Blog about Twitter

Twitter discussions allow us to be more interactive with users. We can see and respond to others tweet and have it show on our page. We have a personalized account and page so people can simply view our page to see all that we've been up to. Blackboard is similar in the sense that people can see our thread created under a topic and see all who has comment and what thoughts we have on the topic and to others work. However, our work and ideas aren't in one profile setting where a classmate can easily access to see our thoughts, it's everywhere based on the topic and thread we've created for the discussion. In terms of a classroom setting, Blackboard helps us organize our thoughts on specific topics in one area for discussion, although we can't see all of an individuals activity unless we look for it, everyones contribution to the discussion is readily available. An in-class discussion is on another spectrum in terms of being able to have everyones opinion/discussion available for reference and comment on. In-class discussions productivity depends on the students preference in terms of wanting to participate. Most kids do not comment or acknowledge their classmates input in a discussion, however,  on Twitter and Blackboard, individuals are more likely to read and analyze discussions because of the convenience and ability to think for a moment instead of having to think on the spot. Overall, we see a similar communication platform between blackboard and twitter, in the ability to communicate with multiple individuals and seeing all of a persons interest.    

Social Networking Sites

Today everyone uses some form of social media to communicate to each other, to share their day, and to get their news, among many other things. Today, we will look at four social networking sites and analyze my reaction and input about each one.
The first one we will tackle is Facebook. Facebook began in 2004 and has evolved to become a platform consisting of over one billion active users. For me, Facebook is too informational. There's a lot going on. The first thing I notice is the updates on my friends post, most of which I'm not too interested in. To the right of the page I see what's trending, each trend connects to a link to a news page. I also see Advertisement banners, which reflect the last items I've been searching up on Amazon. Of course, I'm not shocked. Overall, I don't enjoy the idea of Facebook, unless I do find myself wanting to connect with friends and family from around the world.
Now, moving on to Twitter. Twitter is more straightforward and news friendly. As I mentioned earlier, Facebook has news, however, they're not all reliable sources. Twitter keeps me updated on the latest news and updates things I rely on everyday, like the Subway. Twitter also keeps me updated on my friends thoughts throughout the day, however, most people do not write extremely long posts, like Facebook. Twitter keeps it short and concise for busy people. We're able to see whats trending and the latest news in a quick second. Twitter is also personalized based on our interest, for example, sports, news, entertainment, and more. Twitter is great for a busy individual who want easy access at their fingertip.
Now, moving on to Instagram, which is what most millennials use. Instagram is easy to use and it's main purpose is communicating to your friends by posting pictures. People are able to post pictures of their interest and develop their profile to reflect their interest and personality. Instagram also created the "Instagram story", which is a part of instagram, allowing users to share their day and have it expire within 24 hours. Instagram is millennial friendly and allows individuals to communicate through images while choosing to remain private or public.
Last, but not least, Snapchat. Prior to it's update, Snapchat was very user friendly and convenient. Now, it's clutters and geared towards advertisements. Snapchat has disappointed its users by updating their software to drive more advertisement revenues, however, they're angering consumers. Snapchat allows you to send images to friends that disappear after it has been opened. This is also geared towards millennials, allowing them to also post images that disappear within 24 hours and allows them to monitor who saves their images and posts. I personally liked snapchat before the update that created a cluttered mess, however, now I find myself avoiding it.
Overall, these platforms all deliver personalized user experience depending on the consumers choice. For me, I would choose Instagram and Twitter as my preferred platforms because of the organized presentation and straightforward content.   

Social Networking

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more have such a wide audience. 

What does this mean for activist and businesses? Better means of communication with consumers. By being able to understand their consumers based on their social media platforms, business are able to develop and alter products and services to fit the needs of their customer. Not only are they able to develop products, they're able to market and sell their products to a wide group of people. With social media platforms, individuals are releasing tons of private information everyday, without knowledge. According to the article, "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do", a researcher at Microsoft Research, it seems that younger users between the age of 18 and 19 years old are more likely to change their profile to be private from the public attention. However, is this protecting them from data-mining? Not likely, the purpose of data-mining lies in the ability to gather as much information about users and use that information to gain their attention. This raises privacy concerns in the ethical department. Many individuals are unaware that their information is constantly being used to manipulate them into shopping and purchasing goods and/or services.

According to the article "Leaving 'Friendprints': How Online Social Networks Are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security", by giving away their birth dates, friend list, and their name, among many other things, individuals are giving away more than they know. By giving away this information, we open ourselves to the possibility of being located by professionals on our social networking platforms the moment we disclose our real names, welcoming them into our private life. However, we need to figure out if we're okay with companies targeting us with coupons and deals based on our previous purchase. According to Alessandro Acquisti a professor of public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University, people are willing to give away their private information based on the context of interaction. On social media platforms they are willing to sacrifice their personal information in exchange for the experience. In a society where privacy is no longer a concern for many, individuals are still shocked when they receive emails from a store they walked by or receive email deals after viewing an item online. Although these events may seem negative, they could work out in the benefit of the consumer, receiving deals and coupons. However, the consumer also has the right to know what information companies have on them and to decide whether they want to allow this information to be used. In the future, individuals won't be worrying about their privacy because there will be no way to shield themselves from data-mining. Companies have already utilized data collecting chips in mannequins and location trackers in cellular devices to alert customers of deals when they're nearby a store. Privacy is bound to become obsolete. 

Reference: 

1. "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" By Marc Parry, NY Times, July 29, 2010, Available at http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Who-Cares-About-Facebook/25877/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
2. Knowledge@Wharton, "Leaving 'Friendprints': How Online Social Networks Are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2262

Blog v Wiki

Blogs are more on the personal side of posting and connecting with an audience. Most people who have blogs are posting to a target audience about a specific interest. Bloggers can all be connected similar to social media platforms, they can follow each other and comment/like on posts. According to the article, "Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog" by Michael Barbaro, Wal-Mart's customers, employees, and others are creating post on a specific blog dedicated to Wal-Mart. The post unveil future move made by Wal-Mart to the public before it occurs. Wal-Mart is embracing the blog, stating, "The web site helps buyers solicit quick feedback from consumers on the merchandise." The blog creates an open connection between the buyers and sellers of merchandise, a connection that wasn't readily established prior to the blog. This allows sellers to be aware of what consumers need/want, of what they dislike, and their response to new products. The benefit of blogging this sort of information is that no one can edit your blog. Wiki's require more of a team collaboration. They are useful in group projects, presentations, and idea generation among many other things. However, blogs can also be used in collaborations. According to the article, "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen, users will need to gain approval on their edits about people. The people in charge of wikipedia, are striving for a more "mature and dependable" site. Is Wikipedia turning into a blog structured site? What happened to the ability to freely contribute to the site? Because of constant issues with important individuals wikipedia page and the lack of trust generated by the public towards the content posted, Wikipedia has arranged for a more trusted group of individuals to edit and scope the content on these pages. Since Wikipedia is now controlling the content that is being posted, it is becoming more like a blog than a wiki. The constant advancement of these media outlets will eventually lead to both of them merging into one. Blogs will have features of wikis and wikis will have features of blogs. 

Reference:

1. Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write a Blunt and Unfiltered Blog, NY Times, march 3, 2008, p. C1, at:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html 
2. "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen, The New York Times, August 24, 2009. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?_r=1 

The Impacts of New Media Technology on Society (Proposal)

New Media has taken over our society. There are many negative and positive impacts of this constant technological advancement on businesses, children, social life, and more. I will be conducting a research that delivers the negative impacts new media technology has on Millennial (their addiction to social media and cell phones). I will also be examining the negative backlash that businesses are facing due to the collapse of the brick and mortar system, analyzing the movement from shopping in stores to online. Another negative impact to be discussed is the health effects of constant exposure to cellular devices, laptops, tablets, and more. Finally, I will discuss the impact of minimal face to face communication in households, social life, and the workplace. I will also cover the positive impacts of new media technology. First, I'll be identifying the benefits of global many to many scope and illustrate how important the Interoperability of technology is. Another benefit is that businesses are able to market and educated a wider consumer base, increasing value to customers and profitability to businesses. Lastly, I'll identify how new media technology plays a positive role in education. Overall, I will be conducting this research on a broader scale, touching upon many aspects of new media technology and the impact it has on our society.