Social Media and Web 2.0 Questions

1. I believe that amateur user-generated content will have more success in the near future. TV shows and advertisements have JUST began using this type of method and as of now production values have been dropping, but I feel it's only a matter of time that we will see a large improvement. People my age and the demographic within about ten or fifteen years older than me I feel are the majority of people focusing on such TV shows and advertisements, and we enjoy seeing content that we can relate to and that of which makes more sense to us. Being familiar with a product and seeing how it is useful to someone of my age would make me consider buying it, and same goes with watching a television show. My advice to these companies would be to continue using amateur user-generated content and be patient, the results you want will come.

2. As of right now, the only social media site I use is Facebook, and I use it quite often. I'm actually on it right now as I'm doing this assignment. It can be pretty addicting and I go on it pretty much every day. I used to have a MySpace, but then when everyone began switching to Facebook I didn't feel the need to have two. A lot of people hate Facebook, but it is actually so convenient. It is a great way to stay up to date with your friends. For instance, my buddies and I from High School have a thread where we talk to eachother all the time, share stories from college, etc. It's a great way to stay in touch. I cannot see the day where Facebook will die out, because everyone has one. Businesses now are starting to use them now to reach out to clients and advertise. So in my opinion, Facebook will be around for my entire lifetime.

3. Transparency is a very important topic for social media, and in my opinion, more controversial  than offline interaction. Being too open on the internet can cause a LOT of problems. Now a days, you can't just put any picture you want on your Facebook and expect people not to see it that you don't want to. Once it's online, it's pretty much open game. There are plenty of things that can go wrong if you are too open on the web, such as identity theft and people hacking your bank accounts. You can never be too careful with what you publish online. Another controversial issue is colleges not accepting kids due to their Facebooks. Now I see all my friends from High School misspelling their last names on purpose so colleges can't find them and see pictures of them drinking or any other risque photos. The same goes with jobs, as they can potentially do the same.

Project Part 2

My medium, the Xbox 360, is commonly known for being used for video games. However, its' capabilities go far beyond that. For instance, with an internet connection and Xbox Live subscription, a user can play another user who is located across the globe. With a headset they can speak to them while they play or even call them when they're not, just like a cell phone. If you choose to set up the camera that comes with the system, you can video chat as if you were on your laptop using Skype or Oovoo. The Xbox 360 can also play DVD's eliminating the need for a DVD player. You can download the Netflix app and watch TV series or other movies. So the Xbox 360 encompasses the capabilities of a TV, DVD player, cell phone, internet, and camera.

Project Part 1

The medium I chose to focus on is the Xbox 360.
The content includes: graphics, picture, controller, internet, camera, microphone, and text.

The message goes beyond just playing video games. The xbox 360 can be used for numerous reasons, including watching movies, TV shows, video chatting, talking with friends, and sending messages. It's various ways to communicate and entertain are taken from the capabilities of a TV, DVD players, telephone, and computer.

My image will illustrate how the Xbox 360 has some of the capabilities of all these products

3 Mediums

The Xbox 360 is one of the more important mediums in my life. I use it quite often for entertainment, and it is an interactive medium as it portrays actions on the screen that I choose. I use it mostly for video games, but can also be used to be online, talk to friends, and even watch movies on NetFlix. 

This medium allows me to play my ipod in my car and even charge it at the same time. Before discovering this I would use the  regular cassette player adapters that would constantly break and need to be replaced, but I have had one of these for over a year now. They plug into your car outlet and you tune it to whichever radio station you want, plug in your Ipod, and you're good to go.

 

This picture is an example of the new medium called "Oovoo". It is a program used to video chat with up to six people at one time. I used this a lot last year when college first started and me and my friends with all be able to talk to each other face to face at the same time, another example of interactivity.