back to the future.

like what was learnt in class, the internet is definitely not being used at its full capacity. i remember one day i was talking to my dad about the internet and he commented that this is one of the fastest growing phenomenon. just 15 years ago, the word internet wasn't a very big word, and many didn't really have access to it. and just 15 years later, in 2010, not only can computers and laptops connect to the web, but phones as well. in just 15 years the internet has grown in terms of usage and as well as its capacity and capabilities.

and i guess this is all covered in this module, from social networking to the politics, businesses, and learning. the internet WILL and continue to grow, and who knows what the internet will hold for us in the future, or maybe another 15 years time.

Social networking and businesses

Social networking platforms have take a new twist in terms of usage. not only is it used for making connections in a social context, companies and businesses have taken on this platform as a tool for their business. one main reason why some people are turning to this is because of its cost. it is..very cheap, if not almost free. and after doing a research paper about this phenomenon in another class, here are the ways social media tools can be used in business.

firstly, it can be used for marketing and advertising. with the connections made through these platforms, people who are linked to this company can get instant updates just by the click of the mouse. time will not be wasted as the audience is a very specific group.

secondly, another usage would be that it could be used for public relations. this can be in the form of crisis management, if something were to happen, or a platform for direct feedback. this enhances and eases the communication between the consumer and producer.

another use for social media would be that it can be used for job recruitment. depending on the platform, people can be filtered so that people who receive recruitment notices will be those that fit the criteria for a certain job.

Companies are beginning to take up this new technology, and the public’s opinion has also been in favor of using these tools to help businesses. As such, social media tools will continue to play an important role in the 21^st century and more developments will be seen in the near future.

Citizen Journalism!

with the internet so much more prevalent now, and the publishing and release of information is so much more easier and efficient. these creates an avenue for almost everyone to write stories or report news. this method definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.

with almost anyone being able to be a reporter, news travels very fast, at an instant. from first-hand accounts to photos taken by mobile phones and videos that were taken by witnesses, this platform provided information that mainstream journalist might not have been able to cover, simply because they were not there. this then creates a more real-life report and more instant, rather than waiting for the 10 o'clock news or the newspapers to come out the next day.

however, this also poses a serious danger of credibility. with many people not discerning enough, they might believe anything that is posted on the internet. these false information might then spread like wildfire, and it can cause anything from a nuisance to creating a big hoo-ha for nothing. another problem that might arise from this is that people report nonsense or trivial frivolous stuff. one example that i could think of is the example for the website 'stomp' where members can post pictures and videos about happenings in Singapore. but basically, whatever is on the website are most inconsiderate drivers, unruly passengers and stories like those where people are more of complaining rather than reporting.

even though citizen journalism gives a fresh insight into how news is reported, the mainstream news cannot be neglected, and should be the main avenue for news and information.

internet and politiks!

Though i've heard about them, i've never really watched any of the Obama campaign videos till the ones that were shown in class. to me, in this coming day of age, as the Internet really becomes a more powerful tool, he really made a very wise decision to use the internet as his medium.

this is a GREAT appeal to the younger audiences and voters as this is the main form of multimedia they use. posting videos on youtube and making podcasts are definitely great ideas to grab the attention of the younger generation. politics is all about marketing themselves and why people should vote for them. if businesses can use social media platforms as an avenue for their businesses, politicians can use it for the same purpose too. information can be disseminated quickly and efficiently, and costs can be highly reduced as these platforms are relatively cheap, if not free.

however, i feel that this will never replace the standard traditional form of campaigning rallies and the speeches that politicians will have to make. i believe that people will still want to see the person face to face because there are certain things that face-to-face opportunities can provide.
nevertheless, the internet can really bring politics into a whole new dimension and transform the face of politics. the internet has far been utilized fully in the political scene.

multimedia and the internet!

i believe that the internet has really paved a new way for the multimedia scene, especially for the broadcasting of information and gaming. but i think the most interesting part about all this was when the videos on microsoft's project natal was shown.

i think the video demonstrations of the project natal thing was really jaw dropping and mind blowing. it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. at first it was really cool, to see the capabilities of it, especially the one about the boy named milo. the realism of the virtual character and the almost life-like interaction really blurred the lines between virtual and real. however, after a while, i realised that this was actually a bit creepy. as much as it is very cool, i think it is weird, and somewhat scary to have a virtual character react and respond to your actions and words. when i showed this video to my parents, they also had a somewhat similar response.

with artificial intelligence becoming even more advanced, i somehow don't really enjoy the picture of us talking to televisions, refridgerators and lamps. after all, the woman was actually just talking to a television right?

security on the internet!

security on the internet hasn't really been a very big issue or problem for me. well, this is because i don't really do a lot of stuff on the internet. i don't do online banking, i don't shop online. all i have are my email accounts and facebook accounts as well.

the lesson on internet security was quite interesting as it really taught me how people use the internet for scamming and other criminal purposes. and just that week, i had a real life example. in my email, i received an email from facebook saying that my friend wanted to add me, so i had to click on this link to go key in my account name and password. however this email looked slightly fishy because it wasn't addressed to me, and i already have that person as a friend o facebook. this was when i remembered the examples given during class, and so i looked at the sender's email address, and it was one that looked like it was from facebook but its not from there. i then realised that this was a phishing scam.

the class on internet security really made me realise the importance and the real dangers that come when people fall into this trap. i'm glad that i didn't.

internet tools!

my first video!

made with imovie (which i didn't know was so simple to use!), and shot with my phone (sony ericsson k850i.

it was a video from one of our practices for a valentine's day gig that i had!