The Next New Thing

I think there are many great ideas out there for the next type of new media. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat are in their prime right now, but I think the world is ready for something new. I think there are a lot of interesting new media platforms that exist right now, but one that hasn’t become quite popular yet is a platform where you can video chat multiple people at once. FaceTime is very popular among iPhone users, and even Snapchat has added a feature where you can video chat with one other person, but I have yet to see an app where you can video chat with more than one person at a time using your smartphone. I think once a company masters that, they will have a popular new media platform on their hands.

Our Class Wiki – So Far

For our class wiki, I have been thinking about a number of things to contribute. I haven’t contributed to a wiki yet, but I have been thinking about what page I should create. One wiki page that caught my eye was the “New Media In Advertising” page, as I think advertising companies use new media in interesting ways to promote their product.

P2P File Sharing

File sharing is the practice of or ability to transmit files from one computer to another over a network or the Internet. P2P file sharing allows users to access media files such as books, music, movies, and games using a P2P software program that searches for other connected computers on a P2P network to locate the desired content. The nodes (peers) of such networks are end-user computers and distribution servers (not required). Peer to peer sharing makes it very easy to pass along information on the internet. Some popular P2P services include Napster and Spotify. In the article Content Producers Should Take Advantage of P2P, Not Fear It by NMA Staff, they describe how Pirate Bay, a P2P site for sharing films, could increase the popularity of their film simply because it is distributed to millions of users. This shows that film-making companies should not be afraid of P2P sharing, as it can be used as a platform to reach millions of people.

Privacy

The issues of privacy and confidentiality are directly related to new media. New media is an outlet for people to express themselves to the internet. This ability to express yourself to everyone can be both a good and bad thing. It is good because you have a platform to say how you feel, but it is bad because everything you say is now documented and put forward to the world. New media has diminished the privacy factor in our lives, as we post our location and what we are doing at all times of the day. Word travels faster than ever because of new media, making it difficult to have any privacy. I think the people who suffer maintaining privacy the most are the ones who need it the most, celebrities. Celebrities try to keep their location under wraps most of the time, but with these tabloids using new media to keep up with celebrities every day, it can be difficult for them to find privacy. Also, they must maintain a balance of expressing their personal opinions on the internet all while trying not to offend anyone.

Advice to Baruch College

I think new media can help improve many different aspects of college life. I think a wiki for students to update different events would be extremely helpful. You could organize student body events and keep it updated on the wiki in case any sudden changes occur. Also, I think something that would be extremely helpful for new students would be a virtual tour of the school. I think this would attract incoming freshman, making them more familiar with the campus before the first day of classes. Also, besides organizing events, new media can contribute to the culture of your classroom. If classwork includes interactions with classmates on new media websites, that creates a friendlier culture among your class. In a regular class setting, students walk into the classroom, sit through class, and walk out without saying a word to anyone. New media encourages interaction between classmates, making class a more comfortable place.