Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

        Sixteen years ago, when I was five, I remember taking turns with my brothers playing Virtual Boy, a Nintendo gaming system that transported you to a world that was not quite as realistic as the headaches it would give you. Today, virtual reality has an entirely different meaning. Instead of just feeling like you're riding alongside Mario in a Nintendo game, virtual reality in our modern society has virtually hundreds of uses. In today's world, virtual reality has allowed millions of people to essentially create alternative lives. Many of these lives, such as the ones created by Second Life, are lived out solely online. Second Life is an online game that allows its users to mold online characters to fit their own real-life characteristics. The game then allows the individual to interact with other people across the world who have also created virtual-characters meant to represent themselves.   According to Diane Mehta, in her article entitled "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?," virtual reality has seeped into the lives of children especially. She states that Minecraft, another popular game, can be considered virtual reality because it mimics the act of playing with physical LEGOs. She goes on to state that children today experience things online that they would have normally experienced in the physical world in the past. For example, instead of hanging out outside with their friends, they now gather online in virtual communities. Some of the positive aspects associated with virtual reality are that it allows for an enhanced gaming experience, it provides realistic training for army personnel as well as sports players (such as football players), and it allows for people in the medical industry to hone in on their skills through realistic practice and training.However, Guy Posey, Thomas Burgess, Marcus Eason, and Yawna Jones in their essay entitled "The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher," highlight some of the negative effects that virtual reality can have when used in lieu of a physical class. One main drawback of such a virtual interaction that they highlight is that virtual classrooms disable students from receiving immediate feedback and critique on their ideas from their professors as well as fellow classmates. Other negatives associated with virtual reality are that its expensive and it lacks accuracy when it comes to perfectly mimicking the real world. Although there are some drawbacks to virtual reality and virtual worlds, they do in fact foster creativity. Virtual worlds allow individuals to explore all the aspects of life that they are unable to explore in their real lives. They are able to look the way they want to look, purchase what they want to purchase, and pretty much do whatever they would want to do in real life. In the future, I believe that virtual worlds will only enhance the creativity of individuals around the world, especially those in the medical field because I believe that it will allow medical personnel to simulate experiments that they would otherwise be unable to conduct on actual people. I would say that one day, there would be virtual worlds that look identical to real life, but those already exist. For example, football players can wear a headset that makes it seem as though they are outside on the field. They have a 360 degree view of the field, meaning that if they look left in real life, they will be able to see what is to the left of them in the virtual world that they are experiencing via their headset. 

Blog about Twitter

    When comparing the use of Twitter for discussions with the use of BlackBoard and in-class discussions, it becomes apparent that there are many differences. The first obvious difference is the character limit that Twitter imposes on its posts. There is no such limit that exists on either BlackBoard nor in-class. Aside from this, Twitter displays your opinion to the entire world (if you allow it to), whereas BlackBoard and in-class discussions have a more private feel to them. However, Twitter has a more informal feel to it; encouraging individuals to provide short, concise opinions rather than writing essay-like posts. In an in-class discussion, an individual has to think and speak on-the-fly. They have no time to filter their words or even come up with as concise of a response as they would be able to given the near infinite time they'd have before posting something to Twitter or BlackBoard. In general, Twitter provides users with a platform to share ideas, but lacks the formality that is encouraged during both BlackBoard and in-class discussions. 

Social Networking Sites

    The four networking sites that I have chosen to compare are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Although I have a Facebook, I hardly use it. Out of all the social media sites, it feels as though Facebook has the least privacy. The reason why it feels like this is that it provides the most information about an individual. When you look at someone's profile, you can immediately tell-- if they have provided it-- what high school they went to, what college they went to, what their occupation is, what their favorite movies are, etc. Now, although this information is optional, Facebook does its best in hounding an individual to add said information. However, with a social media site such as Instagram, you don't feel the same pressure to detail every part of your life. However, what I will say about Facebook is that its messaging tool is extremely useful. It is a quick, easy, and convenient way to interact with groups of individuals. What I like about Instagram is that it's an extremely convenient way to keep updated with sports teams. As a huge football, basketball, and baseball fan, I enjoy how adamant teams are on posting details about surrounding news, injuries, and updates frequently. Although I am new to Twitter (I just signed up for the purpose of this course), I can tell that it's another convenient way to keep in touch with others. The fact that it disables individuals from writing lengthy messages is unique. Lastly, I feel as though Snapchat is an extremely fun and whimsical tool. It boasts about its privacy and enables individuals to share pictures with one another using filters, emojis, and other features to really create a unique, fun experience that only lasts momentarily.   

Social Networking

Social networking plays a significant role in regards to both everyday and corporate life. In a world where technology is constantly being upgraded and enhanced, the exponential growth of social networking participation and the use of social media sites and applications are no surprise. One sector of society that greatly relies on the use of social networking in order to flourish is the corporate world. Frank Langfitt, in his article entitled "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting," discusses the importance of social networking in the recruitment process. One form of social networking that he mentions is LinkedIn. Langfitt states that LinkedIn allows businesses to easily "dig out high-quality candidates" by "typing keywords into a search engine" as opposed to having to manually sift through resumes of candidates who may not have any desirable qualifications. Businesses also use social networking in order to grow their brand. What I mean by the latter statement is that social networking allows businesses to reach out to the masses. By using applications like Instagram or Facebook, an organization can easily display virtually any aspect of their company to millions of people. New media enables even the smallest of companies to not only showcase their business, but also to interact with potential clients. Aside from the virtually endless benefits that social networking technologies provide for businesses and the corporate world, they also benefit society as a whole. One significant example of how social networking has benefited society in the past is during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Communication via sites like Facebook and YouTube enabled Egyptian civilians to rally together and fight back against the Mubarak Regime. Social networking technologies, like the sites mentioned above, enabled civilians to film, report, and discuss injustices that were being enacted by Egyptian police and government officials. However, social networking also has its drawbacks and negative features. Hilary Stout, in her article entitled "Antisocial Networking?" sheds light on the idea that social networking negatively affects children because it disables them from building strong, real relationships. Stout states that because children are becoming increasingly more obsessed with communicating online, "they may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language." Having in-person relationships is vital to a child's mental and emotional development, and, some may argue that social networking technologies may be hindering the development of such relationships. In my opinion, I believe that social networking technologies will continue to rapidly evolve. I believe this course alone stands as testament to how rapidly social networking has crept into every corner of every facet of our society, including education. Instead of having an in-person course, we are able to communicate with one another and share ideas via the internet. It is hard to imagine how social networking and the use of new media can expand any further than it already has, but innovators will most certainly find new ways to incorporate it even more into our everyday lives. 

Works Cited:
Stout, Hilary. "Antisocial Networking?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

Langfitt, Frank. "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting." NPR. NPR, 22 Nov. 2006. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.