating in the franchise, and copyright infringement? This balance is greatly needed because both the consumer and the producer rely on each other to get what they want. The problem starts when the consumers start to become and active producers of the same type of content without the production company’s consent. This in a certain sense devalues the original content because the market is now being flooded with other forms and imitations that, now thanks to modern digital technology, look really well done.

George Lucas has struck a good balance with the fans of Star Wars. He has designated a sight Atom Films to be the official host of all amateur film content and even has yearly competitions where he judges the best of the best. At the same time he has created boundaries that people must obey if they want their work to be shown. Some of that includes the not allowing any sort of explicit or sexual content or fan fiction.

The ban on fan fiction I believe is somewhat extreme. While the Star Wars universe is large and expansive with books filled with information about every planetary system and alien race. It is my opinion that there can always be room for more. This puts a creative limit on many of the fans, especially women, who only want to share their vision with other hard core Star Wars fans. But because of this ban on fan fiction the distribution of such works is not as main stream as one would hope.

All in all the boundaries for production companies and consumers, and what is considered copyright infringement is still being defined. Companies are now acknowledging that fact that they rely on fans for their revenue, and that trying to completely control the content will do nothing more than simply alienating them.

Form my production team we have decided to create an application called “101 Things To Do When You Turn 21.” We came up with a great number of ideas such as having the 101 things to be a check list of sorts with information on each activity. We will be having pages devoted to mixology as well as safety procedures if a person has too much to drink. My job right now is to think of about 20 things one can do at a house party. Once we have all our content in place we will begin to develop a user interface for the application.

Week 4 Reading

              In the chapter “Searching for the Origami Unicorn” the reader learns about how the owners of the Matrix franchise have branched out the story line to several different forms of media. This creates an all encompassing feel towards the Matrix franchise as fans are able to access content in several different ways across many different media platforms such has movies, video games, massive online multiplayer games, and TV. The story of the whole Matrix universe is contained and woven through all these different types of media.

               There are both pros and cons for expressing media in this fashion. The pros are it gives the experience a richer and more intense feel to it, allowing the diehard fans to dive deep into the universe and experience to the fullest. The cons are that for the less devoted fan it becomes too much work to experience the whole universe. In order to do that one must go and participate in several different forms of media that the Matrix franchise has set up. And if one does not participate in all the different formats they miss out on key information to the storyline. An example of this is the relationship between “the kid” and Neo. In the movie there is an inherit lack of exposition about his character, how he came to be there in Zion and what his relationship to Neo is. The only exposition offered is when Neo says, “I didn’t save you kid, you saved yourself.” If one has not seen the other media braches to this franchise, in this case the Anime packet the Animatirx, the viewer would have no context for how this character came to be in this universe. The use of different forms of media, not just film, has allowed the Matrix franchise to turn the entertainment business on its head. Now many major movie franchises are following suit such as Lord of the Rings, launching its own massive online multiplayer game.

All in all these media platforms creates a wonderland of content for the users to explore. The question is for the user, “how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?” The creation of a narrative inside an entrainment franchise is difficult to keep straight. Story lines and threads need to be stitched together. Events must take place in a chronological order and such events must be in line with the whole true story.

In The new media Reader, we are introduced to the idea of society with cybernetic technology. These forms of technology are coming into the main stream market much like films and motion pictures came into the market in the early 20^th century. The book talks about how we integrate these new technologies into our day to day life and how we also incorporate it into our view of warfare as a society. Now we not only see warfare thorough the eyes of a camera that someone is holding, but also through one mounted on top of a cruise missile hurtling towards the enemy. Some say these images are too much like videogames and desensitize us to the horrors of war. Because of this we have been less inclined to protest the recent actions that our government has taken in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. This means that society as a whole is becoming accustomed to the trials and tribulations that war brings upon the inhabitants of the war zone. This is all through the cybernetic technology that removers us from the situation and allows us to become remote 3^rd party viewers.

Week 3 Reading

The chapter Buying into American Idol was interesting, covering many aspects of how new forms of TV such as reality television and the networks have an ongoing and more direct relationship with the viewers. The chapter discusses the issues that the show faced in its earlier seasons, as well as how companies capitalize on its success with newer and bold marketing strategies.

Coca cola is one company that caught my interest. Coke is one of the most recognized brands in the entire world. The reason for this is due to the fact Coke has one of the largest advertisement budgets of any company out there. This is due to the fact that Coke does not only consider itself as a soda bottler, but also an entertainment company. The company invests a great deal of money in TV and movies. They do this in order for the public to be used to seeing the Coke logo everywhere. When they see the logo in partnership with a sports brand or TV show it usually puts a positive spin of Coke’s image. I through my personal experience can say that I have seen a lot of Coke advertisements in conjunction with other entertainment companies. I have seen it at the movies, during the Super Bowl and during the Olympics. This is a clever marketing strategy because it works in my own experience. I myself have in a way not only seen Coca cola as a soda but also as an all American brand.

This sort of nostalgia I have for the brand is exactly what the company is hoping for. From there they can gain customers who have a loyalty to the brand and will most likely buy any Coke product that comes out. I find it very interesting how Coke was able to diversify its brand form being just a soda drink to a world recognizable brand.

American Idol from the start was a hit. It gave the viewers a new and interactive way to watch the TV by calling in and voting for your favorite contestant. This new formula for TV sparked a new type of viewership in which people would debate with their friends and family about the show. But problems for the show soon arose. One of which is the accusation that the voting process is fraudulent and that FOX in the end controls the outcome. This outraged many hardcore fans and as such grass root campaigns started taking place that aimed to get back at the producers. In season six, a campaign took place to vote for the worst of the contestants. As a result, Sanjay Malaker made it to 7^th place. This is only one example of the drama that American Idol has caused over the last few years.

There have been many other controversies, such as with last year’s winner and runner up. Many people, myself included, thought that Adam Lambert was going to win. He had “winner” written all over him but in the season finale he lost to his fellow contestant and friend Chris Allan. Some say he lost because FOX did not want to have a gay American Idol. That is a distinct possibility of which the truth may never come out. Only time will tell.

In the book The Language of New Media the definition, history and observations of a screen where discussed. A screen is actual not only a great invention of the 20^th century but also an object of great philosophical importance. This is because a screen is a two dimensional item that inhabits our own physical space, but yet it acts like a window to another reality all together in which anything can happen.

The inventions of the screen started in the military when the U.S. first developed radar. This was a huge step technologically because before this all tactical information could be a few hours or even a few days old by the time it reached a commander. The radar screen was the first type of tactical intelligence that allowed for it to be read and sent to the commanding officer in real time. This became a huge advantage for those who possessed this technology. And because of the screen now, we are able to see and hear thing that we would have not been able to otherwise.

The online massive multiplayer game Second Life has a lot of great and interesting actives and games to play on it. There are many great pros to this game. The first of which is a customizable avatar. An avatar can be made to look any way a user wants. It can look exactly like the user or not at all. It can be customized in every aspect form its hair to its shoes.

The Second life online universe is huge with many different places for a player to go and things to do. Players can even buy property and build their own houses to their exact specification. Players can decide what kind of furniture they want inside their houses or the type of counter tops they want in the kitchen. This extreme customizable world is great because a player can make it exactly to their liking. Avatars can even have their own custom design outfits for certain occasions. Going to a swanky party put your avatar in a tuxedo or just have it wearing a t-shirt and shorts it is all up to the user.

I discovered that even real life companies have gotten into Second Life creating virtual products and making money off them. People can go into business for themselves on second life and if they are successful enough with their online money accounts they actually can make real world money.

Second life also has certain aspects that make it difficult to use. First it requires certain system requirements that were not fulfilled on my laptop as a result I had to play the game off my desktop. Another aspect of the game I had problems with was the navigation throughout the online world. The world of Second Life is extremely large and as a result I did not know where to go or how to start playing. Second life should have a list of things to do online for new users. That way the users becomes acquainted with the game play and have an idea of what they can do in the game before they get frustrated enough to quit. After playing the game for some time I can say that I defiantly still do not know all about what one can do on Second life.

In the end the game Second Life is an interesting take on how to create a virtual world that not only mimics the real one, but also improves it by allowing one’s avatar to do things that they would not have been able to if it were real life, such as flying. Continued success of this game will depend on the creators allowing new content in order to grow the world and make it greater.

Week 2 Reading

The CBS reality show Survivor, while relatively trivial by itself gave rise to a new form of communication in which fans of the show could come together on the internet and talk/discuss about the show in great detail. Through their collaboration they were even able to figure out what was going to happen in the show before the episode premiered with the creation of online posts known as spoilers. This is due to the fact the online Survivor community became what is known as a collective intelligence. This means that the online community was able to pool their knowledge and skills in order to produce intellectual theories about the show. Each person is able to contribute a piece of information.  They were able to obtain this information in two ways, either because a person contained a certain skill set that allowed them to gain a certain amount of information or they simply were in some way shape or form connected to the show and knew something about it. This highlights the two strengths that an online intellectual community possesses, certain skills some of which are considered professional skills and information. With these two tools in hand the community is able to work together via the internet to uncover and make discoveries about Survivor before the show airs.

This is another example of the Cultural/Informational revolution that is the internet. There is now a community that did not exist before the internet. Through the internet people with the same interests are able to meet within the comforts of their own homes and discuss topics that are important to them, no matter how trivial they may seem to the rest of us.

The creation and development of computers and forms of media have greatly paralleled each other, but only in recent times have they finally intersected. New inventions such as the still camera, live action camera, printing press, radio, and telegraph were all new forms of media that greatly increased the range of words and ideas. The invention of the computer allowed for the compiling of many calculations and pieces of data. With basic graphic programming computers were then able to create visual representations of their calculations. The first example of that was the loom and how the daguerreotype was able of make patterns and shapes effectively and quickly. Soon after computers media and computers merged into one with the incorporation of Daguerre’s daguerreotype, Babbage’s analytical engine, the Lumiere cinematographie and Hollerith’s tabulator. After this sound bites, visuals, and texts where able to be condensed into mathematical formulas that could then be stored and read on the new computing device.

This is the beginning of the transition from media to new media, that is, media that is stored and used on the computer. Because new media is stored on computers it is also much easier to edit and change. Sounds can now be mixed with great accuracy, as well as pictures and visuals photo shopped and changed to give the user  exactly what they want it. After the cultural/informational revolution of the internet new media is now accessible to anyone with a computer. Because of how new media now works, distribution and production is much easier and simpler. New media is essential to the revolution of the internet. Without it there would be no movies to watch, music to download, or pictures to email to your friends. Only time will tell how else it will shape our lives.

Reading Week 1

In the introduction to the book Convergence of Culture the author wanted to highlight the shift that has been taking place over the past few decades in media and how it is incorporated into society. This mainly has to do with the invention of computers and the internet. In contemporary times media was bound to whatever form of medium it was in. Paintings were to remain on canvass, motion pictures where captured on cellophane, pictures were taken on film, words where written on paper, and so forth. Now with the digital age all these forms of art and culture and be brought together in one place on the computer.

Forms of media that are created and used on computers are known as new media. I use new media all the time on my computer to write my blog, instead of paper, view billions of photos on web sites like Flicker, or watch millions videos of things on YouTube. This change in how media is presented has made it much more accessible to people. Because of these examples, as well as dozens of others I could come up with, I believe that the internet has been the single greatest informational revolution since the first written words. Not only does the internet and computers allow for anyone in the world to access information, but it also has changed how we interact with that information.

For the longest time media moved in a single direction, from the producer to the consumer.  The only true way the producer knew if the public liked there was if people actually bought and consumed it. Producers would also and still use focus groups in order to test their products, but those are only used in prerelease production. But due to the fact now through computers producers of media have not only changed how they deal with their customers but also how they distribute their products as well.

Soon, may experts agree, all our media will come from a single hypothetical computing device that is simply referred to as a “black box.” I would have to agree with this assessment. In some ways this “black box” is already here. I consume the majority of my entertainment media on the computer. I very rarely watch TV because I can watch when it is more convenient for me with fewer commercial interruptions. In addition I can stream my favorite radio stations online anywhere in the world as opposed to using AM and FM transmits. I also get my news and information the same way as well.

Now that almost every single person in the world has access to a computer the ebb and flow of information in society has fundamentally shifted. News can now move around the world at the speed of light and to many more people. Through the use of new media we are able and will continue to educate and learn at a much faster pace.