A few media technologies I am familiar with include popular social networking sites, blogs, and YouTube. One that has me interested, but with which I am less familiar are virtual gaming worlds.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
Social networking sites are utilized for just that, social interaction. These online community sites have global audiences of all ages, genders, cultures, interests (such as computers, technology, art, literature, music, photography and science), sexual orientation, religious and political affiliation, professional background, etc. They are used by individuals, groups, and businesses, and are much like hosting your own personal webpage. Most of these technologies are interactive which is what I find most appealing. Social networking sites are used for educational purposes (like learning new languages), dating, sharing photos, displaying professional profiles, resumes and portfolios, talent scouting, connecting with potential clients and finding employment opportunities, communicating with friends, family, colleagues, government officials, clubs, organizations, and as a means for consumers to communicate with businesses about products and services (whether for profit or nonprofit).
Within social networking sites, individuals and groups often display information that describes the individual’s or group’s background and interests. Some also provide preferred links by the user to their blog or blogs they follow, a favorite video or website, news articles of interest, music, etc. The possibilities seem endless with the services provided by social networking sites. Search engines on such sites allow you to track down individuals by name, organizations and groups of interest and searches can be narrowed by city, state, school, etc. This enables individuals and groups to connect efficiently, expanding their network at the speed of light.
BLOGS
Since the birth of the Internet blogs have emerged as a powerful tool for individuals, groups and communities.
“In the 10 years since the first site known as a "weblog" went online, the blog has matured from a geek niche to the internet's dominant publishing paradigm. Blogs have come a long way since Dec. 17, 1997, when Jorn Barger coined the term "weblog" to describe the list of links on his Robot Wisdom website that "logged" his internet wanderings. In the decade hence, blogs have come to dominate the net, from 100 million personal diaries to the breaking news sections of the august The New York Times” (Wortham, 2007).
Blogs have been used as a means of communication where the amateur writer or journalist, teenager, professional and organization is able to do anything from publishing ideas, writing about their most recent vacation, advertising new product launches, trading industry secrets, sharing recipes to reporting whatever they so desire about news, politics, culture, global issues, art, finance, the list is endless which leaves the appeal open to anyone with an opinion or something to say. A blog is essentially an online diary where one can produce pages and pages of documents on whatever topics inspire the blogger. Blogs are usually made up of mostly text but also include photos and videos. As history goes, blogs have not always been easy to find, but now with the ability to connect blogs to our social networking sites, we are becoming further connected and our blogs are more accessible by our preferred groups and online communities.
VIDEO SHARING SITES
For the purpose of discussing video sharing media I will reference YouTube, specifically, but would like to make it a point to acknowledge that there are certainly other useful sites that provide video sharing services; however I will only be discussing what is within the realm of my personal knowledge. YouTube calls itself an “online video community” (YouTube LLC., 2010). This is where we go to view, upload and share videos with the purpose of entertaining, instructing, informing, advertising, and so on. From babies dancing to political campaigns, music videos to comic routines and dangerous stunts, YouTube has something for every audience. It is instantaneous, has a global reach, and is available to the average Joe and Jane user. At first glance it is a resource for information and entertainment, however it is also a place for idiocy, for better or for worse, it is a platform for arguments, ridiculous rants, and vulgar political debate, it is a place for indecencies and pornography, exploitation, and displays of racism, violence, and abuses. It could be argued that a site such as YouTube wishes to provide a service without holding itself responsible by monitoring its content and this creates problems for many. With all great creations come consequences and side effects. I can’t argue against YouTube because I love it! Because YouTube does not monitor content I, as a parent, have to monitor my child’s use of it strictly but that is certainly my responsibility, like it is with any other media. We, as consumers of this service, should be accountable for what we watch and what our children view as well. However, the legal issues that YouTube does not always appear to feel responsible for dealing with should be addressed by every responsible company, YouTube included. Only time will tell how we deal with these challenges.
ONLINE GAMING
Virtual gaming worlds like Second Life in which users design Avatars in place of their true identities I have yet to gain a full understanding. I have also yet to determine the potential positive and negative consequences of participation in virtual realities. I do not have an avatar and likely never will; however, I have heard strong arguments that would say that avatars can be an outlet for those who need an escape, and even a forum for education about other cultures.
Escaping into a world where your digital identity can be anything you want it to be seems as if it might be therapeutic. On the other hand, it could create an isolating effect where you are consumed by the other world with which you live and begin to avoid the realities of the real life character you play day to day. There is also the risk that these online identities are perpetuating stereotypes. Often times a gamers avatar has all of the individual’s strengths and none of its weaknesses. In the article titled, “Alter Egos in a Virtual World” by Ketzel Levine (2007), a women interviewed was quoted as saying “I picked the biggest, blackest guy I could find” in response to her disappointment after realizing that even in her online virtual world her avatar was taken as seriously as she was in real life due to her gender. It would appear that there are risks we take in venturing into virtual communities and those risks are yet to be fully realized.
On the flip side, some see virtual worlds as avenues to educate the real world. I read the article “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds” by Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King (2008-2009) for a course I took at Ashford University and if you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. You can find it at the following link: http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/programs/archive/002/index.html. The argument for virtual worlds to close the gaps in knowledge from culture to culture, like anything else, has its strengths and weaknesses and can be argued for its worth, but it is interesting nonetheless.
There are certainly positives and negatives that come with these new media technologies. “The hybridization of different types of new media has given way to some concerns over privacy in recent years. The potential to combine different forms of new media into one source, such as connecting to social networking, email, phone, and web banking through a hand-held device, renders one more vulnerable to identity theft via hackers and spyware” (Melanson, 2010). Although we open doors to new challenges with new technologies we also open doors to new opportunities, from professional networking to instant news reporting and virtual common grounds for people to gain awareness of other cultures.
References
Levine, K. (2007). Alter Egos in a Virtual World. NPR, Retrieved from
Melanson, G. (2010, September 8). wiseGEEK: conjecture corporation. Retrieved from
Wortham, J. (2007). After 10 years of blogs, the future’s brighter than ever. Wired.com. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/news/2007/12/blog_anniversary#ixzz14hoUyZYh
YouTube, LLC. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/t/about
