Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual Reality is a new landscape that allows people to enter new worlds through an outside virtual world. One such site is Second Life, which gained a lot of attention allowing the customization and personalization that was not there before. Once you create your own profile, you can move in the world allowing people to interact in ways people haven't done before.

Avatars are created on the site allowing residents to communicate, with other avatars, places or objects. One of the biggest things with Second life is the ability to contribute content on the site. Each avatar allows residents to create the world around them. This includes virtual buildings, objects or animations.

In the documentary, people can build content and sell it in a virtual economy. This documentary shows how people are working full time on the site earning an income. Sellers are able to sell houses, land, clothes to the mass users of the site providing their talents. People are able to earn an actual income by transferring the currency from the site to their own pockets.

With all the virtual benefits, this comes with its own downfall in the virtual world. People can have their products on Second life be stolen, hacked and cause people to create a new level of hacking. The communities are at risk of people hacking their objects, intensifying comparisons online based on the online.

The virtual world comes with an untapped market for people who want to create their own versions of themselves and design their life in a new atmosphere. This gives users a new way to look at the world, providing content creation and creativity for the mass users.

Sites:

THCBMedia. “A Second Life on Second Life.” YouTube, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV52WRXm1Cg.

https://www.howstuffworks.com/jonathan-strickland-author.htm, and https://www.howstuffworks.com/about-dave-roos.htm. “How Second Life Works.” HowStuffWorks, 8 Nov. 2007, computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/networks/second-life.htm.

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Blog about Twitter

Twitter allows creativity and brings excitement to assignments compared to blackboard discussions. The social media site encourages comments, tweets by sending notifications of users, and promoting the usage of the site. They will sent activity feed of user you follow which allows you to be on top of the events that might be happening. With my twitter account, I can receive notifications on their works and allow me to comment on them easier. The extended use of hashtags also allows users to be reached easily and provide my comments back to them with easier access. Blackboard Discussion takes away the short cuts that make social media sites attractive, the usability of twitter is seen through the work of their developers. Blackboard is well funded, but they won't go the extra mile for user content and work on engaging users the same way Twitter does.

Furthermore, Twitter will never have the same as face to face discussion but allows people to think about their answers and type it. If everyone can edit their thoughts, it would provide better discussion with well thought out answers and discussion points which will allow more engaging answers and creativity. There are multiple times when we have a class discussion regarding anything and nobody wants to participate. Twitter allows people to give knowledgeable answers and allow more people to participate and engage in user content.

Blog: Social networking sites

Four Social Media Sites I use currently include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. There is a need to talk to people from different perspectives and showing different parts of your personality to the world. Each social media site targets different segments that users can use to create content and user-generated customization. For example, Facebook holds many of my family members for a truly global connection. I would constantly see my family posting content from Indian Generated blogs that cater to their market being posted on my feed. There is a bigger sharing network with relatives, friends, and peers on your content. Furthermore, Facebook utilizes groups the best way to allow people to join communities and meet up for networking. There is an endless list of private and public groups that tailor the interests of the masses.  Moreover, the Social media site of Instagram focuses on the quality of the photo where people share photos to get their message across. If you're like me, visual content is appealing and the first thing that always catches my eyes compared to generic texts. This is extended further with the emergence of Snapchat. Snapchat allows people to instantly talk and snap each other. Twitter is my least appealing social media site that tailors to users who want to sent out quick updates of their lives and make it personal to their daily lives based on whatever is felt by the user. Twitter is currently the main communication of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Social media sites are all appealing in their own way and have their own segment that users can personalize.

Blog Social networking

Data privacy and social media have in the news numerous times regarding user protection and revamping privacy laws. This can be alarming for users who may not want to have their information stored. Apple and Google have advertising IDs for IOS  and Android apps based on where you're posting from and what you been looking at. Facebooks take it a step further by having tracking pixels that know where you've visited online and measure data based on your purchase history or which items you have viewed. We can't fully be assured if our information is private or being sold off to outside companies. Andrea Downing is one user on Facebook who is an admin for a private Facebook group for helping women at risk of breast and ovarian cancer. She was concerned that sensitive information that is shared within the private group might be tracked by Facebook. She went on to call a cybersecurity researcher who confirmed her suspicious by finding a loophole in the privacy setting for closed Facebook groups which allow developers, marketers, and others to download the membership list of groups using a Facebook Developer Account. Downing has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission regarding this loophole which can leave members vulnerable to exploitation. Cases like Andrea's are nothing new to Facebook who has come across who has created numerous attempts at manipulating the information of users on their website which entitles users to fully private groups to have their information disclosed. 

On the other hand, some users would want their information out as much as possible which provides a mutually beneficial relationship.  Ziprecruiter is a job search engine that benefits job seeks and job employers alike. Information about applications and individuals that are uploaded by the user provide allow job candidates to push their resume out in the market. Individuals are able to provide context on their job and how they can be benefit employers. 

Data information should be transparent to users who shouldn't be concerned regarding the company breaking their own promises they made. When users sign up for social media platforms there needs to be a level of commitment from the platform. Platforms have to provide proper terms and compliance for users that are easy to read, understand and not having to think like a lawyer for every move online. The future of social media platforms should provide better leadership for users to be able to have their problems addressed and not be under red flags. 

Citation

Cnn. “This Breast Cancer Advocate Says She Discovered a Facebook Flaw That Put the Health Data of Millions at Risk.” KTVZ, 1 Mar. 2020, ktvz.com/health/2020/03/01/this-breast-cancer-advocate-says-she-discovered-a-facebook-flaw-that-put-the-health-data-of-millions-at-risk/.

Handrick, Laura. “What Is ZipRecruiter: Features, Pricing, & How It Works.” Fit Small Business, 5 Feb. 2020, fitsmallbusiness.com/what-is-ziprecruiter-features-pricing/.

Blog vs Wiki

User-generated content dominates in the online world with blogs and wikis leading the way. Both types of content provide information that can be shared on the web for public or private use. They give access to people on the internet with vast information-sharing services.

Blogs are written by one person who can create and edit changes to entries, images, and other content on one page. According to BMC Med Edu, a standard blog features easy posting, archives of previous posts and a standalone. These are featured with a webpage that provides each post their own link and ability to engage in external sites. My webpage is a blog that can be read by anyone but can only be edited by me.

Wikis are a collaborative website whose content can be changed. According to UNSV Sydney, a wiki is an easily-edited set of one or more linked web pages that readers can add to or modify. Wikis can have multiple editors or authors. Our class wiki is a great example of a vast amount of knowledge that is created by anyone and can be edited by anyone. This allows people to fix mistakes others might have made on a type of post, provide grammar mistakes and takedown false information.



Citation

Boulos, Maged N Kamel, et al. “Wikis, Blogs and Podcasts: a New Generation of Web-Based Tools for Virtual Collaborative Clinical Practice and Education.” BMC Medical Education, BioMed Central, 15 Aug. 2006, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1564136/.

Chancellor, Vice. “Blog, Wiki or Forum - Which Should You Use?” UNSW Teaching Staff Gateway, 28 Nov. 2018, teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessment-blog-wiki-or-forum-which-should-you-use.

Social Networking: A Purposeful Loss of Privacy

Privacy is an expanding area that has been more prevalent than any other time in human history. As the world becomes digitalized, there need to be guidelines for users on their privacy protection rights. The constitution covers a small aspect of this area, but it doesn't provide users the rights they should know when searching the web. Many online technology organizations have been quick to expose this flaw by profiting off the vast collection of information that users feed to their website. Of course, companies will provide their privacy statements when you register in fine print that is not easy to read and leave users prone or vulnerable to rights that they might have missed in these statements. 

These issues become a prominent threat for companies that are targetting young adults and children who can be easily targetted for their lack of knowledge online and those who might not fully grasp the dangers of sites that target their online activity. Social media sites are mining through every user's data and selling this information to outside companies. I plan to talk about the strategies social media sites use to collect information, the dangers of using online social media and how it can affect every online user's life.