Convergence Culture

Convergence culture as described by Jenkins is ,"describes technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in the ways media circulates within our culture.” This is becoming a world where there is so much opportunity to reach people and let your opinion be heard. It is converging all the different medias into one "culture". By doing this we have created and easier and more accessible way for all information and forms of communication.

Creative engagement is the many different ways businesses can now be interactive with their society. Whether it be through twitter, American Idol, or public forums for political issues it allows people to let their voices be heard or at least feel like their being heard. One example is Kim Kardashian. She is known for being very active on her instagram and actually just wrote a whole book on selfies. While this seems ridiculous, her publicist and marketing team probably do this very strategically in a way to promote her businesses and family name.

Long Tail Theory

I am very intrigues by the idea of the long tail theory. The biggest example that is prevalent in my life is Etsy. This not only provides items that aren't as maintstream, but most of the items are handmade, monogrammed, and personalized exactly how you want it. This is what makes this website give boutiques a run for their money. They are able to directly relate their supply and demand rather than having a real store and having to guess on how much of each product to buy. It's also good for the consumer because you get exactly what you want.

I would say of the six types of consumers, I fit many of the categories depending on the day. The bargainer fits me the best though. I absolutely hate paying for shipping. For me, if I can get an additional product for the same price as shipping, then I might as well get another product. Sometimes it doesn't work out in my favor, but a lot of times I have been very satisfied with my decision to buy something else to reduce shipping costs. I am also a sucker for email advertisements. I almost always click on the website.

New Technologies Article

I work at the tech desk in the library and we are constantly hearing about new technologies from our boss. He is a bit of tech geek. I asked him for some guidance on what he thought might be a good article of the new technologies. I went back and reviewed our Blog assignment where everyone said where they thought technology might be going in the next few years. We seem to be a little close minded on how big things can go.

Here is an article with the top 15 technologies formulating now. My boss says he has tested a lot of these at conferences and they are legit, but have glitches and aren't ready for the public.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/15-new-technologies-that-will-become-mainstream-soon.html

I would suggest doing further research on 

 5. Virtual Reality Gaming. The library will actually have these available for rental very soon. They are awesome!

and 

4. Smart houses. This seems to be a very popular trend and it would definitely be something good to be informed on. Here is an interesting article to further your research. Some people think they are pointless. What do you think? http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Whats-Makes-a-Smart-Home-Most-People-Dont-Know

Information and Networks- Blog 2

When we first started this discussion, I was confused on which law I agreed the most with. In class I thought I agreed more with Reed's law, but after doing some research on my own I think I now agree more with Matcalfe's law. The wikipedia dictionary for the law is as follows, "Metcalfe's law states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system (n²)." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfe's_law) That seems really complicated, but when you break it down it really makes a lot of sense to me. Basically, the value of the network will grow with the square size of the network. We talked about it in class with numbers and it really helped me. If a network had 2 machines it would be 2 to the 2nd power or 4. If it had 10 machines it would be 10 to the 2nd power or 100, therefore giving it more influence. I agree most with this law because as a communication major we have learned so much about getting our product out there and how important it is to strategically place it in certain places/parts of the internet. Therefore proving in my mind that with more capabilities, machines, users, etc. comes even more capabilities, machines and users. An example would be looking at cultures. Certain parts of America, like New York City has more machines and it reaches more people. Places in West Virginia does not and they don't reach more people. 

I think in five years the way we get our information will be more readily available and look cooler, but will still basically be the same process as it is now. I don't personally believe we will see drastic changes in the way we get our information. However, I do think it will look a lot cooler, holograms will be a popular thing, and that the information will be even more controlled than it is now. IN 15 years though, I believe that we will have some sort of microchips inserted in us (basically like a cell phone) and you brain will be able to control it just like your thumbs do now. 

Why We Blog- Assignment 1

I thought this article was very interesting and provided a lot of insight on why people blog. I personally have my own blog that I have shared as a catharsis, as commentary, and as a community forum. I started blogging when on a trip to Guatemala and got a great response. After getting my words out there and receiving so much support I decided to start my personal blog. I was going through a tragedy and writing helped me communicate my feelings to my loved ones while also healing myself. My blog has provided a source of life for me and an outlet much like a diary. Additionally, I have been able to give people public thanks and avoid the unbearably long Facebook posts that no one wants to read or see on their news feed.

I think that this article is important because it shows all of the different purposes of blogging and can help us to understand the 21st century human better. Throughout time writing has been one of the biggest human connectors. I believe that blogging is very impressive in the fact that everyone and anyone can share their thoughts and commentary. I have seen many people accomplish social movements, heal through a tragic time, get a job, or even keep in touch with family through blogs.

Throughout the world there are so many stories to be told. It is unrealistic to think that every single story can be published and even if it could, not every story would be read. It would take a lot of time and energy for nothing. This way people can tell their story without all the hassle and provide it to an audience that actually loves them and wants to hear what they have to say.

First Blog