The Next New Thing

New media has always been used to fulfill consumers' needs. Where previously needs were not well defined or perceived not to exist, companies sought to create those needs and sell that idea. One area of need that has not been fulfilled is tracking and using locational data in real-time. This can be in the form of a mobile app or social networking site, and can be used to track where someone parked their car, open parking spots in a parking lot, sharing locations with friends to facilitate in-person meetings or share landmarks, gas prices or restaurant locations while traveling by car, bike, foot or plane.

Wiki So Far

So far, I have updated the Cloud Computing page to include information about Dropbox, as well as the Dropbox logo for reference. Dropbox is a major cloud storage solution that should be included on any page describing cloud storage solutions. In addition, I would like to add more content to religion, which is a large part of my life. Since there is a lot of content online related to religion in New Media, I will include references to those in future updates. Finally, music is an area that interests me, but since there is already a lot of content there, I will edit content on streaming services as the area continues to grow.

P2P File Sharing

File sharing, as its name suggests, is the distribution and download of files through the internet. The files range from music, to books and movies, and the uploader and downloader may or may not know each other (or even be directly connected, as file sharing sites may operate as an intermediary for the exchange of files). P2P file sharing, which stands for peer to peer file sharing, is sharing files across a network of peers--computer systems that participate in the network. Among the most common types of files shared include digital media. According to the article, "The BitTorrent Effect," Clive Thompson shares how people use BitTorrent to share Linux software, TV shows and movies they missed and music. P2P file sharing has changed several media industries. For example, the ease with which people obtain music through torrents has decreased the public's willingness to pay to own music.

Source:

Thompson, Clive. "The BitTorrent Effect." WIRED Magazine. January 2005. Web. Accessed 25 April 2015. http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bittorrent.html

Privacy & Confidentiality

Privacy is a big concern for new media. During the development of computer science in the 1940s to 1950s, there wasn't a concept of ownership of code. However, when personal computer use became widespread, companies sought to commercialize computer programming by collecting and selling user information. This sparked a debate regarding the extent to which user information belongs to companies or the user himself. One area in which privacy is a big issue is online advertising. Social networking sites, for example, host information about the user on their servers by the nature of the service social networks provide. Advertising companies can buy information regarding the end-user's interests and market themselves to certain users. Moving forward, a set of principles to guide the collection and use of personal information would help appease users, companies which collect personal information and companies which use personal information.

Advice to Baruch College

New media can be used in such a way to improve Baruch. One clear way is social media. While several departments in Baruch use Twitter--namely, the Starr Career Development Center (SCDC) for example--the platform can be used to make announcements or share links to helpful resources. For example, on a potential snow day, Baruch can use Twitter or Facebook to post updates so that students remain informed. Another way Baruch can use new media is to integrate the Wiki approach in Blackboard. For projects involving collaboration or professors who encourage study groups, Wikis can be a great way for students to aggregate information. Blackboard as it is right now allows students to connect through forums, but only through conversation; Wikis would add a production element to communication as well.

Creativity and New Media

One of the main new media channels that fosters my creativity is Pinterest. When I was younger and traditional media dominated new media, I used to cut out images and quotes from fashion magazines and create collages for inspiration. These collages consisted of outfits, role models and other images that would remind me what makes living worth it. I would use these collages for binder covers, as posters around my room, and make them with my friends as gifts for mutual friends.

Now, Pinterest gives me a similar outlet in my life. When I see something inspirational on the Internet, I pin it to one of my Pinterest boards. These boards are now a collection of things that I love and challenge me to chase after my dreams. I've also used it to collaborate on two separate weddings in the last year with other bridesmaids, pinning ideas for wedding decor, music playlists and dress ideas (these boards are private at the brides' discretion).

If you'd like to see my Pinterest, you can find it here.
I hope it fills you with joy and reminds you to chase after your dreams.

Creativity

One of new media's strengths compared to traditional media channels is collaboration. There is much more collaboration of ideas thanks to the accessibility of new media to common citizens, whereas in traditional media, there is a clear consumer of content and producer of content. The exchange of ideas only flows from producers to consumers, usually in exchange for the monetary value of having access to the media.

This kind of collaboration takes creativity to a new dimension. According to the New York Times article, "Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers," Claire Cain Miller points out that the Internet allows a large group of people to exchange ideas easily and quickly, and computing tools give people the power to translate their ideas into a tangible form cheaply. For Twitter, this allows the consumers of the product (users of Twitter) to crowdsource ideas of how Twitter can be used, and the producers of the product (Twitter itself) to respond and put the ideas into action. For other types of content, new media allows increased collaboration between a diverse group of people.

Citations
Miller, Claire Cain. "Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers." The New York Times. 25 October 2009. Web. Accessed 31 March 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html?_r=0