Connie's Two Cents on New Media

As online chatting becomes more apparent in society, more accounts on various platforms are created daily. To separate one profile to another, people will tend to create avatars, uploads pictures, and generally, have something that would greatly distinguish their account from others. Other than that, many platforms such as Bitmoji (which has since been acquired by Snapchat) enable users to create personalized cartoon avatars of themselves. Bitmoji can currently be linked to be used on Snapchat, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Slack, and Gmail. Nowadays, there are many websites that allow for creating a personalized avatar. Below are three such examples using Avatar Maker (a Google Chrome extension), Avatar Maker (avatarmaker.com), and Avachara (avachara.com/avatar/). The avatars could be as simple or as fancy as the user wants depending on what he/she wishes to use it for and/or how much he/she is willing to pay for extra features. In the past, I remember creating individual avatars

New media has taken over a huge part of society in that people refer to new media platforms for news, entertainment, research, etc. Many people take to new media to show off their creativity such as by remixing a song, composing a song, sharing photos, etc. For example in the article "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?", users edit clips of Disney films to make a music video or create a comedic video. With new media, users can constantly be inspired to do something and have a platform to share their work over the internet for others to see. With the huge influx of social media's presence, people utilize new media to show their comedic side. They create memes, make short videos on Tik Tok/Vine, create parodies of celebrities/current events on Youtube, etc. Similarly, they can turn to games where they can create avatars and develop a new life and explore the alternate world. Whatever they make might not be realistic, but it allows them to test their c

Virtual worlds are computer-based simulated environments, in which users can explore another dimension. As stated in the article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?", we can use virtual worlds in "education, in delivery services, or as an advanced form of telehealthcare....Virtual worlds can give us social connectivity, built-in support groups, and ways to avoid ever being alone again." Virtual worlds could act as a place of training, where soldiers and healthcare providers are given situations, similar to real-life experiences, to solve/work with. As they are able to experience a variety of possible situations, if the event does come up in real life, they can be prepared, both mentally and physically. Due to the web's role in society, more people become users of virtual world. There, they can utilize their creativity to create worlds and relationships with other users. Per the article "I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life"

A Twitter discussion could be limiting due to the character limitation. People could be reluctant to make long posts, give details, and explanations. In comparison, a BlackBoard discussion is limiting to the number of viewers (audience) which are usually only the professor and classmates. However, there is no character limitation so users could write as much as they want. On a BlackBoard discussion, posts are usually grouped together by topic and users are less likely to post about their true thoughts due to it being an educational platform (is it school appropriate). On Twitter, people are able to "freely" post about their thoughts as it is their own account. Furthermore, the public could potentially also see the posts and give their two cents. In comparison to an in-class discussion, Twitter discussions are more extensive in that people can do research before posting. In an in-class discussion, people are not able to easily do research to back up their ideas. Similarly, a

Four widely used social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not limited to being used in professional settings. Facebook and Instagram are most similar, in that individuals can have a personal account as well as a professional account. In addition, individuals can post just about anything and are not limited by the number of characters allowed (something imposed by Twitter). Of the four, I first came to know about Facebook in junior high when it became more highly used outside of college students. Facebook had just about everything a middle schooler needed, a platform to communicate with friends (messenger). Over the years, Facebook has come along by having the dark feature, which is a personal preference and plus. Instagram is easy to use in that individuals have the option of keeping their accounts private. Content is overflowing and users can find accounts to follow by using hashtags and the discover button. B

Social networking has become a great factor in today's society in that people from almost any part of the world can connect with someone else at the opposite end. As stated by the article "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting", platforms such as LinkedIn allow for employers to search for high-quality candidates. Users of LinkedIn can create a profile of their qualifications and are able to search for job opportunities. On a more personal level, people can use platforms such as Facebook or Instagram to document events, upload pictures, and create posts that could be viewed by followers and friends. Similarly, this is a social network between the user and his/her family in a different country. Even though they are miles apart, social networking allows for them to keep in touch easily. As with everything, there are pros and cons. Posting confidential information or private content on the Internet or social platforms can hit glitches and be exposed to the publ