Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has grown to simply be a part of our society. In a way, I think that cyberbullying may even have replaced actual bullying. I think that some people are more likely to bully someone through various sources of new media. Face to face confrontation is uncomfortable for most people, but with the invention of the internet this is not necessary anymore, but the same results can be attained, sometimes even worse results. I think that websites like myspace and facebook are the biggest sources of cyberbullying because of the amount of information that one puts out about themselves on these types of sites. They become targets for certain information that they post. My sister who is a 7th grader has told me countless stories about kids who have been bullied on facebook, which then translates into real life fighting or isolation. I think it is a shame that these types of issues come from websites that have the potential to be so positive. However, everything in life has its downsides and I suppose cyberbullying is one downside of new new media.

How Non-Voters Can Keep Up With the Rankings

Digg is a site that I am not familiar with. However, after reading the chapter in Dr. Levinson's book New New Media, I have an idea of what it is like thanks to websites such as Stumbleupon and Mashable.

I found the Ron Paul section to be pretty interesting due to the stories about Ron Paul that were "Dugg" by readers, despite the fact that he did not even win the primaries. Dr. Levinson points out the usage of Digg by people (who claim to be) 13 years or old. There is a 5 year gap of teenagers who can use the site, but are not able to vote. Dr. Levinson says there are several factors why this occurs, but most importantly it could be due to the young audience that Ron Paul targets rather than Barack Obama who targets those people between the age of 18 and 30. So rather than this occurrence of "gaming" on the website, it seems that the age difference plays a role in online politics as well.

Towards the end of the chapter, Dr. Levinson talks about the "Alexa ranking," which made me curious to see how much it has changed. As it turns out, Google is the number 1 website (which probably held that spot when this chapter was written) and Facebook has moved from number 5 to number 2. MySpace, which was ranked number 7, is now ranked number 63. And these new rankings have occurred about 2 years later than when the book was written.

Not only were "Top Sites" posted, but so were "Hot Topics." The one that I think is worth mentioning is FireFox 4, currently ranked at number 3. FireFox is one of the leading web browsers today. After experiencing some competition from Google Chrome (and let's face it, it doesn't receive any competition from Internet Explorer), FireFox is being updated with some pretty cool improvements. The official update can be download starting tomorrow. To see some of the features in this update, check out the following link from Mashable, a site similar to Digg. I can't wait for this update!
http://mashable.com/2011/03/10/firefox-4-guide/

Myspace

I remember when I first found out what Myspace was in Middle School. The thought of it was kind of scary, truly a mother's nightmare - you know catch a predator type scenarios. Myspace always seemed more public then Facebook. One of my friend's was really into Myspace - really cool layout and pictures. People used to make fake Myspaces of her and send her creepy messages, so that kind of weirded me out. However I did use Myspace to listen to different band's music and find out about their concerts, but now I wouldn't find much use for it because of the usefulness of Grooveshark and Pandora. With all of the new websites we have access to, Myspace just seems outdated.

MySpace?

Never had one. I've rarely even been on the website, so my thoughts on the subject are pretty vague. They're a lot like Pokemon cards to me; I never had them and I never used them. Even the times I was on MySpace, I distinctly remember not enjoying myself. Generally speaking, I can't understand why anyone would want their computer to instantly and without warning produce music of anothers choosing.

Let's see what Brian has been up to!

Wow, no thanks on that horrible Lil Wayne song, Brian.

Features like that, in addition to profile customization, polarize a lot of people. Facebook is precisely the opposite. Just through browsing your blog post titles, it seems that many of you have the same feelings about MySpace.

MySpace Mania

When I think of MySpace, I immediately think of my high school years. At the time when MySpace came out, it seemed like the coolest thing to have…having pictures, getting comments, and writing on your friends walls. Being able to decorate your page with different photos and backgrounds kept everyone occupied, especially with the feature of music. Changing my song every now and then seemed to be a very important thing back then… which is pretty embarrassing. Music pages and links were everywhere and new music was free to your disposal.

Another term that comes to mind when thinking about MySpace is your “Top 8.” These were eight spots that you designated to be your top friends...because that’s normal. Would your first spot be your boyfriend or your best friend? I remember actual fights occurring because of this whole concept. Things got even crazier when you could create a “Top 20!” The possibilities were endless.

While we thought MySpace was very fun at the time, my high school principal did not think so. I remember the day where basically every girl in my Catholic private high school was called down to the principal’s office to be met with print outs of our MySpace pages. She was not pleased with the way some girls were portraying themselves online or comments made about certain faculty members. They were concerned about our image but most of us thought this was an invasion of our privacy. In the end, there were no terrible consequences but the whole ordeal caused a lot of commotion in my small school. Clearly, Tom did not know what he was starting when he created this social network.

MySpace: Facebook's Big Little Brother

How did MySpace lose to Facebook? MySpace was launched about a year earlier than Facebook and caught on pretty well, but what caused MySpace to stop growing and Facebook to catch fire and leave big brother behind? MySpace was launched in 2003 as a social networking site that offered the idea of "friends," people who you can connect with on MySpace and talk to on MySpace. MySpace also offered many of the same things that Facebook does like messaging, statuses, etc. However it also offered music pages where bands and artists could load Mp3 files for people to listen to on MySpace and it also allowed blogging, two features which Facebook does not offer. As time has gone by, Facebook has become the little brother who turns out to dwarf the big brother. This is because when it was launched, it was based around the idea of putting the college life online and allowing people to "meet" one another before actually "meeting" them in person. The idea took off like a rocket ship, leaving big brother MySpace behind. As the years have passed and MySpace has fallen more by the wayside, one thing that MySpace does have to its and advantage and many people argue that it is the one thing keeping MySpace alive; it's music pages. These music pages allow bands and artists to put there music out there and have people on and off MySpace listen to it for free. A kind of test run that big music companies look at to try and find some new and rising music star.

In short, MySpace is Facebook's big brother, however Facebook has become the little big brother because it tailored itself to one main focus: meeting people online. MySpace is now the big little brother that is beginning to be forgotten about.

Why Aren't I in Your Top 8?

In previous classes and blog posts many people have mentioned how they feel Facebook creates unnecessary drama between friends. Back in 2004 and 2005 when Myspace was popular among the kids in my middle school, (that's right middle school, we're going way back now) there was so much drama that a bystander could confuse the school with an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

At the time, Myspace was unlike anything else out there. Many kids were still Internet n00bs, and AIM was used more frequently than even Internet Explorer. Myspace generated a huge buzz, and most people created a profile--sometimes several. I never had a Myspace profile, but I did create a few for fictional characters, including a page for a comic book character that myself and a friend created. It was more of a novelty than anything else, and once an awesome profile skin was installed, a few friends were added, and a song was chosen that would be the end of it.

Unlike my usage, however, a majority of the 7th and 8th graders in my school had real Myspace profiles--obligatory Myspace mirror profile picture included. Everyone had access to each others content because privacy was something people only considered when in the bathroom. Internet privacy wasn't a hot-button issue yet. It didn't take long for the fights to break out, especially between girls who would argue over comments, pictures, and most of all, THE TOP 8.

Suddenly, Myspace made people consider the value of their friends by ranking them in order. In an unprecedented turn of events, many kids began thinking like philosophers and communication theorists, considering the utility and social exchange theory. Worst of all, the Top 8 shared trends with the stock market--it was constantly fluctuating. It became, "what have you done for me lately?"
The arguing that arose was different than small fights that people see on Facebook today. Myspace was much more personal. Everything was customizable. Every facet of the Myspace profile was entirely reflective of you. Since people were young, insensitive, and often insulting, people were easily hurt. Tension rose and my school, as well as any others, became concerned with Internet safety and the use of social networking sites.

The Myspace I am referencing is of course very different than the Myspace that exists today. In fact, the site's banner no longer includes the word "space." I was stunned when I went on to the homepage recently to check it out. It is no longer a social network or a place for friends, but instead is home to "social entrainment." More shocking still is that it gives people the opportunity to "connect with Facebook." Looking back at what Myspace was and currently is shows how much the social network landscape has changed since its introduction. At first, many people tried importing many of the settings they were accustomed to on Myspace over to Facebook. For example, there were Facebook apps that would let people add a Top 8 or a song to their profile, but it is rare for someone to see that anymore. Ultimately, Facebook's cleaner layout and lack of fake accounts won over Myspace's customizable layout and freedom.

MyMusic

As much as I hate to say it Mysapce, the social network for creepy perverts has pretty nice "music pages". Actually, it is revolutionary and gives young inspired artists a chance to be heard. Although I don't think people like Justin Bieber should be allowed to hold a microphone up to their mouth ever, I do think that Myspace is a great way for people to get recognized.

The music pages on Myspace allow the user to post mp3's of their music and allows friends of that user to listen to the music. Then hopefully, a record company will hear about all of the excitement and become friends with you and listen to your music. This is a great way to eliminate several levels of middlemen in between you and the record companies. Myspace is new new media because it's a way that technology allows us to efficiently acquire a relationship between musician and record company without going through agents, club performances and auditions.

I mean don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of Myspace mostly because of it's privacy settings which hurt many people. However, I can respect the music pages that are on Myspace. Not even Facebook allows its user to post mp3's of music of their own. Myspace has revolutionized the music industry in a small way however it opens the door for many more unrecognized new artists.

Mac Miller - Knock Knock

Mac Miller | Myspace Video

What happened to Myspace?

Myspace is definitely a thing of the past. It is rarely used nowadays because of sites like facebook and twitter. From what I remember myspace was a premature version of facebook. It had some similar features but facebook seemed to have taken them further and develop the site a little more. When myspace was the big thing it was similar to facebook in that people's lives revolved around it. Kids would spend hours upon hours on it and when they weren't on, they were talking about it. Some people treat facebook the same way today. Myspace was a huge hit until facebook allowed those without college email addresses to sign up. Then it seemed that everyone switched over and myspace was no longer.

Looking back myspace seems like more of a forum for music, than any other social networking site. When we all had profiles, there was a feature that allowed you to post a song directly on your profile page. It seems like even now, when other sites have taken over for social networking purposes, myspace still sort of serves a music purpose. I remember last year the show Glee held a contest to try to find a new character and the auditions were held through myspace. People had to log on to vote for who they wanted to be chosen. Many bands still use myspace to try to get discovered. Although youtube seems to almost be taking over in this realm.

I personally deleted my profile after I switched to facebook, but my roommate and I went on her page last night and we discovered that myspace is now entirely different. It seems to have taken over a similar format to facebook and also twitter in some aspects. However, I think that their efforts to rebrand myspace may just be a little too late. People are too engaged in these other sites to even remember that myspace exists. The downfall of myspace makes me wonder if that was a unique thing to happen to myspace or if it will eventually happen to the more popular sites of today.

MYSPAAAACCCCEEEE

Remember the MySpace kid? Click at your own risk. Warning: foul language NSFW.

Anyway, I think besides the sheer hilariousness of the video, a statement made by one of the older brother's friends were nothing less than prophetic. "Wait till you see this when you're a senior in high school and MySpace doesn't even exist anymore!"

This video was uploaded in 2008. Assuming the kid was about 12 at the time, he should be 15 or 16 by now... That would make him a sophomore probably. MySpace as a social media site has been left in the dust of Facebook. MySpace is now hanging out with Friendster and Multiply as they bitterly watch Facebook and Twitter rule cyber space. What are Friendster and Multiply you ask? Exactly.

It's tough to comprehend how quickly technology evolves. MySpace saw its best days around 2005-2008 until Facebook finally overtook it. MySpace is still a great place for artists to post their music, but Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Soundcloud can take care of that as well. I wasn't even aware that MySpace was rebranded as "My___ - Social Entertainment." Good stuff I guess, but we're probably seeing its final desperate breaths. News Corp spent too much money on this monstrosity to let it go too easily.

What's fascinating is wondering how much longer Facebook has before it burns out or fades away. Is there any significant advancement in social media to even challenge it? MySpace spent about 3-4 years as a huge digital superpower. Let's say Facebook is probably at year 2 of it becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Will the next 2-3 years bare a worthy challenger and possible replacement to Facebook, or will Facebook roll with the punches better than Myspace?

It's just crazy to me how fast these profound elements of our media come and go now. Didn't it take several hundred years between the printing press and radio? A few decades between radio and TV and TV and the internet? Now the internet seems to be a wild west of opportunities in the media. I guess we are too deeply engrained in the whole thing to decide whether the rapid evolution of media now is exciting or frightening.

Common Features of MySpace

Wow. Myspace was such a long time ago. Honestly, I think the last time I logged on was back in middle school. From what I can remember, there were three features that me or my friends used that I noticed many other "friends" using as well.



1. Inside Jokes: I remember keeping a running tally of inside jokes between me and my friends in the "About Me" column on MySpace. I believe it started in the AIM profiles, but the space was very limited. When MySpace became the big sensation, most of my friends kept a few words that reminded them of a significant time or comment that had been made. Eventually, it got a little annoying and time consuming to mark every little event that happened in your life that the fad slowly died (as well as the fact that MySpace was constantly bothersome with viruses and spam).

2. Poetry: I was/am not good at writing poetry or even lyrics for that matter. My best friend from home, however, is. Back in the MySpace era, my friend who I will call, Tom, would post poems, short stories, or random writings in the blog section. I would read them every time I logged into MySpace and viewed his profile. Eventually, he changed his theme and began writing lyrics, which I thought was really impressive. To this day, Tom keeps a blog outside of MySpace and writes in it periodically poems, lyrics, or short stories. I was even lucky enough to compose one of his songs and perform it for my friends at a charity concert for Darfur.

3. Music: The music pages were possibly MySpace's best feature. It was an excellent place for rising musicians to accumulate a fan base and broadcast their songs worldwide. Though I am a musician, I never actually created a music page. Tom had this desire to start a band, so he created a page and listed me on it. Unfortunately, the band never actually happened and the page was pretty much a fun experiment for him. There were students at my high school who created a music page, got a decent fan base, and was able to sell some of their music on iTunes. Music pages really did help a musician's popularity. It is unfortunate that Facebook does not have similar features on their music pages as MySpace did.

The Epitome of Twitter

Electricity travels at 186,000 miles per second, while the world is around 24,000 miles around the equator. Electricity travels at the speed of light, which means any updates of messages sent via internet can all be viewed by anyone around the world instantly. This is what Twitter is all about.

Twitter makes New New Media a better and faster way of communication. Upon making this blog, I realized how out of the loop I was because I didn't have a twitter account. Twitter has become one of the most popular web sites in the world. It ranks very close to Myspace and Facebook, and of May 2009 even has 32 million people following twitter. I would estimate that today the number has grown even higher. Twitter is an amazing web site though because it allows the both the viewer and user many options.

The great part of Twitter is that the viewer doesn't even have to make posts or updates. If you just want to read some of the hysterical posts that someone makes then by all means go for it. Twitter is an interesting website that pertains to anyone who wants to communicate with anyone throughout the world. It amplifies communication beyond earshot to anyone who has a twitter account.

Twitter however, is also very fun and interesting for the "tweeter" or "twitter poster". Twitter allows its user to post any 140 character line of their choosing, pictures, audio, and even videos. Twitter has changed the world in that it has simplified and made fast travel communication more efficient. The power of the tweet can effect many different people in many different parts of the world. You can even use this website through your phone or mobile device making expressions and ideas that you don't want to forget easy to update instantly. Thanks to Twitter people all over the world can share opinions, ideas, videos and more at the speed of light. Although Twitter has yet to catch on to the vast majority, unlike sites such as Facebook, I predict that the number of "Tweeters" and Twitter accounts will rise exponentially in the next couple of years.

The Importance of Facebook in College

I became a part of the Facebook Network in 2006 - my sophomore year in high school. At first, I didn't think it was that great. With MySpace, I could design my own page, all of my friends were on there, and it was a great place to listen to uprising bands. I really liked MySpace, until it was bombarded with virus and spam. My friends told me Facebook was better, so I switched.

For high school students, Facebook wasn't really necessary. I saw all of my friends every day at school. As for the ones I hang out with, they had my cell phone number. In high school, Facebook was just a fad that everyone wanted to be a part of.

Once I entered college, everything changed - including Facebook. I don't just mean the interface of the profile (though that does change very frequently), but the way students used it. Facebook was actually important and necessary. For me, I joined several Fordham groups asking questions about the living situation, what to bring, and the different groups on campus. But then, I get the letter telling me who my roommate was. And the stalking begins! I friended my roommate just so I look at what kind of person I would be living with for the next year. Because of Facebook, I learned his favorite music, movies, tv shows, etc. I also had the chance to view his photos so I can see what kind of people he hangs out with and see if he was a party animal. I remember saying to someone during the Summer "How did people do it before Facebook?" Before Facebook, college students knew nothing, unless they actually met the roommate beforehand. Facebook was my way of preparing for the school year.

After being a part of the Fordham community for over a year now, I've come to realize how important events and groups are as well. Honestly, without Facebook, I would have no idea when any of the events occur. I don't really look at fliers, usually because I'm in a rush to get somewhere or I'm talking to someone. But if you send me a Facebook event, chances of being being there are much higher.
Whether Facebook was invented to stalk people or to bring the thousands of college students on campus together, Facebook has really made a different on college campus around the world.