COMS 203 by Cruz Canteras

May 8

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-08 17:21:59 UTC

"New" media can be seen as a modern tool of communication. However, I believe that the term "new" isn't that important due to the quick growth of technology. For example, a brand new iPhone released this year will be seen as "old" in a few years.

I enrolled in this course for option credits, but I think that this course will help develop communication and presentation skills that can't be gained from other courses.

Since I am new to this field of study, I don't really have any solid expectations for this course, other than just learning the basics about New Media and communications.

May 13

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-13 17:19:51 UTC

When I am browsing the internet and working online, privacy is important to me. I make sure that my personal information is never in a position to be exposed through the use of VPN's, ad-blockers, private browsing, etc. However, for social media sites such as Instagram, it isn't a huge concern because seeing what others are doing is the purpose of such platforms. Over time, I believe that the concern for privacy and anonymity has exponentially grown for most people, while it isn't much of a concern for a select few.

May 15

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-15 17:36:11 UTC

I think that people have hyped up New Media to be a life-changing tool for people in terms of communication. I believe that this has changed the world for the better because it allows people to connect with others in ways that would not be possible decades prior. An example of counter-hype would be the newspaper business, since early skeptics thought that New Media (such as the telegraph) would be the death of newspaper- which would turn out to be false.

May 22

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-22 22:21:52 UTC

Although I believe that dependence on such technologies may be negative in a few aspects, such as addiction and building certain skills, I think that new technology has benefited people far more than it has "hurt" us. For example, in today's day and age, we are able to communicate extremely quickly with people on the other side of the globe- which was impossible just a few decades ago. I believe that if someone does have an unhealthy relationship with such technologies, then they should try to distance themselves from such devices by setting usage timers to see how it affects their lives.

May 27

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-29 16:51:27 UTC

1. Bonding social capital - Characterized by strong social bonds between individuals:

Ex: I have a strong social bond to my immediate family and the close friends that I talk to everyday.

2. Bridging social capital - Characterized by weaker, less dense but more cross-cutting ties:

Ex: This would include my extended family such as my distant cousins and my family in the Philippines. I would also include the friends that I went to high school with that I don't talk to as often or classmates/teachers.

3. Linking social capital - Characterized by connections between those with differing levels of power or social status:

Ex: I would consider these people as companies/celebrities whose products I consume, such as musical artists, entertainment companies, sports industries, etc.

These types of social capital helps differentiate the extent to which you are connected to other people. It is basically a ranking system that helps you determine the strength of the relationships you have with other groups of individuals.

May 29

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-05-29 17:24:35 UTC

Although the vast majority of people believe that the development of AI has a negative impact on the creative industry for reasons such as taking opportunities away from artists and the removal of the authentic, human creativity aspect of art, I believe that there can be some benefits. Since the further advancement of AI is inevitable at this point, I believe that artists can use this technology as motivation to build on their own skills in the hopes of outshining artificial art and creative work. For example, musical artists should strive to make music that is unique and refreshing- something that cannot be instantly replicated by AI due to it's "newness".

June 3

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-06-03 17:28:27 UTC

3 Main Takeaways:

Propaganda is used to promote a political/marketing agenda to a large audience
A non-propaganda model is honest- yet rarely exists
The education system creates a built-in filter within people that influences their behaviours and the things they say

June 5

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-06-05 17:31:08 UTC

I think that for most people, 99% of the products we use everyday was produced in some other part of the world. The most common example would be clothing, where a lot of brands have their products created in China/other countries in that area. Even for "local" products, such as Canadian school merchandise, are most likely not produced within the country, as the prices would most likely be higher. Due to these circumstances, I believe that Canada's main role within this market is to distribute and advertise, rather than produce.

June 10

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-06-11 16:57:04 UTC

"The [Online] Act is intended to help Canadian news organizations reach fair commercial agreements with the largest online platforms."

"The [Online] Act requires the CRTC to:

implement a bargaining framework to support fair negotiations
handle complaints about unfair treatment of eligible news organizations
create a code of conduct to support fair negotiations."

This act relates to New Media and the chapter because it directly relates to internet law/policy/governance. It was designed to support news distribution in negotiations with platforms on the internet. The tone of this article is very positive, as it encourages the reader to consider the benefits of equal bargaining, which matches the tone of our text. I believe that this Online Act is a positive contribution because fair negotiations consider the needs and wants of both parties, while also allowing both sides to express any complaints or demands.

June 12

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-06-12 17:19:07 UTC

Examples of "single stories" in New Media can be easily found in older movies or TV series, which include many instances of stereotypes or misrepresentations. Another example would be older video games that misinterpret history in order to cater to a certain audience, such as the 1994 game Colonization by Sid Meier. Although I have not personally experienced the negative affect of such narrative, it is very clear that a single story can have many consequences based on ignorance.

June 17

cruzcanteras2004 — 2024-06-18 00:50:02 UTC

This documentary mainly focuses on the numerous amount of downsides that social media has introduced to the world. The integration of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, Facebook and SnapChat have inadvertently caused many problems- affecting billions of people worldwide. Issues such as addiction, the development of mental illness, sexual exploitation, privacy invasion, digital colonialism, the rise of monopolies and controversial content are only a handful of the many problems that come with these digital platforms. Unfortunately these issues, along with similar problems, are the prices we pay for a globalized world. However, the documentary also points to the benefits that we receive from the use of social media. These include global communication, the sharing of creative content, networking and the development of technology- the kinds of features that social media was created for. Unfortunately, not every piece of new media can be perfect, which is why seemingly harmless inventions such as online communities will always have a "dark side" to it. So in conclusion, whether you view social media as platforms that creates communities for people all across the globe, or a parasitical evil that was meant to corrupt peoples minds, it is impossible to deny that these forms of new media has both its pros and cons.