I Love This Kid ;)

Issues in New Media-Summer 2010-A great one!

Issues in New Media proved itself to be far more interesting than I expected (thanks to Cindy Royal.) I went into this semester with no idea what to expect & I can easily say that this has been one of my favorite classes in graduate school at Texas State University thus far. I gained very valuable insight into topics I have never previously explored such as operating systems, how Facebook came to be, how to get the best out of social networking, how different forms of new media came about, etc.
My attitude has DEFINITELY changed about social networks, especially Twitter. Before this class, I had a rather negative perspective on Twitter and saw it as a pointless social network where people just talked about what they were doing at the moment. I thought, “who cares?” This semester, Cindy did a great job of explaining that there can actually be very useful ways to use these networks if we just understand how. Now I get on Twitter every day and I see it as a powerful tool and fun way to obtain my news, stay connected with friends, and network with people in my field of study. I felt we learned very valuable information about the future of technology and new media.
I’d say learning about net-neutrality was the most surprising topic I learned about this semester. I can’t believe there is actually debate on whether to lock up the Internet and take away our freedom (both monetarily & intellectually.) Also, I loved learning about all the competition that goes on between Apple/Microsoft; Netscape/Internet Explorer, MySpace/Facebook, etc.
Cindy Royal has been such a great professor and taught me everything I need to know about new media. I feel prepared to confidently move forward while looking forward into the future of what is to come in the media world. She is so educated and informed about the subject, which made it really fun to learn and engage in the class. Thanks for everything Cindy! You are awesome!!!

Tags: Cindy Royal, Issues in New Media

The Future of Journalism

The overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) use multiple platforms to get their daily news, according to a new survey conducted jointly by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism.
People are always going to seek news. I think it is part of human nature to want to communicate and understand the world around them. What is changing drastically though, is the ways in which people seek out news. Now, more than ever, people are turning to new media outlets such as social networks to get the latest news and gather information. New media is quickly shifting into the prominent role of providing news and information. In the 2008 article, “Where Young Adults Intend To Get News in Five Years,” Seth C. Lewis explores how young adults intend to approach news in the future. It was concluded, in 2008, that traditional media will overcome new media as the main source of news for young adults. This idea is clearly not the case today. Young adults are getting their news from social networks and other online news sources more than ever.
In a case study on the New York Times Interactive Tech Dept. “The Journalist as Programmer”, Cindy Royal, Ph.D & Assistant Professor, gives very valuable insight into the future of Web journalism. Royal explains that “modern news organizations now use a variety of modern technologies to assist in telling stories in ways that increasingly combine media, data and user engagement.”
It is not difficult to conclude: Data and Journalism go together. They always will. They are rapidly growing to compliment one another in the world of news & journalism, whereas in the past, they have been two separate entities. Journalism has always relied on data and without data, journalism has no fuel. No life. Essentially, the duty of a journalist is to take data and convert it into an easily understandable form that people can readily consume. It is both obvious and safe to say–the future of journalism relies on data. There is no journalism without data. They are two peas in a pod. They stick together like birds of a feather. Although the METHODS of obtaining news may change, the heavy reliance on data will remain long into the future.
Journalists, journalism students and journalism educators can prepare for the future of journalism by staying up to date with new, cutting-edge ways to interact & obtain news. Staying interested in learning about better ways to integrate data into stories is essential. Be aware of what’s going on in the technology world around you and stay engaged.

Tags: Future of Journalism, Journalism, New Media

How do Users Feel About Ads on Facebook?

Research Question:
How do Facebook users feel about advertisements on Facebook? Is this an effective way to reach users?

For this research, I would send a survey to all 940 of my friends on Facebook. The survey would consist of 15 standardized multiple choice questions. It would propose questions to users in order to obtain their personal opinion on Facebook ads. I would find out if they find the ads annoying, useful, interesting, etc. I think that most people think the ads on Facebook are annoying but maybe some find them a good opening to explore products they otherwise would not. I also would print out about 10 copies of the survey on paper to distribute to random people.

Tags: Advertising on Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Ads, Survey

The Lonnnnnnnnng Tail….

Chris Anderson makes the comparison between now, where we have digital access to media, and the past, where everything was sold only in stores. He makes the point that with the introduction of the online distribution abilities, we are standing in a world of abundance, rather than a world of scarcity.

The story of author Joe Simpson shows how Amazon.com helped his book gain soaring demand and high sales. It noted buying patterns and then made recommendations to readers based on it’s observations. In turn, these algorithm-fueled recommendations created a positive feedback cycle, which increased the books demand. This is an example of an entirely new economic model in media.

This article emphasizes two limitations that our physical world puts on our entertainment. The first is the need to find local audiences. Retailers only stock products they can sell in their local audience. The second limitation is they physics side where for example, the radio spectrum can only hold so many channels.

I liked the idea that Chris Anderson explained, “the more we explore alternatives, the more we’re drawn to them.”

This has changed our understanding of business models in many ways. First, Anderson uses an example of a question asked by Robbie Vann-Abib, CEO of Ecast, “what percentage of the top 10,000 titles in any online media store will rent or sell at least once a month?” Most people will intuitively respond “20%” because that is the way our world used to perform (by the 80-20 rule.) We automatically think that if something isn’t a very popular “hit,” it is not going to sell. This has changed drastically due to digital abilities for media. Now, there is no physical manufacturing costs, no distribution fees, etc. so the cost of songs on iTunes, for example, remains very low with very little risk of a song not being a “hit.”

Anderson describes the “new rules for the new entertainment economy.”

Rule 1: Make everything available.

For example, the Internet sites have far more space and ability to hold a much larger variety of movies, documentaries, songs, etc. Everything is available online!

Rule 2: Cut the price in half. Now lower it.

When you lower prices, people tend to buy more.

Rule 3: Help me find it.

There needs to be some quantity from which someone can explore further than they usually would. In order to become a true force in the entertainment economy, there needs to be enough choice to change consumer behavior.

The Long Tail changes our understanding of business models in terms of approach by creating the idea that it is better to have a product online where you can provide more variety and where there is less cost to the seller. Ideas of marketing has changed in many ways, but in my opinion, algorithms have made a huge difference in how a product gets “marketed” to the public. All of the sudden, with the Internet, a product can be “thrown” in front of you that you never would have scoped out on your own. This has opened a very cool new world of advertising and marketing. The scale of the Internet is GINORMOUS and now businesses can provide their products in a much more diverse way (which is better for everyone.)

Tags: Chris Anderson, The Long Tail

Wow…Now THIS is Some Useful Information. Enjoy ;)

I think that this instructional video is really quirky & interesting. Most of the “how to” videos on YouTube are pretty random and are great if you are bored and just searching for some fun, out of the ordinary knowledge. This banana peeling clip is pretty funny and actually, it really is useful information for someone who eats bananas! I have a knack for obtaining these random little insights of human behavior (or animal behavior, I should say.) You never know what you can find on YouTube unless you search for yourself.
Using YouTube to learn about how to do something can be helpful in certain situations but not all.  I mean, there are many people out there who are lacking the opportunity to obtain an education and therefore YouTube can be a useful tool.  Also, you could just need to learn something very quickly and do not want to go through the hassle of searching for hours to find a professional for the lesson.  On the otherhand, there are many instructional videos on YouTube that are completely pointless and do not help you in one bit.  In my opinion, it can be helpful but just take the site with a grain of salt.
I hope this banana lesson provided you with valuable information that will enhance your next banana eating experience! I know I’m looking forward to my next banana

~Interactivity~

Interactivity…

Hmm.  Interactivity.

This is not a simple idea with a conclusive definition.  There are so many definitions of interactivity.

The definition I found to be most complete was explained by Spiro Kiousis, in ”Interactivity:  a concept explication.”   He described a very thorough explanation that followed Chaffee’s (1991) framework for concept explanation.  It suggests that “interactivity is both a media and psychological factor that varies across communication technologies, communication contexts, and people’s perceptions.”  It is interesting to note that Downes and McMillan claim the idea that any definitions provided or studied always turn up contradictory.  Some claim that interactivity must involve some sort of two-way communication.  Others try to explain that in order to have interactivity, there must be effort given in one way or another.  A response from one party must be able to be given or enforced through action onto the other side.

Personally, I see the extreme complexity in attempting to define interactivity.  It must involve two-way communication or, at least, have the potential or capability of having a channel through which two way communication may take place.  Never before have I contemplated as deeply the complexities of defining interactivity until now and I find it very puzzling, yet intriguing.  I use the word most commonly when speaking about technology or media in one way or another.  There are actually many more factors which must be examined before making a conclusive definition of the word.  Interactivity allows one to expand their world beyond what is possible without it.  It must involve more than one entity.

~Bush, Engelbart & McLuhan~

Bush, Engelbart & McLuhan are similar in their writings and views on the innovation of technology and information processing. All three of these intellects presumed the future of technology and the positive role it would play on human intellect.

I found this very interesting to observe the opinion and viewpoints each had to offer. Bush and Engelbart seemed to have a more positive outlook on technology and its possibilities in the future to enhance and expand human cognition, intellect, information processing, organizing, and retrieving.

Bush focused very much on his fear of losing information because there was no way for humans to store their ideas in an organized manner. Bush had a strong idea of what would eventually become the “Web” as he describes bookcases of ideas and storage platforms. Engelbart then goes on to describe what I found interesting, the idea that, in the future, we would be able to find synonyms and antonyms on a searchable database. This has undoubtably come into fruition.

All three of these men had amazing foresight on what would eventually become the Internet. They all discussed ideas based around the information technology realm and how this would enhance human intellect, thus promoting the idea of the human capacity to understand, develop, and utilize technology.

Tags: Bush, Engelbart, Innovation, Mcluhan, Technology

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