New Technology Assignment

In regards to social media, new technology is something exciting to think about. Whether it is a new app, platform, or actual physical technology that is invented, there is no question whether or not social media and technology will evolve together. As I was researching, I came across an interesting new social technology that I have actually interacted with before! What is it? Virtual reality. When I first hear the term virtual reality, I think of some far-fetched idea that will never come to fruition. Because let’s be real…the mainstream media has pretty much made this idea seem like it came from space.

Virtual reality is a concept that is sometimes hard to grasp. According to this site, virtual reality is “... a computer technology that replicates an environment, real or imagined, and simulates a user's physical presence and environment in a way that allows the user to interact with it.” It’s a pretty cool idea and I think it might be the up and coming ‘IT’ social media technology of the coming years. I think Facebook is catching my drift because guess what they did in 2014? They acquired a company called Oculus VR. This is a fairly new virtual reality company that produces and sells virtual reality games, software, and consoles. After acquiring this new technology, Facebook then implemented 360 video into Facebook... and it is cool as crap. I remember sitting at my kitchen table when my brother-in-law was watching a 360 video on his phone. It was the first time I had even heard about it. He let me watch a video of a snowboarder on the top of a mountain and it was insane. I didn’t even have to touch the screen… I could move and see my surroundings by just tilting and rotating the phone. And the view and quality was crazy good. Thanks to Facebook Newsroom we get a little glimpse of what this looks like:

Although this virtual reality technology has been around for a little while and it isn't brand spanking new, I think it is going to bring new and exciting things to the social media table. Imagine if snapchat all of the sudden had the feature of 360 video? I would be addicted. Or what if a new social app came out that strictly dealt with virtual reality and it went viral? The social media scene would look totally different. Who knows, in a few years’ time there could be some type of new virtual social reality that we can’t even comprehend at the moment. We’ll just have to wait and see. 

 http://observer.com/2016/01/5-big-changes-coming-to-social-media-in-2016/

 http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/09/introducing-360-video-on-facebook/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality

Stand-Alone Mobile Apps VS. Internet Browsing Apps

This is a topic that intrigues me a lot because of how often I use both of these features. Let’s start off with stand-alone mobile apps. In my own words, these apps would be defined as a specific application that a company or organization develops for their consumers to download and use, instead of searching for their internet site on a mobile web browser. A good example for me would be the Netflix app. Instead of having to go into Safari and type in netflix.com on my phone or iPad, there is an app that makes it accessible to me with one little touch of my finger. It lets me be even LAZIER. Aside from that fact, there are many reasons why I prefer the Netflix app over finding Netflix in a web browser. It is much more user-friendly. Often times the app is much faster than the web…. And according to this website it states that “Apps are fast, easy to use, and provide at least partial functionality even when there is no network connection.” That’s a major plus side of using the app vs. using a web browser. Apps still function for the most part without a great internet connection, and I find a lot fewer glitches while using the app. Writing this paragraph makes me realize how lazy I truly am…holy cow. Anyways, there are many upsides to using a company’s app over finding their site on the web. Can companies profit from their apps? Not easily. According to this article “App monetization with native apps can be tricky, since certain mobile device manufacturers may lay restrictions on integrating services with certain mobile ad platforms and networks.” This however doesn’t stop them from being able to put their brand in your face and make it familiar to you.

And then there are the web browsing apps like Safari, Google, and Yahoo. These are the apps that let you search the internet from your mobile phone without being constricted to one single site. I probably use Safari more than I use any other stand-alone mobile app. Why? Because it offers a much wider variety of options to switch from one site to the next. One thing I’ve noticed the past couple of weeks is the awful mobile website that Yelp has. It’s just so dang confusing to me. Did they do that on purpose? Probably. And it’s because they want you to download their Yelp app from the app store. I have proof of this. I tried finding reviews of restaurants in Brigham City the other day on Yelp from my mobile phone, and the first and only screen I saw is one persuading me to download their app to read ‘all’ the reviews and see ‘all’ the different companies. Like I can’t do that from their internet site alone? Rude. Come to find out that I CAN see everything on their mobile site… it just takes a bit to swerve around all of the stupid app advertising. I like to have the option of being able to use either choice, stand-alone mobile apps or web browsing apps, just in case one isn’t working correctly.

I realize that this post is mainly me just complaining about Yelp and praising Netflix. That’s OK. It just goes to show how relevant this topic is to everyday life.  Also, don’t take away my mobile apps and don’t you dare take away my mobile web browsing opportunities. Bye. 

Viral Videos

Viral videos are an exciting part of the internet for me. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve stayed up late watching funny videos on YouTube before I go to bed. The internet has become a huge stage for hilarious/weird humor and it might be my favorite part of the whole world-wide-web. According to Wikipedia… “A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email.”

A video submitted to the internet has the potential of reaching MILLIONS of people and getting BILLIONS of views. Like what? Is that really possible? Yep. Mostly thanks to YouTube: the vessel for pretty much all viral videos. So what makes a video go viral? That’s the question of the hour. According to Judson Laipply who found his own viral video stardom from his Evolution of Dance video in 2006, he said “No one really has the keys.” Isn’t that true though? Think about all the viral videos that you’ve seen. Most have been a big fail or an accident that has turned into pure millennial GOLD. Let’s name a few; Charlie Bit My Finger, David after Dentist, the countless post wisdom teeth removal videos, extreme fail videos, etc. These have a main theme… they weren’t scripted. There is the valid argument though that some videos that go viral are scripted and do have a purpose. Which is true in Laipply’s and music video artist’s cases like Adele and Taylor swift. They have extreme talent though and what they present to the world is super skilled and interesting and almost perplexing to the rest of the world.

My favorite viral video would have to be one that I just found the other day. I just have to put the link here because I can’t even explain it well enough to give it the justice that it deserves.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wphVlBZ5sxc

Hopefully you watched that ^ and thought it was hilarious. THE SOUND THAT CAT MAKES OH MY GOSH. Don’t worry… the user said that the cat wasn’t harmed in the making of this film. Or so we hope. Let’s think though… what made that go viral? For me, I saw it on Twitter. Through researching this topic I’ve found the main key to be sharing these videos through various social media applications. The explosion of social media has allowed for the explosion of viral videos, and consequently viral video stars. Who knows, one of us could be the next David after Dentist. Ready set GO! Just remember to share it to your Facebook page.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/06/08/viral.videos/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_video

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization. SEO. If you were to ask me a few hours ago, I would have zero idea what those words meant. But thanks to Google and the actual search engine optimization tools that they use, I now know. INCEPTION.

According to this webpage, “(SEO)…is the process of getting traffic from the ‘free,’ ‘organic,’ ‘editorial’ or ‘natural’ search results on search engines.” Or in other words, it’s the process making sure your webpage gets a lot of visibility on search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. without paying for the extra exposure. The closer the website is to the top of the list… the better visibility, and more importantly, the more customers and viewers you will get to your site.

So like… imagine that you start up a new business. You know that you want to make sure that your website comes up on the top 10 search results on Google…. But HOW? That is where Meta Tagging comes into play. What is Meta Tagging you ask? According to wisegeek.com, “A Meta Tag is a line of HTML coding that contains metadata about a webpage”.  In other words, the HTML coding that is put into your source code is what links yours webpage out to certain internet searches. You can put keywords about your article, or even other related topics and words that you think viewers might be looking for in your articles and website as well.  The specific ins and outs of coding these things is way above my head… but I like the idea that this is possible.

I think that this is a pretty crucial subject when it comes to online business and networking. If you have created a website that you really think is worth something and want people to see it, then I think that getting your HTML code up to date and popping could be super beneficial to the success of your business. Let’s be real… when was the last time that you went to the third page of your Google search results to find an article or website that best fits your needs? I know that the only time I do that is when I’m reeeaalllly desperate and I don’t even end up finding something worthwhile anyways. I think that the idea of Meta Tagging in relation to search engine optimization is an excellent business tool that all online companies and websites should be using. Don’t become a third page business, people.

Social Media Case Reflection #2

Bobby White. Before just a few weeks ago, that name would have been unknown. Who is he you ask? He’s the police officer from Gainesville, FL who got a call complaining about noisy basketball players in a neighborhood. He responded to the call and when he showed up, he found just a few teenage kids shooting hoops in the street, minding their own business. In a dash-cam video that was released later, it shows White telling the boys that he did not have a problem with them playing ball. He actually ends up joining in and playing. After a few minutes of this, the officer leaves and asks the boys if they’ll be there tomorrow and if so, that he’ll bring a few of his fellow officers and they can play a real game. After setting that scene… here I come with the real reason this story is important which is… the effect that social media had on this story.

Like I said earlier, the dash-cam video was leaked onto the internet and the video went viral within hours.  To the Gainesville police department and Officer Bobby White’s surprise, former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal saw the video and got in contact with the police department. He wanted to go and surprise the kids the next day with them. They all showed up and the kids were in AWE. They played some basketball and got some autographs and that was that.

Why is this a big deal and why did this go viral, you ask? In my opinion, I think that it did for two different reasons. First of all, within the mainstream press there has been a theme of police brutality from white police officers towards black male youth. This video that was shared was the exact opposite of the norm. I think that is what initially caught the public’s attention. The video pulls at my heart strings a little bit and makes me have a lot of respect for Officer White, ya know? But maybe that’s just me.

The second reason that this story became viral is because of the power of celebrity. Do you think that this story would have reached the magnitude that it did without the presence of Shaquille O’Neal? Probably not. But there is still a slight hope in me that it would have even if Shaq didn’t participate. I just can’t get over the feel-good vibe I get from Officer White and his attitude towards his job. The best part about this is that it probably changed those kids’ lives for the rest of time. How often do you become a viral Youtube hit AND get to play basketball with Shaq? Probably never. The deciding factor in this equation is social media. It always seems to be nowadays. I want to go a little bit deeper into the details of the power of celebrity and how social media affects it.

The simple fact that a world-renowned NBA player was involved in this Florida story made it 10x more interesting to us. How? Why do we care so much? I think I can pin point just the reason why… the internet. To be more specific, social media is what I’m talking about. Yes, there were celebrities before the internet and people were just as obsessed with them. What about before television and the radio though? The only possible way someone could be well known was through the word of mouth. But then the internet was invented, and soon came social media, and soon came the ability to stalk pretty much any public figure that you can imagine… all within seconds. 

Celebrities have millions of followers on multiple accounts. As soon as you see your favorite celeb doing something… you become intrigued, and then can stalk and research everything about that person or situation. It’s a never ending loop that I’m now just thinking about and it’s starting to make me feel a little funny. Because like I’ve said before, the internet isn’t a real physical thing. We can’t touch it. And yet, with cases like the one with Officer Bobby White it can change our lives and for some people, even gives you an opportunity to play basketball with Shaq. 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/science-explores-our-magical-belief-power-celebrity-180949852/?no-ist

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/01/24/basketball_playing_cop_bobby_white_takes_shaquille_o_neal_as_back_up.html

Class Cloud

Following our class cloud assignment/twitter party during class…. I thought a lot about how cool technology really is. During class last Wednesday, I was in Hawaii. Yet I was still able to participate and be included in discussions and funny picture wars during class time. How cool is that? I felt like I was still there in Logan, UT sitting in our Social Media class while really I was 2,000 miles away. That’s the beauty of social media I think. It really is a cloud somewhere out in the internet world where people can connect. The craziest thing for me to think about is that the internet is not a physical entity. Like no, I cannot hold it in my hand if I wanted to. It’s literally an invisible thing that unites people and brings to light different topics and discussions in the most fascinating ways.

In the recent months, and even the past year, a huge topic that has been mainstream in today’s twitter timeline is the presidential race and who the front runners are. We’ve all heard about Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton and that’s basically who the race is going to be between. I’m going to be honest here… But I would not even know who the candidates were if it wasn’t for Facebook and Twitter. So many of my friends on Twitter post funny things about Trump and tag him in it that I can’t help but pay attention and listen to what they’re actually talking about. There are so many memes. So many Vines. So many funny articles written about him that I think I know more about his shortcomings than I do about his actual platform for president.

That’s what I saw from this class cloud assignment. The way you tweet something and the wording and hashtags you use set the tone for the discussion. An example would be is that I tweeted something funny about Amanda Bynes and her cray twitter posts a couple of years ago. If I would have worded it differently, maybe with concern for her emotional well-being instead of mocking her, the response could have been totally different and evoked a complete different conversation. Even though I was 2,000 miles away, I still could sense the tone of all of the tweets that were being shot out and I thought the majority of them were hilarious. Shout out to all my fellow classmates for being funny.  

Legal, Policies, and Ethics.

Time and time again I have heard that nothing you ever post on the internet is safe. Whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., when you post something for the internet to see, it can never be erased. At least that’s what I’ve been taught my whole life.

When it comes to Snapchat though, there is a broader sense of security; even if it’s false. The idea that the picture and comment you post with it will disappear within 1-10 seconds makes it seem like your content will somehow cease to exist. Sorry to burst all of your privacy bubbles, but Snapchat has the ability store and use the pictures you take. According to snapchat.com, “We collect the content you provide and information about that content, such as if the recipient has viewed the content, replayed the content, and the metadata that is provided with the content.” Yeah whaaaat. It’s not a complete surprise to me though that this app has the rights to whatever you post to it. It’s a smart idea for anyone in the cyber business.

Within this modern day and age, there are very few things that are completely secure and locked away where no one but yourself can view. There is very little privacy while we’re being bombarded with news, media, and social platforms that almost beg for your immediate attention and feedback. Without thinking twice, in a split second you can irrationally send something out into the internet world and have it be there for the rest of your life. Even if you delete it seconds later.

There is a certain app that I think offers more security than others… and it is called PhotoVault. This app lets you take certain photos from your camera roll and transport them to a separate folder within the PhotoVault app that is then password protected. Why you would want to hide certain photos from possibly being seen by your friends and family is your scandalous business. BUT if you have the need for this, then this app sounds like a pretty good idea, right? Wrong. After further investigation I found reviews online of customers who bought this app in confidence that it would protect their privacy. It didn’t quite do that. Upon plugging the device into a computer, the photos were displayed for everyone around in the near vicinity to see. I think that this app should have more explicitly stated the type of security that it provides… instead of being so vague and providing false confidence to the user.

Have you ever robbed a bank? Committed a felony? Lied to your people? Well then my advice to you is to write all of your experiences down in a journal like your ancestors did. Instead of texting about something you don’t want other people to know, send a carrier pigeon. Instead of sharing your location with all of your Instagram followers, send them all a postcard from your trip because that is about the only way you can be sure that your information is safe these days.  

http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Software-Solutions-PhotoVault/product-reviews/B004JJGLHO

https://www.snapchat.com/privacy