Everything Has Its Downfall

Along with everything in life, there are negative things that come along with each positive. Our advancement in technology, specifically in new new media, can be linked to several negative aspects but I think this is only what you make of it. Yes, we have all heard cyberstalking and the Craigs List Killer, but this only happens when someone posts personal information to people they are not friends with. You have to be aware of what you put on the internet for this reason and these new sites such as FourSquare make this very easy for someone to follow another person. While frequent status updates on Twitter can keep others updated on your life, it can also let them know where you are physically at all times. This is only possible by the decisions that you make as an individual. These new new media sources are helpful in many ways, but these sites should not be abused. They should be used in the right way and hopefully bring enjoyment to you, making communication to others easier from day to day.

Foursquare

For the past month or so, I decided to try another form of social media: Foursquare. For those of you who do not know what this is, Foursquare is meant for a smartphone with either WiFi capability or a data plan because it tracks and shares you're location with your friends. The more places you "check-in" to, the more chances you'll unlock badges. You get points for going to a new location like a park or a restaurant. There's also a mayor for each location. If the mayor happens to be in the location when you "check-in," then you get even more points.
Foursquare is similar to Facebook in which you can have friends, post statuses, makes comments, upload pictures, and even check into a location. However, I find it kind of strange to announce every location I go to. I understand if there's a nice restaurant that you might want you're friends to check out, but there's no need to know you're home, at the park, or at a grocery store. Even you're friends really wanted to know where you are, they would either call or text you. As a default setting, all of locations and comments are public information. If you are worried about someone knowing you're location, you can set it to friends only, but that may also make you lose friends.
There is one benefit to using Foursquare and that is the special deals that are offered. Certain stores or restaurants have discounted rates or may even give away things for free just by checking into their location. For example, the Checkers located on Fordham Rd will give you a free small milkshake for every 3rd check-in. Some stores give you a discount only when checking in for the first time. Also, being the Mayor of a location can give you even more opportunities. At Checkers, every time the mayor checks in, he/she can get a free small milkshake.
If you're interested, this may be something you want to check out. For more information, you check out Foursquare's website here. Keep in mind that not all locations have WiFi, which obviously makes having a smartphone much more useful for this. If you do check it out, let me know what you think!

Evolution of Social Media

For our generation, social media is something that is an inevitable fact of life. In this day and age, things like facebook, twitter, foursquare and the like are everyday tools that are almost impossible to escape from. Personally, I am a fan of, I would say, most forms of social media. I enjoy getting facebook notifications sent directly to my cell phone and being able to check in to locations on foursquare at any moment. This, in addition to my major in communications, is partially why I chose to take this class on social media. However, I think that this sort of affinity that I have for social media is not necessarily required in order to have interest in this class. I think that most everyone, if given the chance and had enough space in their schedule, would enjoy a class on social media because of the fact that it is so present in our lives.

I can definitely understand the opposite point of view as well. I get that many people do not want to be bombarded with information from different sources at all times through every medium. I think that in the end, when used correctly and for good purposes, social media can only produce good outcomes.

Something that is not so present in our lives is the idea presented by Dr. Levinson of "new new" media. When I first bought his book for my Intro to Communications class last year I was skeptical of the title and I actually talked to someone who thought the cover of the book had a typo. After learning about what this concept actually is it definitely makes sense. I think that the first chapter of the book "Why 'New New' Media?" is one of the most interesting. The explanation that Dr. Levinson gives for his ordering of the chapters is interesting and I think that his reasons made sense at the time that the book was published, but I would be interested to know if he would order them differently today, just a year and a half later.