Creativity

How can we foster creativity through new media? With access to millions of links and pictures at our fingertips is it hard to be creative? Right in front of our eyes everyday, on multiple screens, we see thousands of flashes of different images. So if we’re watching, scrolling, and swiping all day, is it so hard to find something original? Well according to the New York Times, no it’s not. In a 2007 article, Nickelodeon spokesman Dan Martinsen says, “Our audiences can creatively mash video from our content as much and as often as they like”; referencing the recent pop music mash-up video of the popular kids television show, SpongeBob Squarepants and rapper Soulja Boy’s, “Crank That”. “The postings (called mash-ups) are made by editing together snippets of animated movies and TV shows. The finished products look like music videos in which the cartoon characters do the singing.” – Brooks Barnes (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/business/media/24crank.html). Since the 2007 article came out, there’s been an outpour of newer content and phone apps that let you use that creativity. Some examples; Vine, a smartphone app which features 7 second clips created by the user, mostly for funny and quirky content. Instagram, another smartphone app, let’s you uploads 15 second video clips and photographs taken by the user. As the newer media expands and grows larger, so does our curiosity and our need to be apart of things. We use these creative outlets to feel relevant and show the world the parts of us we want them to see. So, I feel if anything the newer media has given us that stepping stone to see others creativity and to become more creative.

Creativity and New Media

Recently I purchased a Nintendo Wii U.  I am a huge fan of video games and more specifically Nintendo.  I grew up with the Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii and every single game boy.  Video games were always a great way to pass and enjoy my time in my younger ages but as I grew up and gained responsibilities my time for video games had lessened. It was refreshing to buy a new gaming console and dedicate some time to it.  I always liked Nintendo for its simplicity, I do own an Xbox one but it isn't as enjoyable as the older systems because they are trying too hard to be advanced. Nintendo games were enjoyable, very rarely online play, if you wanted to play with a friend they would physically have to come over with a controller and you had to play with them in person. However when setting up the Wii U I took notice that this time around on the their newest console, they were focusing a lot more on the online aspect. After choosing a username (which Nintendo has never done before) it asked me to create a "Mii" or Nintendos version of an avatar. I remember doing this on the regular Wii, except this time they said "Create a Mii that best suites you, other players will see this online." So now I had to create a cartoon character that I felt looked like me. After spending 20 minutes deciding which hair best suit me, I was finally finished. I liked this a lot, it gave me to opportunity to create myself in my own eyes.  Although it wasn't very detailed and looked cartoonish, I was satisfied with the end results.  I feel like everyone enjoys this process because like I said, they get to create themselves however they want to be seen. People with insecurities are able to wipe the flaws they see in themselves away, and create this alter ego of themselves.

In many situations people become so consumed in this alternative version of them   that they pay more attention to that then they do their real life.  This happens often in games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. It gives people a chance to escape from reality and live how they want to live.

Here is a picture of the "Mii" I created on the Wii U

This is the "Mii Verse" where people from all around the world can connect their mii's and communicate.  It groups you by types of games you play/like and as you can see here someone from Japan recently made an update in which I can see.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

The concept of Virtual Worlds has been introduced to us over the last few years, and while most believe Virtual reality is a new and exciting way of communication, socializing, and gaming; others are strongly opposed to it’s integration into society in the near future. Although some might question it’s uses, there is no denying that Virtual Reality tech is used for more than just gaming and entertainment like the Oculus Rift and Oculus Cinema. The health care industry has already introduced Virtual Reality tech into its world for some time now, most commonly in 3D sonograms and CAT scans. Virtual reality also serves as a cost-effective tool for rehabilitation. Stroke and brain injury victims across Europe are using virtual-reality therapy to regain motor and cognitive functions. It’s even been proven to work faster than traditional therapy.

Although Virtual Reality tech is beneficial for many uses, some might argue that while living through these worlds, some users concept of real-world interaction may be deceived. Some may actually form an addiction to living in these virtual worlds, thus neglecting their real life responsibilities. Other than the obvious negative social stigma that comes along with the over use of Virtual Reality, there are some health risks that come along with the tech. Many cases have been reported where people feel severe amounts of stress and suffer from panic and anxiety attacks directly after wearing a full occlusion head set for more than a few minutes. A recently conducted study from the UCLA Keek Center for Neurophysics show even more negative physical effects such as; motion sickness, nausea and sever eyestrain.

Even though there are some negatives, there are much more positives that come along with the use of VR tech. People suffering for social, mental and physical disabilities can experience a full and eventful life right in their own personal comfort zone. In one CNN article David Savill, creator of virtual world “Second Life”, a website that serves those with autism and those on the autistic spectrum, says that virtual world is beneficial to those who do not have the mental stability to socialize and interact in a normal setting. Savill states, "You’re not going out into the real world meeting people, you're going meeting people online and in your own home, so you're perfectly relaxed. It's just a fantastic tool to use to bring people together." –David Savill (http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText).

Virtual reality redefines the ideas of communication, expanding it from just the people you see day to day, to anyone connected to the Internet. VR tech gives you the opportunity to create a world of your own, and in our own virtual worlds we can be who we want to be, spending and doing whatever we want without consequence. These worlds give us an opportunity to do things we’d never be able to do in our every day lives. “In the real world, we may not be invited to a party at the embassy, but our avatar will.” – Ruth La Ferla (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html). I believe within the next decade that VR technology will advance and be used more and more in our everyday lives. As it keeps improving and becoming more accessible, humans will become more reliant on the technology. Although there are many negative aspects of the VR technology, the positives outweigh them. Virtual reality technology can create a useful and happier environment for those who do not have the social means to go out and socialize themselves, or even for those who would just like to meet people they would have never had the chance to have met. In conclusion, I believe Virtual reality tech is resourceful and smart piece of technology, and I am excited to see where this goes in the future.

Twitter

I love Twitter, it is a fun website.  But to me that's all it is.  Comparing it to blackboard is like comparing a pick up street basketball game with friends to a well organized league.  People take blackboard discussions more serious where as the might joke around on Twitter.  On Twitter you only have 140 characters to express your opinion where on blackboard, you can go on and on and on.  I mean I am personally speaking for myself, some people might disagree with everything I have said here but I think Twitter is less professional.  In comparison to an in person meeting, Twitter will never be as productive.  Everyone can freely speak their mind, ask question and elaborate where on Twitter, first of all everyone participating  has to be near their phone or computer to even be apart of what is going on, plus there will most likely be a lot of unanswered questions.  I don't think Twitter is good for class discussion, it's great for communicating with your friends but on a professional stand point, I don't think Twitter is a good place.

Social networking sites

There are so many different social media websites out there.  There are websites for just straight up communicating while others are for seeing pictures people are posting and even websites for just strictly videos.  We have all been on social media, but what are your favorite sites? I have decided to look at two of my favorite sites, Instagram and YouTube along with Facebook and Twitter.

Let's start off with the most notable, basic one which is Facebook.  To me Facebook is the kingpin of Social Media websites.  Facebook replaced MySpace, and when I was younger I used Facebook to communicate with my friends and meet new people, which always worked.  Nowadays I noticed I use Facebook mostly to keep up with my family, in fact I deleted my old Facebook which was filled with 1500 friends and now I have a Facebook that I have 150 friends and it's mostly family.  Facebook has it all, you can share statuses, pictures, videos, locations, private messaging and you can like/comment on all these things to show people you are interested in what's going on.  Facebook also has celebrity/fan pages but they aren't as in depth and used as much as the next social media website I am going to bring up.

Twitter istarted off pretty much as a social networking site in which people shared or "tweeted" what was on their mind.  And by adding a "hashtag" (#) you were instantly connected with people all over the world that used the same hashtag.  For example if you were watching the super bowl and you wanted to express your opinion on it for the world to see you would type in #SuperBowl and people would tweet back to you and see what you had to say.  Now Twitter is very similar to Facebook, you can share videos/pictures/locations etc.  To me Twitter is more fun, there are so many parody/meme accounts that can keep you entertained all day.  Also you get to see celebrities you are interested in personal accounts which is pretty cool.

Instagram is the newest of the four social networks I chose.  Very simple concept, you post pictures and people who follow you like/comment on them. I love Instagram, I don't post a lot of things but I follow many of my friends and more importantly pages I'm interested in.  I am very interested in cars and I follow so many car pages and I Get to make my morning commute everyday a little better by passing time by looking at all these cars I am interested in.

I think YouTube is my favorite.  I have been on YouTube the longest, and it'll never get old.  YouTube has all types of videos, music videos, funny videos, how to, reviews, short movies... The list can go on forever, whatever you are interested in, you type it in the search and thousands on thousands of videos show up.  I can't tell you how many times I have used how to videos to fix something. YouTube is great, and I think it will continue to be great.

Social Networking

Social Networking

In today's time, we see major corporations using social networking to promote their cause literally all the time. I can almost guarantee, every corporate has some type of Facebook page. Whether it is promoting of just informing what the company is all about. Whether it is fan made or official, odds are it exists. It can be used for so so so many different things. Social networking can be used to promote sales, updated inventory, it can let people know the hours of operation.  It can also be used to let employees see what is going on within the business, contact fellow employees.  In some cases Facebook has actually helps with boosting job recruiting.  "Social networking technology is absolutely the best thing that has happen to job recruiting..." -Maureen Crawford Hentz (http://www.npr.org/templates) Social networking benefits everyone, I can tell you this both as a consumer and an employee. As far as a negative side, there is a dark side to everything.. People become easily addicted, especially to social media. It could be distracting to the employees and if not updated and organized, provide false information to consumers. But I personally feel the goods out weigh the bads. If a company wants to stay relevant they have to keep up with "New Media" otherwise I feel they will become obselete. I think it is necessary to stay updated with the times if you plan on having a future. Social media and its uses will continue only to expand and be more useful with the future.  Creator of Facebook Mark Zukerburg had this to add "Facebook may explore ways to earn revenue off of the service in the future." (http://articles.chicagotribune.com) Showing that social media has a future in the world of business.