Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds bring users to a place where they can be free to do whatever they can. Some uses for virtual worlds include: a way to interact with others for casual socializing or business meetings, a way to escape reality for homebound patients that can't experience the outside as others do, or a way to flex creativity through games such as Minecraft and Second Life.

The reasons to use virtual realities can be considers pros. In the article about the people with autism, we see that virtual worlds can help them cope with their lack of social abilities. A con, on the other hand, may be that real face-to-face human connection would be still be lacking. Virtual worlds are just putting a band-aid on the problem in the case of the autistic.

In Minecraft, worlds are built by the users, often block by block. When you consider the connection Minecraft has to Lego blocks, it's obvious that creativity is alive in this virtual world.  A person would share their marvelous build in Minecraft the same way a child would share his latest Lego creation to a parent. Some people just want to share what they've made with the world, and in virtual worlds, it is encouraged.

 In the Forbes article about "virtual world reboots," businesses are beginning to incorporate virtual worlds into practice. I believe virtual worlds will become increasingly popular especially with the rise of VR (virtual reality) in the technology industry.

Blog About Twitter

Discussions on BlackBoard definitely require a bit more thought put into it. BlackBoard is used mostly academically. Students don't want to come off as unintelligent to other classmates, and more importantly the professor. On Twitter, people often just spit out whatever is on the top of their mind. I think some people don't even reread their tweets or think twice about posting something that can damage their reputation on the web. An in-class discussion is a mix of both BlackBoard and Twitter. During these discussions people often say what's on their mind. Students that are more articulate can contribute and further a discussion.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook:
a relationship-oriented form of social media. Facebook contains everything from short text updates, pictures, and videos. Friends, friends of friends, and family all can post regular updates that are shared with you. If you are feeling extra social, you can set your profile to public for the world to see. There are many different features on Facebook including fan pages which can connect a community.

Twitter:
a short form opinion outlet of social media. Like Facebook, you can use it between your friends and family, but encourages public sharing. The web will see your thoughts if your profile is not set to private. Similar to fan pages on Facebook, famous public figures use this as a safe medium to communicate with fans.

YouTube:
a video form of social media that connects people through its use of comments and its large reach through peer sharing. Comments can be a source of discussion, but most times they are meaningless. YouTube relies heavily on user shared content and spread, so Facebook and Twitter have a mutual benefit with this website. Content creators also use this platform to make a living creating interesting, funny, or informative videos. Recently, there have been some complaints about YouTube's policies which hurt content creators.

Instagram:
a picture sharing form of social media. Content is predominantly pictures. Most times, captions are provided alongside images to give some context. Like YouTube, comments are a main form of discussion.

Social Networking

One of the more obvious ways social networking is used is for marketing. We see more and more ads targeting users, and will continue to as long as the rate of returns remains higher than average. Social networking is also great for simply networking, keeping in touch with your friends and family.

This distant communication has created a sort of divide between people. In the article, "Antisocial Networking?," the divide is highlighted through studies showing the new communication methods used as a result of social networking. The effects of this communication is a seemingly detached one.

Social networking can reveal personal things about those who use it. Some of these may be secrets that are deeply personal. The article, "How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power," tells us how Obama injected a bit of his own personal flair into his presidency. Americans were brought closer to what was once a much more distant position.