New Media Communication - Assignment Example

New Media Communication Midterm Essay Question Response Identity Online Ideally, the prominence of social media has led to the emergence and rise of nonfiction online identities. Most young people subscribe to social network sites like Twitter and MySpace and Facebook to define their identities. Social media enable most young people to gossip, game, and socialize. Online identities help in establishing the viable offline social contexts. Notably, Felicia’s reflects on the game application, Gamergate hosted on Twitter that created an online identity. Identity online depends on social media. For instance, playing online games helps in developing a playful and productive identity. Online identities help in establishing a common point of interaction. Felicia’s notes, “So seeing another gamer on the street used to be an auto-smile opportunity…. Me and that stranger automatically had something in common (Paragraph 15).” The social media help users to portray themselves the way they want and create their digital presence. Notably, users adopt different online identities in different sites with the aim of representing themselves in different ways to a diverse audience. As such, we lack a universal online identity that coerces the audience to interpret the online identities (Boyd 37-38). Moreover, establishing online identities derives adverse effects to the online community. Indeed, Felicia asserts, “And thinks honestly about whether your actions are genuinely going to change gaming life for the better (Paragraph 15).” Online and Offline Life Connection We can establish a connection between online and offline life. Indeed, the social media manifests and makes visible processes that occur in offline life. The social context, identity, and practices identities, and practices in offline life shapes online life (Baym and Boyd 320-329). For instance, Felicia’s asserts her love for games and gaming which drives us to Gamergate that defines an online culture war (Paragraph 2). Moreover, the social media that entails online life promotes the capacity to make visible offline life and invites public participation. Nevertheless, we can establish disconnect between online and offline life since online life entails fictitious identities while offline life entails real identities (Boyd 35-37). The technology that hosts online life complicates offline life by reconfiguring publicity, blurring audiences and publics, and distorting the meaning of offline life (Baym and Boyd 320). Furthermore, most online information is obscure and utilized by a small audience. Community Online The online community defines a virtual community that infiltrates our real life (Rheingold 1). The emergence of technological advancements and the resultant social networks have led to virtual communities (Rheingold 23-25). Though individuals in online communities act like real people, they lack physical attributes and hence use words on social sites to present their views (Rheingold 5). Virtual communities serve specific purposes like business meetings, debates, or politics. As Felicia’s notes, that belonging to a community derives a good feeling. She addresses the Gamergate that defines an internet culture war, which involves different online communities (Dewey 1). Notably, different online communities have different characteristic and address different needs. Indeed, the Gamergate seeks to establish who belongs to the mainstream community. The Gamergate involves independent game makers and critics who criticize and object feminism in the gamer culture (Dewey 1). It also involve a community of female gamers like Felicia’s who feels that, “Causing fear and pushing people away from gaming is not the way to go about doing it (paragraph 15).” Response 2 History of the Internet and Web Joseph Licklider published the Man-Computer Symbiosis (Licklider 1) in 1960 and became the head of the computer research program at Advanced Research Projects Agency where he published the first design paper on ARPANET in 1967. The creation of the ARPANET by ARPA in 1969 was the initial step of creating the Internet. The internet had developed by 1989 after Tim Berners-Le proposal of what would become the Web. This dismantled ARPANET in 1990. Tim Berners-Lee established the first Web software in 1990. The Internet and Web have since advanced. The developers of the Internet and Web had diverse drivers that included facilitating the sharing of information between different researchers and organizations, offering high-computing power, connecting the sites, and improving network robustness and disaster survivability. Notably, significant hype and hysteria surrounds the introduction of new technologies. Indeed, the emergence of early proof-of-technological stories and global interest publicized the new technologies. The merits and failure stories of technology publicized the introduction of new technologies. The significant failure and inefficiencies of new technologies dilutes public interest on new technologies. The growing need and eminent benefits of new technologies motivate the developers to continue with innovation. Moreover, the need to understand and apply new technologies publicizes the introduction of new technologies. Joseph Licklider developed the concept of human-computer symbiosis in 1960. The concept of human-computer symbiosis relates with the technologies discussed in both videos since it allows computers to adopt formative thinking as they address formulated problems (Licklider 2-5). Moreover, the concept allows humans and computers to unite in solving and monitoring complex situations. However, the innovations described in the videos have potential demerits. For instance, the aspect of sharing data over the cloud as supported by the evolution of The Internet of Things demeans individual privacy and allows hackers to access confidential business, organization, or individual data. Furthermore, Quantum Computing is extremely expensive. Notably, the innovations described in the videos will have social impacts because they will allow users to communicate, search for employment, and mobilize people. Moreover, the will boost social sciences and enhance a photography (Bush 1-3). One possible social benefit of innovations described in the videos is that it will facilitate the tracking of our health and living conditions. Response 3 Home Page of End Ebola Now Specific parts of the home page increase the possibilities for mobilization, identification, and community building. The stories of people who have accepted the ShakeEbolaOff Challenge persuades and mobilizes people to identify and participate in the initiative (End Ebola Now 1). The narratives in the Web page occur in the context of dancing that play a huge role in West African culture, which defines social relationships. Moreover, the presence of links to social networks (Beyer 141-143) like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube persuade and mobilize people to join the call. The strategic framing of the narrative is captivating and clear to every web user and hence the increased identification and community building as it persuades the users to take action. The webpage is credible subject to its sponsorship by Emergency USA (End Ebola Now 1). It is equally relevant in that it addresses a fundamental health problem that is currently prominent in West Africa. Notably, we can also view each hyperlink in a Web page as an inherently social and strategic act that relates to West African culture, history, and current agenda (Park 54-58). The home page of End Ebola Now is very effective subject to the framing of its narrative, social network structures, hyperlink networks, strategic framing, and credibility and relevance of the web page. Clearly, this home page can mobilize social movements and political movements towards addressing Ebola in West Africa. Response 4 The establishment of a gap within the group of people who have access to technology – a gap between those with technical skills in computing and programming, and those without such skills, who simply use the technologies created by others is very important. As a medium, programming is a fundamental aspect in that it describes processes thus defining its significance in cultural literacy and developing new media practitioners and theorists (Mateas 7). A significant portion of the global population especially in the developing nations lacks the necessary skills to design or program these technologies. In fact, only technology gurus or individuals with significant knowledge in computer and information technology can compute and understand effective technologies. This gap is important since it defines the need to enhance and initiate computer and information technology studies for purposes of guaranteeing continued innovations in this field. Addressing this gap will ensure that the world can design and understand specific tools that will address specific technological needs (Mateas 6). It will also derive knowledge on programming languages and the effectiveness of specific technological tools, which will have an overall effect of boosting the input and output of such technologies (Licklider 6-7). My own experience of learning some HTML and CSS has made significant difference in how I experience and use new media technologies. For example, I can now understand some specific technological tools and applications. This has helped me to develop some Web pages. Indeed, I have a media blog courtesy of my knowledge on HTML and CSS. I use the blog to initiate debates and present my views on current national issues. I predict that a major technology change in form of Google Glass will happen in the next 10 years. My prediction will alter communication especially social media interactions. Indeed, Google Glass will create a platform that will host all social media and Google applications. Through Google Glass, social media users will access all social media feeds, record videos, receive updates, and find directions using Google Maps at a go. Works Cited Baym, Nancy K, and Danah Boyd. “Socially Mediated Publicness.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 56.3(2012): 320-329. Print. Beyer, Jessica. “The Emergence of a Freedom of Information Movement: Anonymous, WikiLeaks, the Pirate Party, and Iceland.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 19 (2013): 141–154. Print. Boyd, Danah. It’s complicated, 2013. Web. 27 October 2014. Bush, Vannevar. As We May Think, 1945. Web. 27 October 2014. Dewey, Caitlin. The only guide to Gamergate you will ever need to read, 14 October 2014. Web. 27 October 2014. End Ebola Now. ShakeEbolaOff for Emergency USA! 2014. Web. 27 October 2014. Licklider, Joseph. In Memoriam: J. C. R. Licklider 1915-1990. Web. 27 October 2014. Mateas, Michael. Procedural Literacy: Educating the New Media Practitioner, 2005. Web. 27 October 2014. Melange, Felicias. The Only Thing I Have To Say About Gamer Gate, 23 October 2014. Web. 27 October 2014. Park, Han Woo. Hyperlink network analysis: A new method for the study of social structure on the web, connections 25.1(2003): 49-61. Print. Rheingold, Howard. The Virtual Community, Intro & Ch. 1, 1993. Web. 27 October 2014. Read More