Siri-ously Troubling

Siri is a voice activated guide to your iPhone's capabilities. The addition of Siri is part of the latest version of the iPhone in the iPhone 4s model. You can ask the gender ambiguous Siri to make a list for you, get directions, and send text messages among many other things. It is even programmed to help you hide a body, tell jokes and tell stories. Many people today can be found with their iPhone at their fingertips at any given time of the day. It has become something that our society has become familiar with and it has been incorporated into many of our lives. Every new version of the iPhone comes with updated feature that make the iPhone a hot commodity.

However, Wired has written an article about where all this information goes. We never really think about what happens to the information that we input to any device we mostly care about the result. There was discussion over user privacy concerning the personal data that Siri uses such as location, addresses, and names. IBM in particular was on alert because of the issues that Siri presents to their company. If the e-mails contain private messages the company is worried about where that information will end up. Another globally known company, Google has had to face problems like this as well. Their solution is to make their user data anonymous after nine months.

This issue is not a new issue for the public to be worrying about. IBM should not have to be worried about banning Siri but instead should come up with a different solution. There are many different ways to protect your company's valuable information such as privatized e-mail. If IBM really has an issue with information going through Siri, its employees should just not use the voice control and type it out like we used to before Siri and the difference isn't that much, you just push more buttons. There is really no need to use Siri in the office other than maybe scheduling meetings and finding directions to your next client and things of this nature. IBM and other companies concerned with controlling leaks of information sounds more like an internal problem than an iPhone app problem.

A New Way to Use QR Codes

     There is a new trend involving QR codes where people can scan a QR code on their beer glass to check in to Foursquare. This new way of using the QR codes is meant to connect people via social networking, it can also do more than allowing you to check in via foursquare. It allows you to tweet about your outing, or even update yourself on Facebook. (Mashable)
     The interesting thing about Foursquare is that it is a form of social networking that allows for you to learn about nearby locations and review them. The app/social networking site is just that, it allows friends a space to share their experiences at different businesses or restaurants and even explore the best items to get. This beer glass allows for a quick and easy check in as well as quick and easy reviews of the place.

     Foursquare is in a sense a directory of the best or most popular places to visit, and try out. With this new glass it allows for more people to have access to these kinds of reviews as well as giving them the opportunity to review a place themselves. Some may think this is taking things a step to far, they are over these QR codes. However, this is slightly different from the recent use of these codes of brands self-promoting their deals or websites.
     This allows for the user to promote or critique the business or their experience, it is a more interactive way of conducting advertising. Or is it just free advertising for the business? This is where the line begins to blur. We may be entering a new form of social networking where we do all the advertising for free, by simply checking in and sharing the information with our friends. You have to admit, it is a very clever way of getting people to promote your business, since we quite self-absorbed and convinced everyone cares where we are and what we are doing.
     Nonetheless, we have proved we do care what others are doing and where they are doing it, otherwise there would be no need to have a "check-in-here" button. Either that or we are desperate to earn the points or badges or special rewards for checking in to certain places. No matter the purpose we are finding new ways to be more socially interactive with one another, maybe this is the step we need to take to promote actual physical interaction with one another through the use of social media. We simply check in and encourage others to join us and experience somewhere new, or a regular favorite, thus using a social network to allow for actual social interaction in the physical world.
     Not only can we self-promote while promoting the business we are at, or encourage social interaction, but we can share with others hidden gems of the local area, finding new places we never knew existed. Who could imagine so much could come from a beer glass?
     The real question is, is this just a new form of the same old popularity contest or will it really be able to help provide us with insight to the best mom-and-pop diner down the road? I am sure this will take some time to catch on, it it actually does catch on, but it could provide us with a more interactive way to participate with advertising and sharing information about local businesses. It is a fast and easy way to check in to places, and a more interactive way to us QR codes. Only time will tell if it can be truly effective, but in the meantime I suppose we will order that dark ale and pull out our smartphones and check ourselves in to Facebook, Foursquare, or Twitter and hope someone comes to join us for a beer.

A Closer Look at a Real-Life Form of Immersive Journalism

This week, Nonny de la Pena of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, joined us in class to discuss some of her latest projects, including Hunger in L.A., which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and to teach us a little bit more about the up and coming idea of 'immersive journalism.' As we've noticed the shift to digital journalism, we see more technology related projects popping up in the industry.

While researching more examples of immersive journalism, I stumbled upon Condition ONE.

Condition ONE is an immersive video player for the iPad, which allows users to simulate being in another environment - one that is not quite virtual, that we saw in Nonny de la Pena's work, but rather a world that was captured using real video footage. For example, Condition ONE has video footage depicting soldiers in battle and the Occupy movement protests. Condition ONE is interesting and unique in that unlike other news organizations who specifically formulate their existing news and layouts to fit mobile devices, such as smartphones, iPads, and tablets, this application was built specifically for the iPad, so there's no need to readjust-to-fit, so to speak. Christian Pilling, of Condition ONE, said, "Condition ONE is, instead, new content, which requires a new syntax and grammar. Groundbreaking in technology, Condition ONE has a lot of potential to really simulate other environments for its users. Like Nonny de la Pena's work, a demo of Condition ONE was available at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, to an excited and interested audience. 

In comparison to the type of immersive journalism that Nonny de la Pena does with the virtual 'Second Life' type environment and avatars, this type of journalism is a bit more realistic with its real-life footage. However, the 'immersive' part may be lacking in comparison, simply because, as shown in the video above, you can easily see the environment you're standing around as you watch the footage on your iPad screen. It appears to be much less intense, because it's almost as if you're watching a movie instead, but from a cameraman's first person perspective. There are no headsets or gear involved, just you, your iPad, and Condition ONE. There's a lot of progress to be made with this program, but the sheer potential of this type of immersive journalism is overwhelming, and I'm sure we will see many more news stories portrayed in this manner very soon.

Columbia University wants to know about Digital Journalism!

New York's Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism received $2m from the Tow and Knight Foundations just last month (April 2012) to find out the effects of digital journalism. This money will be given to the Tow Center for Digital Technology who has been conducting research since 2010 at Columbia. The supporters of the this research suggest that the focus will be on these three aspects of digital journalism:

• “Impact: measuring how new practices and tools affect audiences and newsroom resources;
• Transparency in journalism: focusing on public data – what’s available, what’s not, and what’s useful and relevant to people’s lives;
• Data visualization: examining which visuals work best in informing and engaging readers.”

With so much money invested in the world of digital journalism, it is evident that it may be here to stay. Print journalists may need to get on board quickly and learn the trade of digital journalism.

The Role of Ustream in Citizen Journalism

Ustream.tv is a site where users with commonly available consumer technology can broadcast footage live to potentially large audiences over the Internet. According to Ustream's mission statement, their goal is "to bring people together around shared interests for amazing live, interactive experiences that build and maintain relationships." While the site does occasionally host pay-per-view content, and is used by some major media providers, it is largely a community-driven site that gives regular individuals the chance to broadcast their own experiences. With everything from action-packed protest footage to a live stream of kelp forests, Ustream hosts a large array of content with the potential for great journalistic significance.

Earlier this week, our class spoke with Sam Gregory of Witness.org. While Gregory emphasized that his efforts were more in line with witness journalism rather than citizen journalism, this premise of empowering average individuals to take an active role in broadcasting their experiences rests at the heart of both of these concepts. During the conversation, Gregory mentioned that Witness.org was developing iPhone apps that would enable users to better shoot and share footage on their mobile device. In a similar sense, Ustream actively encourages users to become citizen journalists by downloading their smartphone apps, available for both Android and iPhone. While this might grant users better access to tools that can empower them, the casual nature of such simple broadcasting also poses potential issues concerning the safety of both the individual behind the camera, and the individuals who may be present in the frame.

In the context of citizen/witness journalism, Ustream is interesting not because of what it offers to the user, but because of what it doesn't offer. Unlike sites like Witness.org or YouTube where the user has the ability to consciously decide what footage to upload and pass on to the world, Ustream's video sharing capabilities are live and in-the-moment. While a user with the smartphone app does consciously decide to open the app and start shooting, there is no secondary process to censor or limit the footage. Unless an individual on the other end is watching footage that has been archived and replayed, the experience of using Ustream is instantaneous.

This also poses a potential threat for powers that might otherwise wish to limit video footage leaving a particular situation, as you cannot erase footage that has already been transmitted live across the world (though one could technically limit or prevent the ability for the saved footage to be replayed on the site). However, such a technological advantage is dependent on a stable connection to the Internet. Thus, in many conflicts pertaining to human rights in remote regions, Ustream may never be a valuable tool in the hands of witnesses, as such a stable Internet connection may be hard to come by. This may be the reason why footage of Occupy protests is much more common on the site, in comparison to protests such as those occurring in Syria.

Another interesting aspect of the site is its potential for two-way communication. While it might prove difficult for such communication to occur in dangerous situations, more casual uses of Ustream often take advantage of the site's chat and message features during live broadcasts. In a recent example, musician Scot Bradlee posted on the social news site Reddit.com that he was going to spend the day taking requests to play ragtime-style versions of songs that users suggested. His endeavor, now archived on the site, gained over 26,000 views total throughout the day. While this particular use of Ustream might not have constituted a breaking-news event that might change the world's political landscape, it nevertheless speaks to the immense potential for these technologies to empower otherwise anonymous individuals to broadcast their message, and let their voice be heard.

Smart Phones are killing confrontation?

With out a doubt the use of smart phones in this day and age has made life easier and more accessible. Through the use of these quick text, email, and browsing devices people have been able to communicate effectively from a distance and forge relationships that would have not been possible without these devices. Since these devices are so effective at long distance communication there seems to be less of a need to communicate and interact face to face. This is especially true for those who do not do well with confrontations with others. The use of a smart phone can create a technology shield for those who want to have their thoughts heard, but don't want to deal with the repercussions of face to face confrontation. It is much simpler to sent a text or an email expressing distaste or mal-intent. for another individual when their personage is not physically present. In fact in one plays their cards right, one might never have too confront another person who they don't see eye to eye with ever. But this raises some questions; is this lack of human to human confrontational contact healthy? Isn't being able to deal and argue a valid point in person a valid life skill? One may argue that those who use smart phones are in danger of losing their ability to deal with confrontation face to face. This would pose a huge problem for the work force since so many jobs require confrontational problem solving skills. According to http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/wireless-mobile/smartphone-statistics.htm#smartphones, 46% of mobile phone owners use a smart phone and the number grows every year. Are all of these users in danger of losing their confrontational skills. If so, then we may find ourselves in a world where everyone texts and emails their dislike for one another and never deals with it. This could create an era where no one gets anything done without technology.  

   

How I Get My News

I must admit back in the good old days I used to enjoy going to Starbucks after a long day of school and just sit there with my large (i hate saying venti what is up with that why not just say large...) white chocolate peppermint mocha frapp (not the healthiest choice oh well) and sneaking away with a copy of the NY Times.  It became sort of a weekly ritual while I was in Junior College and even though I never really retain news for very long i did enjoy feeling like a badass intellectual sort of person.  Even though I kept this up for a good two years spending way to much money on coffee I eventually fell out of this tradition.  Like I have said I've never really been much to care about the news I usually just stumble upon a story and become interested in it but something changed all of that something happened that even the newspapers couldn't compete with for my attention.  This amazing thing is the smartphone.

Once I got my first smartphone I downloaded a BBC news app and instantly fell in love with it.  I loved checking the news and seeing what was going on in the world because with so many choices I always found some category that interested me.  I remember a discussion that we had in class about how print media is becoming obsolete and I wanted to raise my hand and say something but I was a bit to shy, but what I always have thought is that with the convenience of an app on my phone that gives me the news and also how this generation seems to prefer reading from screens rather then paper it seems nothing but natural that we are moving to an online form of news.  Its so much easier to carry around the news in my phone rather then walk around with a newspaper sticking out of my back pocket.  Someday the nostalgic sense of print media will be lost to the generation before mine but in the big scheme of things does it really matter, I mean all things come and go, is it so important that print media remain an important tool of journalism? My answer to that would be No because what is important is that the news be made and that journalists continue to spread their stories around the world to as many people as possible whether they see it on tv, read about it online or on their phones, hear it over the radio, or read about it in the paper.  What matters is that the news is available, and well to me it is.

Digital Distribution driving all sectors of Communications Up

Here is an interesting article from Forbes today.

New Forecast: Media Spending Growing Faster Than GDP

It looks like the economic prospects for the communication sector are "bright and getting brighter."

Digital distribution seems to be driving all the sectors up. Except publishing, print (paper) publishing of all types is still down and dropping.

Here is another positive bit of information for all of us in the Communication department:

"It’s also proving to be a huge boon for the public relations industry. After pure-play internet and mobile, PR is the fastest-growing segment, with spending set to jump 14.6% this year. That has everything to do with the fact that every company now has to have a social media presence and and interface with its consumers over the web."

Article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2012/04/12/new-forecast-media-spending-growing-faster-than-gdp/

Javier Armstrong