Val's New Media Blog

So far I have been researching two topics that I would like to contribute to the course wiki. I would like to talk about a youtube vlogger that has influenced me over the years, clothesencounters. Jen, the star of the channel vlogs about fashion, makeup, and life experiences. The next contribution I am researching is the use of food influencer Instagram accounts. Users like @noleftovers and @lieats are just a couple of influencers that drive insane amounts of traffic to local food spots. Youtube and Instagram influencers use new media to advertise and share their experiences and reach several audiences.

     File sharing is when a file is shared from one computer to another over the internet or network. Files can include pictures, videos, or music. P2P file sharing is peer to peer file sharing, and this is when a network allows users to search for files on other users computers. Basically, p2p file sharing allows anyone in the network to search the other users in the network. This is a convenient method to file sharing but often ends up in illegal sharing of files like music or videos. A famous p2p file sharing network is Limewire, but the network was shut down in 2010 because of the abuse of illegal sharing. Another example of a p2p network is The Pirate Bay, a network often used to torrent, and download music  or videos from other users computers. The NYT article "Digital Pirates Winning Battle With Studios" by Brian Stelter and Brad Stone, mentions Warner Brothers, and their huge campaign to try to combat the illegal spread of the Batman movie through p2p file transferrin

New media makes it hard to have privacy and confidentiality. New media gives people access to the public in a way that even threatens privacy. The NYT article "The Wild West of Privacy" by Joe Nocera, points out that our favorite sites like Google and Facebook are using data retrieval tools to find out more about us. These features are scary when you think about. I was recently talking to a coworker and she told me about a crazy experience she had. Her and her husband hadn't been sleeping well for a few nights so they had a discussion the next morning about buying a new mattress. Now, neither of them had used their phones or computers to search for mattresses online but that same day she kept seeing Mattress Firm advertisements on Facebook. She is convinced that her phone was able to pick up on the conversation with her husband about getting a new mattress. How crazy is that? I really do fear the future in terms of hackers being able to access private information through

     New media would be a great addition to Baruch’s communication strategy. There’s several ways it could be introduced into the communication mix, but I believe a stronger presence on Twitter is the best way to go.      I would advise each academic department and student services department to have a Twitter account as well as a person who manages the account. Baruch has some presence on Twitter, although it isn’t used for effective communications with students.      Each academic department could engage with students by having personalized hashtags and creating conversations. Once the use of twitter takes off, I’d advise the departments to have professors use twitter for discussions specific to each class. Students are very comfortable with the platform and having conversations via twitter could be great for those who don’t get their ideas out in the classroom.

I'd have to say the closest thing to a "second life" that I've created is my Bitmoji. But to be honest, I LOVE my Bitmoji! My avatar really does resemble me and it's so easy to bring it to "life" when I use Snapchat or message my friends. There's pretty much a Bitmoji design to match everything I'm feeling. Snapchat recently added a "Snap map" and my Bitmoji shows my friends where I am. This is brings the Bitmoji game to a whole new level.

I read Brooks Barnes' article "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?" and learned that corporations like Nickelodeon and Disney see the value in allowing people to create humorous content with their original content. It's crazy to think about how often we see mash ups on social media and don't think anything of it. I remember the first time I saw a mashup of Spongebob on Facebook and I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Someone had voiced over a scene from the show and turned it into a "dirty" skit. There is a clear benefit for Disney/Nickelodeon when someone chooses to use their content for creative mashups. It puts the characters in the minds of viewers and draws attention to the corporations. However, the article does note that Disney is not as lenient with use of their material as Nickelodeon is. Disney "picks their battles."