The Next New Thing

I think the next new thing will be the power of internet to be used to let people experience third life. People can log online and create their own Avatars using 3D camera technologies. They can really transcend into these new world technology. Sitting in front of their computers they can travel the whole world. I am looking at things that will combine the powers of second life like new media and Google earth like software to take people to places using their computers.It would be like the early Star-War series that can send scanned images of people to remote locations in a virtual world.

P2P File Sharing

File sharing is a concept where the content creator or content owner lets it to be available to those who need it. File sharing takes place mostly via internet. Two people or their computer resources are used to carry out file sharing. Some  of software that enable file sharing in P2P modes are Lime wire and Bit Torrent. Lime wire is under fire from the government for sharing some software through their networks, which was illegal.

So the open sharing of software and files is under strict pressure from the media creators such as music companies, movie production houses and software manufacturing companies. Also issues such as illegal and unauthorized virus distribution inflicting damages to the unguarded or unprotected computers over the networks is on rise. These viruses can wipe up data on unprotected computers and hackers can really compromise data security of big firms. This can lead to identity thefts as well.

P2P file sharing good for open source, freewares, or other files that are not subject to copyright laws. As long as file sharing is legitimate it can be useful. Regulators are constantly monitoring these P2P networks for illegitimate use. Once detected they are either shut down like Napster or remanded to  court orders to stop functioning, like Lime wire.

Privacy & Confidentiality

New media has lot of potential for people to collaborative, and make creative production of works. It is a boon if it is rightly used. But since it has inadequate policing for now the risk are equally concerning. My special focus is on children not of age who are exposed to this media such as YouTube and Facebook. Kids can access lot of information that is inappropriate for them. Sometimes some kids can get into trouble. Sometimes inappropriate clips pops onto their screens. Also you do not know whom are you dealing with. They might be a stalker or a sex predator. You never know.

As new media bring its benefits, it also brings along with it its ills. If the ills are well controlled and communicated to the global community as whole. Those risk can be curbed out and it can be used for the welfare and advantage of the society.

Creativity and New Media

I have picked this Avatar as it reflects my lifestyle in the second life. https://my.secondlife.com/shabbirdalal. We all imagine ourselves to be different a bit than ourselves to a degree. I feel I could loose a bit of weight and change my clothing styles a bit. More like what I have in this avatar . I think I can still live my dream on the side on this second life. I am amazed how a person can just by the control of a mouse and keyboard can alter his emotions and feelings of a being. My mind is boggling as I have entered into this creative world of imagery and reality. It is like seeing the horizon but never really finding one.At this point of time I feel I have found the gate to heaven ;-)

I think if one spends too much time on these creativity and new media virtual worlds than one can tend to get disconnected from the reality. This gripping and addictive virtual world can be misleading as well. Also people will end up spending more time in their virtual world and miss on real world challenges.

Creativity

New media definitely fosters creativity. People can create their imaginary world  via this new media tools. One such tool that is mentioned here during this weeks assignment is the second life. I can draw my first reference to the Avatar that one can create. If you are really computer frenzy, you can add your own picture to create an avatar out for your own picture. Initially you can even dress up like the way you want. You can have hairstyles, clothes, and many other customization to you likings and moods. You can be in one place one second and another place in next.

One very good citation from our readings that dominate my thoughts about creativity is about the room 100 from the Chelsea hotel. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html. This is a very good example of creativity using  the new media.Over here the author throws light how an old hotel is brought back to life, and it is much different in the real life. It is up to the creativity of the creator that can create wonders and probably bring history to life. I am sure it has its pros and cons to the creativity and the mindset of the creator. Sometimes things can even go haywire giving unwanted results or creating an evil design.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

I think modelling reality with the virtual world can be considered as a web 3.0 media. The level of complexity and the level of creativity has gone to the next level. I was surprised how complex this whole 3D world is going to be. For a novice coming from the age of Web 1.0 . He/she is going to faint ;-). I am just amazed and amused at the speed of transition from Web 1.0  to 2.0. Everything real is getting created on the web. The virtual world. But these virtual worlds can definitely be used positively as people are facing time constraints. This virtual world can be a new form of socialization. It gives lot of food for thoughts. It has no boundaries, no travel required. You can do not have to be dressed up. All you need to enjoy and prosper in this virtual world is a good etiquette, manners, right frame of mind and little bit of creativity. With this right mix you can enjoy living and thriving in these virtual worlds.The different way these virtual worlds can be used is to hang out with friends, share thoughts, hang out at virtual clubs, share virtual assets, seek company or find people to talk with  and also seek out jobs

Virtual worlds can be a good resource for people who face challenges going to places. It can be used to generate a lot of good for people who are restricted in the real world by means of financial hardships, human disability or a disease. A very good reading  that I would like to cite is the one where a kid with autism steps out of his boundaries of the real world and embarks on the a journey that unites so many people like him, other helping hands and Professional on that subject matter, in the virtual world. This example clearly indicates that virtual world has many advantages. If it is used with the right intent, a good cause and a good direction. It can benefit a lot of humans in the world. It can be a ray of hope to those people who face an uphill battle presenting themselves in real world.  http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText. With reference to the autism readings one can clearly conclude that  modelling reality with the virtual world has a winning advantage.

On the other hand there are some disadvantages geared towards the virtual world. I think people have too much freedom in the virtual world. Though it is growing, more and more people will enter the virtual world. Policing for these virtual world is not at the best. Though it is self regulated by the residents, as they are called in second life, Still they are not enough. One person can create a lot of damage and fear among the happy residents. Also I feel if it is not able to regulate the use by children, it is really harmful. Sometimes kids do things that they should not do in their virtual worlds. They could be in their adolescence  and one mistake on the virtual world can haunt their real lives. So virtual world has repercussions on real life.

Creativity is taken to the next level. It is just matter of time that some smart people out there will be able to mash up Google earth like software and you as an avatar will be really visiting the place through satellite image transfers. More like the Star wars show. One recent creativity into the virtual world is mentioned in this this reading. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/thecity/03virt.html.
In this reading a resident of PA created  a virtual world of Chelsea hotel, the way he envisioned it from its past pictures.It is a gift of all Chelsea hotel lovers.

The future of this virtual worlds looks very bright and challenging. Bright because it offer a more dynamic interactions from its residents and removes their barriers in terms of transportation, disabilities, physical presence, and grants creativity the freedom to bloom to the fullest possible extent. On the other hand it is challenging to monitor the ills that come with the person being glued to the virtual world. Sometimes people get too carried away into the virtual world and that could haunt them  in the real world. Policing the virtual world as it grows from its baby age to if full fledged use will be a concern for the programmers and the law enforcement agencies. They will need to be trained to monitor those virtual world. A new breed of police power will need to be in place to stop any unwanted act sprawling out into the real world from these virtual worlds. All in all it seems that the pros out weighs the cons and if it is well contained can lend a good cause to the human race, which is getting stripped of time in maintaining social presence, and be part of the community and avoid isolation.

Social Networking Sites

I think the social networking sites are unique in many ways and have some common functionality. The common thing that they have is that they are used to digitally exchange information over the internet. When I say digital I meant to say digital information in the form of music (Myspace),  video(YouTube ), pictures (Facebook) and notes(Twitter). This was my impression. And to a very large extent Myspace overlaps the layout of Facebook. YouTube is largely videos. And Twitter is largely used for status updates due to its limitation for 140 words.