Social Net'g

Many companies around the globe today use social networking technologies to scout for potential employees. Case in point, Maureen Crawford-Hentz who recruits candidates through LinkedIn, “"Social networking technology is absolutely the best thing to happen to recruiting — ever" (Langfitt 1). The article goes on to explain how sites like LinkedIn are helping HR like Ms. Crawford, “Typing keywords into a search engine, Crawford can scrape the entire network to dig out high-quality candidates that she can't find elsewhere” (Langfitt 1). Social networking sites contain large pools of talented candidates. With the technologies Social Networking sites have to offer, recruiters are able to pin-point candidates with laser, tailored-fit accuracy.

One of the greatest and revolutionary features of Social media technologies and social networking is that they allow individuals to be informed through the perspective of others. Take an individual in search of a new laptop for instance. The individual will find that the features advertised by the laptop’s respective manufacturer are nothing but pure marketing antics. The information provided through marketing does not report the user experience, and how the laptop will perform on a day to day basis. Enter a video social networking site called YouTube. The individual can search for laptop reviews by actual owners, and receive more helpful insights on the product. This is the greatest benefit of social networking: Empowering individuals to become outlets of knowledge and information.

This great benefit of social networking comes with a caveat: Cyber-bullying. Just as social networks excel in disseminating helpful insights, it can also excel at tarnishing someone’s reputation. Students can post online anonymous posts about someone rather easily through sites like Campus Gossip, “ "This is the new JuicyCampus," says a note at Campus Gossip, which boasts campus-specific message boards for hundreds of colleges and encourages anonymous and racy barbs such as "These Fellas got herpes," with a list of names attached” (Young 1). It is sites like these that perpetuate the negative aspects of our society. Instead of making slanders in person, an individual could opt to post on social networking sites where “digital” slanders can diffuse to a wider reach of audiences at a faster rate.

I think social networking will continue to exist for as long as mankind lives. Humans are social creatures. I think social networking sites will continuously evolve in the upcoming decades changing in various shapes and forms. Instead of accessing social networking sites on screens, it could be done with our brains instead with the help of a revolutionary bionic device connected to our brains. Social networking will take up many forms in the future, but I think it will retain its true essence: Allow people to socialize and connect with others.

                                                                    Works Cited

Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt, NPR, March 16, 2008. Web. June 17, 2016.

"They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites," by Jeffrey R. Young, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Sept 4, 2009 Web. June 17, 2016

Blog v Wiki

Blogs and Wikis are vehicles for communication via the great highway we call the internet. The great advantage these two offer is their ease of use: Users need not know HTML to operate Blogs or Wikis. Moreover, both have the capability to reach a plethora of audiences around the globe.

Blogs are used to share the thoughts and opinions of individuals. In other words, Blogs are more personal compared to Wikis. Blogs can be thought of as web memoirs and journals. For instance, Blogs are utilized by soldiers deployed outside the country, “ an Army specialist nicknamed Mud Puppy maintained a blog irreverently chronicling life at the front, from the terror of roadside bombs to the tyrannies of master sergeants” (Dao 1). The article goes on to explain how Pentagon is apprehensive of unregulated Blog posts by soldiers and the overall power of social media. The key takeaway from this article is that Blogs allow audiences to hear the voices of soldiers like Mud Puppy. This article also shows how Blogs can be used for collaboration, “The Army is encouraging personnel of all ranks to go online and collaboratively rewrite seven of its field manuals” (Dao 2). Blogs are often the work of an individual, but it can also be used for joint efforts. Blogs reflect the character and personality of an individual through their style of writing, content, and posts. Another key difference between Blogs and Wikis is that feedback from readers is permissible in Blogs. Readers can comment on a Blog post creating communication between the author and readers.

Wikis are more formal and objective. Wikis can be thought of as digital encyclopedias outsourced to multiple users via the internet. Whereas Blogs are usually handled by an individual, Wikis are the collaborative product of multiple authors who can create wiki pages and edit posts of others. One way Wikis are being utilized is through businesses, “Thanks to the Web, and networks in general, the cost of publishing and sharing information has diminished substantially — which makes wikis the killer app for corporations. Wikis can centralize all types of corporate data, such as spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint slides, PDFs — anything that can be displayed in a browser” (Goodnoe 2). Convergence and the proper facilitation of information are important in today’s networked world.

We live in a time of globalization. An aircraft with the stamp “Made in the USA” has lost its meaning. The numerous components that go into building an aircraft are manufactured and outsourced elsewhere around the globe. Many countries contribute into building one product. Collaboration and convergence are inevitable in today’s networked world. Global corporations rely on massive supply chains to function. New Media technologies allow respective entities in the supply chain to fulfill multiple roles. The convergence of roles elevates efficiency and effectiveness in the supply chain. Blogs and Wikis are just few examples of the many collaborative forces that are amplifying the juggernaut we call globalization.

I believe that a dedicated wiki page of food for college students would be a great idea. Yelp is great, but I think it is flawed in that the comments involve personal opinions and the particular mood of the person he/she was in when they made the comment. By that I mean, you have to sift through lots of useless, unhelpful reviews. A wiki page will be objective in taste, pricing, location, service, and etc. The collaborative and informational attributes of Wikis will help minimize useless information on food.

                                                                       Works Cited

"How to Use Wikis for Business," by Ezra Goodnoe, Information Week, August 8, 2005. Web. June 16 2016.

"Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog" By James Dao, The NY Times, September 8, 2009. Web. June 16 2016.

Impact of New Media on Cars and The Auto Industry

New Media permeates our lives. It can be found in forms of smartphones, laptops, and lately in the form of an automobile. The automobile was invented to transport people from point A to point B, but the automobile evolved and entered a new frontier in recent years. Cars have become a new platform for New Media to propagate in. Teslas, with their autonomous driving capabilities, made headlines in news recently. Tesla's autopilot system owes its existence to New Media technologies: An amalgam of internet, GPS, and telemetry systems working with one another.

Autonomous driving has received many praises, but not without criticism. Because the autopilot system and the New Media technologies it utilizes are still in their infancy stages, numerous Teslas have crashed themselves. I will explore both the positive and negative impacts of New Media technologies on cars, and how New Media has affected the processes in the automotive industry.