Caution: Tripping Hazard (Media Meditation Two)

Stumbling: "the act of bopping haphazardly around the internet", take this one step further and you have Stumble Upon the newest way to stay entertained. Known as an "internet community" or a "personalized recommendation engine", Stumble Upon allows it's users to discover and rate related web pages on a social network.

Stumble Upon is a perfect example of a personal shift because it's a collection of personal webpages which can be accessed through a single site. It takes surfing the internet to the next level because Stumble Upon is not only a search engine but a social network. You can post comments, bookmark your favorite sites, and even e-mail friends with pages you think they'd like.

It's also an example of an aesthetic shift because, after searching iTunes I found audio and video podcasts that you could download instead of using the website. So if you're on the go or unable to use your computer you can watch a video or listen to a podcast on your iPod, iTouch, or iPhone about any one of the numerous random stories Stumble Upon chooses to publish.

Besides being an entertainment device, Stumble Upon makes surfing the web easier because you can limit your searches based on categories. Made possible by the Stumble Upon toolbar users can shape their content by selecting the "like" or "dislike" buttons. Not only is Stumble Upon a social network in and of itself, but it allows its users to connect to other networks such as Facebook and Twitter through use of the icons on its toolbar. Along with the social network trafficking you can also share webpages with friends via e-mail.

Without the "innovation of digital communication... [which makes] media convergence possible because it enables all media content to be created in the same basic way" (51) Stumble Upon, along with other online sites, wouldn't be able to exist.

Stumble Upon houses sites from:

The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time

to...

Discovery Channel: The World is Awesome

to...

How to Hollow a Book in 80 Easy Steps: lessons borne of trial and error and error

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto (Media Meditation One)

Recently I stumbled upon a somewhat new site that enables you to update your blogs, facebook, and twitter accounts from its homepage. While allowing you to publish mini video clips from your webcam or phone it also updates all your social networks at once.

Robo.to: publish once, update everywhere.

I found this site extremely intriguing because it's the pinnacle of media convergence. After all, we have learned that "[t]he hallmark of Web 2.0 is media convergence, the technological merging of content in different mass media" (51) and what medium is more in sync with this then the idea of a blog that allows you to update all your other social networks from your webcam or cell phone? I sure can't think of one.

Robo.to utilizes many of the eight trends, especially the personal and aesthetic shifts. Not only is Robo.to a blog, it is a blog that allows you to update any of your other online social networks. For obvious reasons this is appealing because it saves time and allows you to blog, tweet, and facebook all at once. This is made even easier by the ability to update video clips from your phone. Now you can "stay the heck outside!" because "Robo.to works oh-so-great on your phone."

It's sad to say that society needs a blog in order to keep track of all their other media, but if that's what it's come down to then I guess it's a good thing we have this device. While I've experimented with the Twitter and Facebook Mobile applications, I've found I much rather prefer keeping my online life online. However, for those who stay constantly connected with their online world this website is perfect. I took the liberty of testing it out and found that it's quite quick and easy to use, not to mention its convenience. Though be careful, this simple yet flashy website is becoming quite popular, you may not get out alive.

Robo.to explained:

Pick Me! Pick Me!

My question for this semester is: how will society deal with the ethical boundaries being challenged by convergent media?

A Helping Hand

So far the four tool sets and I have been getting along great (even though they are not laminated and in my shower...). They've really allowed me to understand media not only from an viewer's perspective but from an advertising standpoint. Now when I see a commercial or advertisement I'm able to recognize why it is or is not successful.

Here are some great commercials:

This was one of the most talked about fashion advertisements of its year. While it is extremely disturbing it got people talking, which is the point of marketing. Calvin Klein was extremely careful about the exposure of this ad, after 3 days the company pulled it from the mainstream media, but the public interest remained.

One, Two, Three, Four...

The four media-related concepts I find to be the most important:

1. The Power of Media in Everyday Life: from ancient times up until the present day media has been a major influence on society, whether it be through oral anthologies or reality television. An example of this would be how television commercialized rock and rock.

Then ... Now

2. The Evolution of the Internet: by the 1990s the internet had become easily accessible to the public allowing "immediate two-way communication and one-to-many communication". Paving the way for the future, the internet brought about the recognition that anything was possible. Things like blogs, youtube, and twitter came about and eventually became applications on the iPhone, made possible with wireless internet.

Then ... Now

3. Security, Appropriateness, and Access: the internet is one of a few media that requires personal information. In recent years many ethical question have been brought up with regards to the internet. Questions like should information posted on the internet be open to the public? Or what content is or is not allowed? Many ethical lines have been crossed through use of the internet; things like spyware, an information-gathering software, allow personal data to be collected without permission.

Then ... Now

4. The Evolution of the Radio: alongside the internet and television, the radio is the next most influential medium. It carries ideas through towns, across states, and connects countries. It was the first mass media accessible on a large scale.

Then ... Now

Media + Me = ?

Overall I would say I have a pretty good relationship with the media. I thinks it's crazy how even though technology is created out of nonliving material, it's able to grow and develop just like any other living organism on this planet. This fascinates me more then why the grass is green or the sky is blue. It makes almost anything possible, except for maybe invisibility... which would be totally awesome!

Good Morning Sunshine

Hello!

Today is going to be a great day. Want to know why? I get to go back to my roots and be a kid. Forget computers, forget iPods, forget phones and texting, okay maybe not texting... but all that other convergent media I have decided to leave by the way-side; at least for today. After this post I'm turning off a large portion of my life to go frolic outside and enjoy this beautiful day.

A little more about my life later.