So my time in America is slowly coming to end!!! (Insert crying)
I have loved every second of being out here and I have found out so many new and different things, that no one will understand if they have never study abroad (which I all recommend you do, England isn't so bad). Anyway this isn't a post about everything I have done here because I would never be able to stop, but it is about new media and how things such as FaceTime, Skype, Viber , WhatsApp that have allowed me to even stay connected with home.
At first there I didn't think I was going to be to bad, as I don't really get home sick. But sometimes when you needed some home comforts it was so easy to be able to ring someone around the world. Being able to just click on an app and connect to someone's else phone is amazing and I am so thank full for the app. As much as it isn't the same as being able to actually speak to them in person, it was the closest thing we had. In fact I prefer to FaceTime than ring them because I got to actually see them. Granted some days there was poor connection, but I remember and know there was time when nothing like this existed. Without this simple idea I would have no connection with my family.
Since being out here I have relied on this a lot and never realise how simple and handy it is. Communication is key and Whats app allow me to connect anyone instantaneously. Even though it is hard to contact home as they are 6 hours ahead, sometime I would forget that.
This is an important factor that has helped my along the way though, that literally I have never needed so much is WIFI. In every place I walk into I think 'Is there free wifi?' so yes wifi is the big key, since I have a tempoary American sim card, I only had the basic phone package which does not include 4G. I have to make sure I am connected to wifi in order to be able to use any of these apps. Yes I can receive text messages but most people use iMessage (which works with wifi). So even contacting people here in America is difficult unless I have wifi. So without this simple connection all will be lost, literally.
To those of you reading, think about me contacting home and having to either plan or think about the time that it is out there. Without Wifi and these apps, my year out in America would have been very different. It may have made me realise not to rely on my phone as much, maybe it would have been liberating! But it would have been very hard to not even speak to my family or friends back home.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
3D Is it really necessary?
Many films that come out in cinema now generally come out both in 2D and in 3D. This is a concept that to me shows how media and technology has developed. I remember when I was younger and occasionally some movies came out that were 3D. I used to love going to watch a 3D movie and watching parts of the film come out at you from the screen with those funny glasses.
At that time 3D movies were special as there weren't as many around to watch since technology had not been as developed in order to create these movies. Also if a 3D movies was made you were not able to watch it without wearing these glasses. However over the years this has changed.
Many films now a days allow for you to watch it in 2D and 3D, and the 3D experience is not the same anymore. 3D use to be exclusive to films but now you can have a choice. Recently I went to see the new Avengers movie. Which I thought was a really good sequel, if not better than the first movie. You learn more about some of the characters and I didn't know what was going to happen next. If you are into these sort of films I would recommend that you watch it!
I watched this film not in 3D, as it is offered in both but now 3D seems to be such a headache these days. There was really no parts that I thought I needed to watch it in 3D to get a full experience. This is the part that I no longer like about have the option to pick how you should watch it, I know a lot of people don't like the 3D movies and so having an option is god. But I feel that if the film wasn't specifically made to be 3D there isn't any point showing it in 3D, it almost doesn't feel right.
Don't get me wrong I understand having a choice and allowing people to decide what they want to see in 3D as I know some people like it. I mean Avengers could of been really good in 3D but I felt that it wasn't necessary, it wasn't made to be 3D so it shouldn't be shown in 3D. I just don't like the way a film can be both things, I feel like if a film is 2D then when it becomes 3D it almost seems fake. I know I have in the past seen a film in 2D and then seen the same film in 3D, while I was watching it in 3D I was waiting to see what would come out of the screen. Maybe I have just grown out of the stage of watching things in 3D and I don't get the same experience as I did when I was a kid. But I would love if films were made to be 3D and you could watch it in 2D if you wanted, not made in 2D and could be turned to 3D as I feel that doesn't work the same way.
Blog Prompt - Does Social Media help?
There are many ways people utilise social media to help get certain ideas or political messages out to other people. Social Media acts a good tool to communicate with a large group of people to share and spread this message, however not everyone has the same views and some people don't want to have political or even religious views forced upon them. Riots and protest happen all over the world.
In 2011 in England and 29 year old black male was shot dead by police as a results many people protested in the forms of riots in the London area. Many people of all generations and race took part in these riots. Several violent crimes happened, police vehicles were destroyed, shops, businesses and even homes were robbed and damaged. It was a huge deal and took many efforts to stop.
What does this have to do with social media? Well these riots started out in London and ended in cities all over the UK, the media called this 'copycat violence' because of what happened in London other cities started to protest aswell. Social Media played a role in these riots as many rioters used Facebook, BBM to organise their activities and the places they were going to rob next, they would post pictures showing their faces of the stuff they had stole or crimes they committed. Twitter acted as a place people could voice their opinions on the riots and where the message spread about the riots started. It seemed like everyone was talking about the riots because it was in the media and part of social media for weeks.
In this case social media was not the initial cause for the riots, it just help spread people message and make people aware of what was happening. In general I think this is the case for most political and religious movements, that social media isn't the cause people just use it to reach out to others as it is a good tool to speak to several of people all over the country. At the end of the day if people were not talking about it on social media or online then it wouldn't be in the media. Nowadays people just get out their smartphones and record what they are witnessing and then upload it on the internet for people to see. Just because some people upload this or video the protest, with the London riots videos were taken and CCTV footage was used to show other people. The internet and social media just act as a tool to show others what is happening around the world, sometimes it may help the movement and other times in may not it just depends on the amount of coverage and involvement people have. People like to be involved and able to relate to the subject, also generally if the government or political people are to blame people tend to be more involved as it will effect them.
In 2011 in England and 29 year old black male was shot dead by police as a results many people protested in the forms of riots in the London area. Many people of all generations and race took part in these riots. Several violent crimes happened, police vehicles were destroyed, shops, businesses and even homes were robbed and damaged. It was a huge deal and took many efforts to stop.
What does this have to do with social media? Well these riots started out in London and ended in cities all over the UK, the media called this 'copycat violence' because of what happened in London other cities started to protest aswell. Social Media played a role in these riots as many rioters used Facebook, BBM to organise their activities and the places they were going to rob next, they would post pictures showing their faces of the stuff they had stole or crimes they committed. Twitter acted as a place people could voice their opinions on the riots and where the message spread about the riots started. It seemed like everyone was talking about the riots because it was in the media and part of social media for weeks.
In this case social media was not the initial cause for the riots, it just help spread people message and make people aware of what was happening. In general I think this is the case for most political and religious movements, that social media isn't the cause people just use it to reach out to others as it is a good tool to speak to several of people all over the country. At the end of the day if people were not talking about it on social media or online then it wouldn't be in the media. Nowadays people just get out their smartphones and record what they are witnessing and then upload it on the internet for people to see. Just because some people upload this or video the protest, with the London riots videos were taken and CCTV footage was used to show other people. The internet and social media just act as a tool to show others what is happening around the world, sometimes it may help the movement and other times in may not it just depends on the amount of coverage and involvement people have. People like to be involved and able to relate to the subject, also generally if the government or political people are to blame people tend to be more involved as it will effect them.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Explicit Content
Since Apple has done its recent IOS update it changed the emoji keyboard. It now has a more racially diverse keyboard as each person/ hand emoji has a variety of skin tones to make it more realistic.
Now this is a good move by Apple, not only did they add this feature they also added a few new emojis. However there is one that people are still demanding from them and Microsoft are the ones to try it first.
In there latest update 'Windows 10' Microsoft have added the 'middle finger emoji' this seems to be of a high demand to many people
According to many sites, Microsoft is the first to try out this emoji. Now that Microsoft have revealed this emoji I wonder how long it will take for other platforms follow suit and do a new update to include the middle finger as part of the keyboard. Especially since right now only Microsoft customers are the only ones able to use it right now.
Technology.. Whats the problem?
There are many debates about how technology is the cause of many problems, for example how people blame violent video games to explain when children act out or misbehave and as Boyd suggest in her book 'Its Complicated' technology seems to be peoples explanation for cyberbullying.
As Boyd suggest adults are quick to blame technology and especially SNS such as Facebook as the cause of the cyberbullying. It is a lot easier to bully someone over Facebook or any of these sites because its quick, a lot of people will see and most importantly people tend to take part in cyberbullying because they are able to hide their true identity. Using SNS allows someone to spread a rumour or gossip to hundreds of people, you will tell one friend who tells another, who tells their friend and the list go on. Soon a small piece of information has been twisted, changed and potentially could be used against someone.
However I agree with Boyd in her explanations of Cyberbullying. Parents seem to always look for something to blame, when something is wrong. In this case when cyberbullying occurs technology seems like the easiest blame. A lot of the time parents miss the real reason as to why bullying is happen and although they may not be bullied online chances are they still are being bullied in real life.
Now I am not saying that technology plays no part in cyberbullying, it does enhance it as people are able to reach many people instantaneously. But even if technology wasn't there people would still get bullied, it just happen SNS are another place that the bullies target victims. Social media isn't the root of the problem and adults should focus more on the bully in real life and not use social media as the blame.
As Boyd suggest adults are quick to blame technology and especially SNS such as Facebook as the cause of the cyberbullying. It is a lot easier to bully someone over Facebook or any of these sites because its quick, a lot of people will see and most importantly people tend to take part in cyberbullying because they are able to hide their true identity. Using SNS allows someone to spread a rumour or gossip to hundreds of people, you will tell one friend who tells another, who tells their friend and the list go on. Soon a small piece of information has been twisted, changed and potentially could be used against someone.
However I agree with Boyd in her explanations of Cyberbullying. Parents seem to always look for something to blame, when something is wrong. In this case when cyberbullying occurs technology seems like the easiest blame. A lot of the time parents miss the real reason as to why bullying is happen and although they may not be bullied online chances are they still are being bullied in real life.
Now I am not saying that technology plays no part in cyberbullying, it does enhance it as people are able to reach many people instantaneously. But even if technology wasn't there people would still get bullied, it just happen SNS are another place that the bullies target victims. Social media isn't the root of the problem and adults should focus more on the bully in real life and not use social media as the blame.
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