My First Blog

Second Life displays a mashup of two different types of medias, social media and virtual reality. By combining both these things, this allows for the user to communicate with other users in a "realistic" approach. Shown here, is an avatar I created with Second Life. It allows me to interact with other individuals anywhere across the globe, visit places that I have never been, and allows me to become something that I can't in the real world.

New media fosters creativity because it merges two types of media: old media and new media. By combining both of these, we can see innovation through mashups. One example of this can be seen through The New York Times article Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters, But Why? It discusses how individuals use classic Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Simba and having a rap song voiced over the cartoon. This combines classic old videos that everyone can relate to and merge it with new rap songs to add a creative vibe, which leads to more attraction. Citation Barnes, Brooks. "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?"  The New York Times . The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

      A virtual reality, or virtual world, is a computer-generated simulation that can be interacted with to give the appearance of a real-world feel. This type of technology can be used for professional advantage or personal gain. When talking in terms of professional advantage, virtual worlds give the user an opportunity to practice their potential professions safely and inexpensively. This type of environment could be beneficial to medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses. According to the Wall Street Journal article "Avatar II: The Hospital," medical schools are more inclined to using virtual reality programs than practicing live in class. This is because mannequins that are purchased by medical schools are around $65,000 are provided to every 50 to 100 students to practice on. In the case of virtual reality, every student has a virtual mannequin that they could practice on, so sharing is out of the option and each student has the opportunity to practice thoroug

I think having a Twitter discussion is a lot more comfortable to have then a BlackBoard discussion. BlackBoard is considered a more academic platform where students are inclined to answer professionally, while Twitter is more of an "open platform" where students feel more comfortable in answering other colleagues. This also goes the same for an in-class discussion. In-class is even worse when it comes to responding truthfully. In conclusion, Twitter discussion is a lot more efficient when you want someone to answer how they really feel.

Four social networking sites that I will be discussing in today's blog post is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Firstly for Facebook, this social networking site is the oldest out of the four sites mentioned. This was the original way to share pictures, post status updates, and stay connected with friends and family all over. Over time, Facebook has evolved into a social networking site that involves much more than that. For example, you're now allowed to have different types of reactions to others' posts instead of just plain liking them. You're also given the opportunity to create events, play games, and chat with multiple people. Twitter is a little different. Unlike Facebook, Twitter is more appealing to the younger generation. However, like Facebook, Twitter is a social networking site where you can share pictures, post status updates, and stay connected with your friends. Unfortunately, you would have a 140 character limit to do all of this. This can