New Media and Technology

http://0-eds.b.ebscohost.com.wncln.wncln.org/ehost/detail/detail?sid=f8818902-454a-45e9-9b74-e4d98756f468%40sessionmgr110&vid=0&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=98477971

 

I found a very interesting article “SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHANGING COMMUNICATION PATTERNS” by Dr. Kiran Bala through the Appalachian Library online. This article uses information based on new media’s impact on our entire world, but mostly focusing on India. It also discuss the U.S.A and the UK. Our world is drastically changing and at a rapid pace. In return we as a whole are struggling with interpersonal communication and are consumed with internet communication.

This section of the article really stuck out to me because we really are consumers of the virtual word who unable to communicate face to face and are raising future generations to be media obsessed. It states “But due to over obsession of update in virtual world is leading to ‘not communication’ in real world. Most of the time netizens are so much engrossed in their virtual communication they hardly find time to talk to those near and dear one who are present in their physical surroundings. In the world of over communication we are moving away from the real world and living a virtual world of fake identities and intimacies. Those who are not really using them due to lack of knowledge, access or disinterest find themselves alienated.”

Every area of life is changing because of new media and new technology - politics, education, communication, relationships, consumerism, and every day life. This article brings a lot of information to light and calls out what kind of world, our world is becoming.

Blog Assignment #2

After reading over the options, I think Reed’s law is the one I agree with most. In our society today, a main focus in our lives is keeping up with our image and appearance on social media. We have even become a culture so concerned with social media that we forget how to have real relationships, face to face. 

There is so much power in social media - the people we follow us inspire us and affect our behaviors. We are heavily influenced by them. And with Reed’s Law it means that the power of a social network is seen in the increase and constant growth of people on social media. Social media is always changing and is always growing. 

Because of the power social media has it is an effective tool for advertisers. It is great for building brand awareness and introducing new products. Social media is also a place people receive information - I learn lots of things from my social media sites. Instead of checking the news, young kids are know going to social media for up to date news and for information. We have grown up in a world where information is literally at our fingertips. Because of this, Reed’s law, social media networks can help exponentially grow the size of networks, is the one I agree with the most. 

Technology changes every day so I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like in 5 years. I do think it will be even faster that we can imagine and will such an ingrained part of our daily lives. I think something even greater than a phone will be our main way of communicating. I think social media networks we use today will no longer be the “must haves” but I think new ones will be created taking away even more of our privacy. I still think that social media will be a heavy influence in our lives and on the Internet overall. 

Why We Blog...

    From April to June of 2003, four students took an in-depth look at why people blog by conducting interviews and observing twenty-three people from the Stanford University area. Their objective was to identify motivations for blogging and see what content they were posting. 

    In their research, they discovered five motivations for blogging. Those five include - “blogs to ‘document’ my life meaning they blogged to record life events and activities they were involved in. Maybe they have moved away from their friends and family and want them to stay in touch or to keep people update on sicknesses and treatments. This text gave the example of Don, who kept people up to date with his wife’s illness via blogs. For some people, it’s easier to each a mass amount of people through blogs instead of emails. The second conclusion they made was “blogs as commentary” meaning bloggers found their voices and were able to express their ideas and opinions freely on a blog. It can be an outlet for people to say what they want. Thirdly, “blogs as catharsis” which is a lot like number two. They found people were using blogs as an outlet for their feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Lara, a interviewee stated that blogs were a way she could work out her own issues. Blogs allow people to have a audience to speak too maybe without them knowing a single person in that audience. The fourth thing they found was that blogs serve as a muse - meaning people were able to thinking because they were writing. This helps people process what is going on in their world - they are just speaking things, they are processing it through writing which in turn allows for an audience to shape the writing and for reuse of posts. The last one of the five things they learned from their research was that blogs are motivated as community forums. People want to hear the opinions of people in their communities as well as the creative abilities of their communities members. 

   What they found was that blogs contents are very diverse and is a versatile medium. It’s a growing form of communication and is a major use on the internet.

First Post.