Social Media and Web 2.0

1) The ability to create your own high quality media content is now at the tip of our fingers due to advances in technology. Many TV shows and advertisements purposely try to emulate the gritty feel of a home production in efforts to connect with their target market. I believe that truly home grown content will get better overtime because of the improved standard of technology. As consumers we become even more savvy and aware of this kind of “forced grittiness” and will accept it as an art in itself. A great example of an independent entity produced with high quality is a company called 2-Cent Entertainment. With no major backing they are still able to produced high quality music videos. An example of a major company using lower level quality of content would be Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Shows like Robot Chicken and Aqua Team Hunger Force have a amateurish feel to it. By doing this these shows connect with their target demographics that enjoy superficial humor.

Aqua Team Hunger Force 

2)   I personally was reluctant to get a FaceBook page of my own. I believed FaceBook would be no help in my social life and would add to the distraction in my life. However I ended up getting an account as a requirement for a poetry class last semester (second semester junior year). At first I would only use the site for homework post and discussion boards, then later I became hooked like everyone else. FaceBook has totally demolished Myspace as the leading social networking site because it is ever evolving. The site also maintains a professional layout and a clean reputation. On the other hand Myspace was publicly linked to many child predators, which brought it’s reputation down. FaceBook is here to stay because the site continues to update itself and use user-feedback to direct upgrades in the future. Since being indoctrinated into the social scene digitally my hesitation to connect with people online is nonexistent and I now use twitter as well. Twitter is great because it has an instantaneous element that makes you feel connected with the people you follow. Hopefully FaceBook can integrate some form of twitter within their site as well.        

3)   According to the reading, transparency is “when used in a social context implies openness, communication, and accountability” According to the Webster’s dictionary It is also described as an object that can be seen through. So the purpose of being transparent is so the core truth can be shown with little delay. The idea of transparency in the social media is vital for longevity and safety. It is important for users to know that what they are reading and participating is true. Without that layer of truth as the foundation of a social media site people can also get hurt as well. Although transparency is an important element to social media I believe it holds even more significance in the real world. when offline you interact with people hands on and in person so you must interpret the truth through body language, tone and gesture. In the offline world your character as a person is only based on what you reveal online, so overall the element of transparency is important on and offline.