Creativity and New Media

 

In the pictures above, I used the new media of virtual worlds. My blog about virtual worlds I was very obsessive of them as a child and nowadays there's not many that are appealing to me. What I find interesting is the time period in which I signed up for these sites and the limitation as a regular user versus a VIP member. Everything is pretty much equal between users now. The site I used was Fresh Hotel. Its basically a virtual hotel in which you can create rooms, visit other rooms and more. The last screenshot you can see my status and how long its been since I logged in. The new update in the first and second screenshot you can see how I can change myself as well as the badges I've earned while being a member. The third screenshot I am in a room of mine but I think due to inactivity they removed all my stuff that's why its empty. Virtual worlds are fun ways to express yourself and in my avatar I have purple hair something I wouldn't necessarily do in real life.

Creativity

         New media can foster creativity by the online access provided and your personal preference combined. Online access opens you up to numerous types of people all over the world with different ideas and opinions. Someone can inspire you to do a project on a topic that is controversial and look at from both sides. You are in charge of the content you choose to see depending on who you follow. Following creative and innovative people can uplift your ideas from being in your head to physical form whether its an object, website or business. Nowadays, technology is becoming more and more normal for children under the ages of 5. If they going to use technology more, its important we instill applications or websites or games that are able to foster creative thoughts. Mulcahy provides useful tips for businesses and companies to incorporate more user-based content. YouTube is a video-sharing app with various content ranging from gaming to beauty which creates the "influencer" platform. Many businesses save money because they have a creative way of sponsoring these influencers with free clothing or free trials in exchange for their product reaching their audience rather spending tons of money on commercials.

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Works Cited:

1. How User-generated Content Can Improve Your Social Media Marketing Strategy. Lisa Mulcahy 2/26/2020  https://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/how-user-generated-content-can-improve-your-social-media-marketing-st/marketing

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

             Virtual worlds can be used for educational purposes, research and mainly used as a place where you can meet, chat and interact with people from all over the world. Virtual worlds are great for young children to explore their creativity by building characters and homes that best suit them. Its a more personal approach to connect with people. In the article "Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Simulations," the text states "Some projects have used the strategy of allowing K-12 students to become the builders of the world itself, thus translating their learning into 3D." Virtual worlds foster creativity by allowing to create a character who can represent who you are or you can make your own person who is completely different. You are in charge of your character and life, it can build your confidence. Also, it helps you design whatever you set your mind to whether your bedroom, a house, just anything that can be manifested in real life. Businesses could also implement new ideas and strategies using virtual worlds. In the article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get A Reboot", the text states "New virtual worlds can be accessed via a web browser, rather than a downloaded program." Virtual worlds benefit a space of freedom where you can be a different person and socialize with other people who have the same interests as you. A few cons of virtual worlds may be how addicting it is with the time spent on technology and desensitization. The internet can be harmful and most virtual worlds aren't as moderated resulting in possible low self esteem if not taken care of. I hope the future of virtual worlds becomes more innovative and long lasting. As someone who thrived off of these sites, many has been taken down from the government or abruptly ended. I hope the ones used for personal use become more creative and popular but for academic and business purposes they are headed the right direction.

Cited Readings:

Situated Learning in Virtual Worlds and Immersive Simulations http://mfile.narotama.ac.id/files/Jurnal/Jurnal%202012-2013/Situated%20learning%20in%20virtual%20worlds%20and%20immersive%20simulations.pdf 

After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get A Reboot. April 30, 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/ 

Social Networking Sites

     My first impression of Facebook, I didn't find all that interesting and never been a fan of. I feel as though it is getting less popular and people typically don't say "follow me on Facebook" anymore. I assign the social networking of Facebook to more of the older generation like my mother and college students because there are a lot of Facebook groups in college. I love Twitter and think its the best social networking site. I believe its the quickest way to educate yourself and see things that are hidden in media. Also, its your best bet for contacting someone or capturing your attention. Twitter is more of a trendsetter for other apps because Twitter knows information first, then the other social networking sites trickle in after with the same information. Instagram is generally lagging in the past couple of years and I believe more and more people would eventually leave the app. The timeline is the biggest problem because you don't see your followers content anymore and you'll see posts from two days ago or even a week. Instagram is great for posting pictures and most likely finding other relatives or friends from the past. Lastly, Snapchat is a great app for personal use and allows you the power to have private stories(certain people can view your story). It's fun how whatever you post can last up to 24 hours. One disadvantage is how addicting the filters are and it makes people not show their true selves using the filter as a cover up.

Blog about Twitter

     As someone who has been a Twitter user for 7 years, Twitter has definitely upgraded itself in terms of tweets. Back in the day, we can only just reply to a tweet and now you can quote a tweet or create a thread. Twitter discussion is different from other discussions because there are threads now, which are all of your tweets on related topic in one setting. Twitter is different from a Blackboard discussion in a way your tweets are opened to more views rather than limited to a certain group of people. Also, you have the power to add hashtags and that can generate more engagement if other users were looking for a certain topic. Twitter is the fastest app where things can go viral at anytime rather on Blackboard or in person. Obviously, an in-class discussion is different from Twitter because of vocal interaction. In class discussions, you can most likely match an opinion to a face and you can understand the tone of voice face to face rather from behind a digital screen.