Social Net’g

Technologies can be used in several ways in our daily life. It is a massive help in the educational field. By being able to integrate technology into classrooms, it increases diversity  in learning styles. Because technology is used for social media by teenagers and young adults, being able to integrate technology will allow them to stay engaged in their education without losing focus. By having access to technology, it gives the students  access to the most up-to date information with the click of a button. Furthermore, college students are able to use digital textbooks that are more updated and a lot cheaper.

Something more common is the use of technology for social interactions with friends and family. Being able to use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc allows people to write messages, upload pictures, and share stories that occurs thousand miles away from their home. It gives people a chance to relax and catch up on the latest news and updates in between lunch breaks and before going to bed. These social networks can be used on the computer but it’s quite common to be used by teenagers and young adults through their cellphones. The positive outcome is that it allows information to be spread faster as news outlets use social media to update people on any breaking news on a regular basis. However, this can also backfire in the sense that false or inaccurate information can be spread rapidly as well causing for unnecessary havoc.

In “Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network’s Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out” by Fred Volgstein  explains how Facebook has over 200 million users which accounts for at least 1/5th of all internet users. A user spends an average of 20 minutes on it which isn’t too much but it’s enough to obtain access to interactions with friends/family and updates on what’s occurring around their neighborhood, state, country and even updates from around the world.It is also more and more common for prosecutors to use social media to catch criminals as they tend to brag and post their crimes for their friends and families to see.

A “dark” side to technology can be cyber bullying that occurs more often now than ever as people are able to post hateful messages to strangers and being able to do it anonymously gives them the edge of not having to worry about getting in trouble. In “They’re Back, and They’re Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites” by Jeffrey Young, it mentions how college students are using personal online sites for the purpose of ridiculing and mocking their colleagues anonymously. Though it can be hurtful, they barely get into any legal issues as they’re exercising the first amendment of free speech.

Overall, technology has its pros and cons but it continues to evolve throughout the years and theres more to expect from the world of technology now more than ever. I would like to hope that technology can be used in a way for environment protection and climate change. Although I’m not sure how technology can solve these issues, it definitely can bring awareness that can lead to actions in changing the way we see our world right now.

Blog v Wiki

Blogs are web pages that are alternatives to publishing with limited collaboration, reverse chronological order, regularly updated posts and, links to other blogrolls, pictures, videos, etc. It gives the author a sense of identity, voice and control over their personal inputs directly through the computer. It allows them to engage with their readers through questions and feedback on a regular basis.

An example of a blogger engaging with their readers can be seen in“Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid” by Michael Wilson. People around various neighborhoods were able to collaborate on the violence/drug abuse roaming around their specific locations on a regular basis. Through the blog, numerous people were able to engage and provide details of their predicament that lead to the involvement of authorities. In the end, it lead the police department to obtain tangible evidence to make proper arrests through the initial steps of a simple blog.

Wikis is more on the collaborative end that gives the readers a more objective content that is sourced by a group of people as opposed to one person. Wikis for this particular tend to grow rapidly as more than one person can update and edit a particular Wiki at any given time.  The most commonly known Wiki is Wikipedia which can be edited by anyone at any given time though it is highly policed by thousands for its accuracy.

“How to Use Wikis for Business” is an article that depicts the idea on how Wikis are not just known for only being edited and modified but rather on how it has cut down the cost of publishing information thus providing a easier and powerful access to sharing information.  Although Wiki has done it all, I do believe there is always room for improvement. As blogs allow readers to comment and connect with each other, it creates a less hostile environment allowing others to express their opinions and beliefs. Wiki should consider allowing comments within their web pages to be shown publicly through a sidebar or footnotes. Therefore, instead of having to read through numerous pages of comments, you can click on the specific statements to comment and break down any questions in mind.

Convergence in today’s networked world is quite important in our society because it allows us to connect with millions around the globe with the touch of a fingertip. We are able to educate ourselves further through networking through blogs, wikis,social media outlets, etc. Though most use it for entertainment purposes, it is highly educational to say the least and it will continue to shape our world positivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netflix- The Modern Television

Netflix is currently the new “it” of Hollywood. Whether you’re in the mood for horror films, documentaries on child obesity or even want to watch reruns of Gilmore Girls, it’s all there. The Web itself provides us with infinite amounts of access to fulfill our needs and wants. Netflix, however, takes it a step further. Although it started in 1998 as a DVD by mail service, things have taken a turn as they grew rapidly in the past few years thus allowing them to create their own content. From the economical standpoint, their current revenue estimates just over 6.8 billion allowing them to not only improve but to also innovate the technological facets to benefits both ends of the system. One of the technological innovations is  suggesting movies to consumers based on which movies they’ve watched and how they’ve rated it. Though it seems simple, it’s enough to get the consumer browsing through the options. Socially, it’s allowing people to engage in binge watching TV series without having to wait around a week for the next episode. It gives the consumers more choices, it’s more efficient and be a top choice for people to choose anywhere and anytime. Currently, Netflix has opened its fields to over 190 countries in hopes of making its success go global. With the economical profit, social acceptance and technological innovations, it shouldn’t be too long before it makes a full circle around the globe.