There is no denying that digital communications have changed so much over the years. As a millennial I have had the privilege to grow with the rise of digital technology. From using the computer to solely check my email to now being able to connect with old and new friends on multiple social media platforms. In a short time the digital community has taken over the way we communicate and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The question is, where do we go from here?

Source: FreePress.net

Ethics is a big problem that has came along with the rise of digital media especially when it comes to big business. People have discovered that these companies are using the information in our social media to provide data to marketers. While this may have been listed in the terms and conditions people were largely unaware that their information was being sold. This has made people hesitant with the information their posting online, because their is no control over the content that they post. Companies should be more honest about what they are doing with users information in the future.

Another vision I have for the future of digital media is that it becomes easier for people to receive the proper credit or compensation for the work they post online. According to Andrejevic, “The notion of exploitation is a recurring theme in critical accounts of the digital economy, although it is more often invoked than explained” (281). He believes that people are easily subjected to exploitation and rarely take action because they are unaware that it happening. We are privileged that with the rise of digital platforms it is just easier for people to share their creative works on social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. This has allowed many unknown talent to rise to the forefront and be recognized for the work they have created.

However, there has also been instances where people have shared their creativity only for it to be plagiarized or reused by larger corporations without proper recognition. Sometimes those with a bigger name and platform can copy the design of those lesser known and claim it as their own. Putting your work online can be beneficial but it can also be risky as well.

Questions

1. Do you believe everyone should receive monetary compensation for using social media channels? If so, why or why not?

2. People seem to be concerned that machine will take over and maybe even control human life in the future.  Will there ever be a time where we can trust machine completely?

What’s your own vision of the future of digital communications?

In the future, I see mass surveillance being taken to a different level. People may have video cameras installed in them that can watch and record everything you see and hear. An example of this is the episode of Black Mirror below: (good episode, btw!)

The reason for this is because Government agents and other security type personnel’s (like airport security, for example) would be able to rewind and see what you have been doing. This would be a way to watch the people even more. And people may be okay with it because they want the perks that would come with it, it can benefit them.  In Black Mirror, you can delete what you please, but if this is made anything like the Internet, we know that nothing is permanently deleted.

In Mark Andrejevic’s article Surveillance and Alienation in the Online Economy, he speaks upon surveillance in the online economy so that corporations can advertise to us, make profit off us, and so fourth. But the idea of the paper still stands: surveillance is a form of power being sought out, and for those in power to control the people, like stated in this quote: “the paper emphasizes the importance of supplementing privacy critiques with approaches that identify the ways in which new forms of surveillance represent a form of power that seeks to manage and control consumer behavior” (1).

What present aspects of digital communications would you like to see continue and even expand?

I would love to see the language interpreter tool progress. There is such a thing as one, for example Systran, but is it accurate? Here is the site for Systran, and here is a blog from them.

There are many phrases and words that mean different things, varying on what languages they are, so an exact translation, word for word (like translation sites do, for example) would not help much. A communication technology that would translate words as sentences and phrases together would be better, if possible.

What aspects would you like to see change and what would be required to enact those changes (policy, technologies, norms, ethics, behavior, etc)?

I would like to see the violation of our privacy change. I think we should be entitled to privacy when using our phones or the Internet to send messages and make phone calls or video chats. The changes that would have to be enacted are changes in policies for websites and laws, change in norms and behavior as well. The Government will always try to make themselves seem to have a good reason for violating the privacy of the people.

Do you think if enough people protest and refuse to use certain sites, along with using a private browser, the Government and companies would stop watching us the way they do now?

A tool that translates language sounds great, but will it cause something terrible? Something like the death of learning a new language?

To think how far we’ve come in the age of digital media, is amazing, but to think how far the possibilities of technology can take us is even more amazing. We started off with t.v.’s and simple computers where everything was one-way communication to today where we have smart phones, DVR, enhanced computers, home robots etc. As far as we can see technology has made our lives so much easier by doing all the hard work we do not want to do. Because digital media is such a growing industry I can only see it growing bigger in the upcoming years. We have accepted the toll it has taken on our lives, from how it exploits us through free marketing/labor but also how it brings us pleasure. As long as people continue to collectively favor pleasure over our value then digital era will always win.

In the future I see the Internet becoming so simplified and reachable that it flows like electricity, like Rainie and Anderson say. But I also see people forgetting how to live in the now and interact in person. I see more wearable inventions (Apple watches, Google glasses, etc.) taking over and a huge decrease in anything paper.  The following article includes a video from Henry Blodget where he talks about the where digital media is going.

The aspects of digital media I would like to see increase is social media. Social media has created platforms for people to become different versions of themselves, it has allowed people to interact with others they never would and it has changed the way younger generations view politics. I would love to see new platforms be created where we can come together as a people and share our thoughts on change (politically, socially) because I do feel that the only way we can get what we want out of the world is to make changes collectively.

I would like to see companies believe in their consumers more. Consumers are what makes a company what it is and it is truly unfair that large companies take advantage of our miscomings like reading terms and agreements. Our job as consumers is to remain educated and for those who are educated, to educate others not just keep it to themselves.

Do you think it is possible for people to ever come together and take over the system?

What is one of the gadgets you are looking forward to in the near future?

Image Source

So let’s think about how digital communication for a second.  Think about how much it has evolved from lets say when your grandparents or great-grandparents were your age.  Do you think they could have ever imagine such a world as today?  Most likely not.  I personally know my Grandma of age 76 certainly couldn’t.  For me to now think about digital communication for the future, I can only base it on the limited knowledge that I’ve gained throughout my life and my perception of what digital communication is.

I already believe the advancements we’ve made in digital communication is beyond what anyone could have expected but there’s still areas for development.  For example, in Mark Andrejevic’s article “Surveillance and Alienation in the Online Economy,” he believes actively participating in the digital world is opening yourself up for exploitation (Andrejevic 281).  What does he mean by exploitation?  Exploitation in the sense that website owners, marketing agencies, or whoever has authority of the digital space, are using your generated data for purposes that’s not what was intentional.  For example, you searched for a restaurant on Yelp, you read the reviews and for the most part majority of the reviews were great.  However, when you show up to the restaurant, your dinning experience was totally opposite.  So at the end of your night, you return to the restaurant on Yelp and write your review.  This act of writing your review on Yelp is considered exploitation by participation, according to Andrejevic.  Although you may not feel like you’re being exploited, the information you entered in digital space exploit you to the owner of the restaurant to offer you a free dinner for two in hopes that you’ll write a more positive review.

“The invocation of some notion of exploitation is compelling for a number of reasons, including the fact that a critique of privacy invasion does not do justice to the economically productive character of consumer surveillance.  The prospect that advertising might become more effective because it will be able to predict human behaviour with a greater degree of reliability, and thereby to help manage the populace more efficiently in accordance with commercial imperatives, is disturbing in a different way from privacy concerns” (Andrejevic 282).

And this is where I’m stuck in visioning the future for digital communication.  Active participation in digital communcation means you’ll be working around the clock because everything you do digitally is subject to exploitation.  This is one aspect that I believe needs to be changed.  During class discussions, a few of us wants to see digital platforms where users are being paid for any content they share.  This is an idea that should be experimented and expanded on more in the future.

Another area that needs improvement is the legality limitations such as copyright, trademark, and patents.  More specifically with copyright, it’s hard to be “original” when everything has be done.  According to Siva Vaidhyanathan “Copyright is more than one right.  It is a “bundle” of rights that includes the exclusive right to make copies, authorize others to make copies, create derivative such as translations and displays in other media, sell the work, perform the work publicly, and petition a court for relief in case others infringe on any of these rights” (20-21).  For example, Disney fairytale movies.  If you think about it, the general concept of having someone who’s of royalty in the kingdom go against someone who has authoritative issues with the royal family is in almost every or most fairytale movies.  Do you know of any fairytale movies that weren’t made by Disney?  I couldn’t think of any so in a sense Disney has “copyrighted” the idea of a princess and villain which caused a lack of innovation.  In the beginning these laws were created to motivate innovations but it can also prevent it as we just saw.  If we continue to limit creativity and innovation with laws, the digital communication world will never be as influential as it could be.

1. Can you come up with any other examples of how copyright can prevent of futurization of digital communication?
2. What services do you imagine we will be able to have in the future that we don’t have now?

The future of digital communication will enhance the quality of life through technologies related to health, education, and even social media which creates a global community. For instance, as Aron Roberts, who is the software developer at University of California-Berkeley, puts wearable devices that can assist people to make ongoing lifestyle changes and provide information not only just about diseases but also about the early detection of disease indicators  (4,Digital life in 2025). Thus, these wearable devices that can detect and prevent future illness should be kept and continuously developed.

In addition to the medical delivery system, the advanced educational technology which enables online lectures and allows people to meet in a virtual space instead of a physical classroom. Also, online dating has been so viral that people can meet potential girlfriends and boyfriends through the application on their smartphones with just one click.

However, my concern here is that with the advancements of technology that allows time saving, and creation of numerous dating apps, people are not committing to a serious love relationship and also  a serious friendship. Compared to the generation that did not have such technological advancements, nowadays people interact through virtual reality platforms such as Whatsapp, snapchat, and Facebook. It became so easy for people to just meet and easily abandon relationships aloof to commitment.

Furthermore, with the development, the configuration and mechanisms are complex. This feature can result in limitation of accessibility only for those who know and are aware of the technology. As a result, there will be a gap between “media consumption” as we have discussed in class. There are social elites (cultural elitism) who know the information but at the same time there are ordinary people who are not accustomed to the technology. In addition, there are people who are economically challenged or in third world countries who cannot afford them.

On the other hand, with the connections to globalization, the political awareness and action can be accelerated through social media fundraising  (5,Digital life in 2025). For further information on social media for educational uses in third world countries take a look at this.

In conclusion, as pessioptimist, I believe that the future of digital communication is useful in the sense of enhancing people’s health, educational system, and political awareness; but how we weigh the relationship in the virtual reality should be taken into further consideration. Also, the digital commodities should be accessible to everyone regardless of social status.

 

1. Do you believe that social media can enhance the quality of your life?
2. Do you believe your relationship would have been better if there was no digital media?

 

Why is social media so relevant and a part of our lives? Well the basic concept of social media (socializing) has been around before the evolution of internet. In the past people would gather in physical places to conduct business and socialize. So with the improvement of technology, today the only thing different is that majority of those activities are done through the internet and as technology advances there is a chance where all of these activities will be conducted online. Since accessibility of internet is a concern of many people around the world, I do believe that as we make great leaps in advancement of technology, we will be able to reach everyone eventually.

This video shows some shifts from old to new ways

I would like the growth of advancement in technology to continue so we can build platforms online where we can find cooler ways of communicating online and it becomes more engaging for the users. For example Manovich in his reading describes on way internet has changed how we conduct daily operations, “If before a customer would get the information or buy the product by interacting with a company employee, now she has to spend her own time and energy navigating through numerous menus to accomplish the same result” (Manovich 44). I am very excited to see the types and forms of social media we will be using in the future. In this article it states two new features that can become huge for different social media platforms. But one thing I wish to see change is where companies will look at us users as more than numbers. As stated in chapter 4 reading, “prioritize easily quantifiable measures (e.g., numbers of views, numbers of followers, numbers of fans) over more qualitative measures of audience engagement and participation” (Jenkins 176). This quote states what is important for marketer but I believe that both quantitative and qualitative data is important for the next step in digital communications. This will allow both sides to benefit from one another, companies can improve by listening and the users will feel important and feel more attached to the platform, generating more participation.

1. Do you think us as “Lurkers” have any influence in changing how corporate companies view us?
2. Do you think the popularity of social media can slow down?

The digital future seems to be growing brighter each day as new advancements crop up every day. Everyone is gradually claiming a digital space and the business world is taking advantage of that for marketing purposes. One of the promises of digital future is digital marketing, whereby the business people will be increasingly utilizing the growing digital platform in marketing their brands. There is no better way of creating the awareness of a given brand other than digital marketing. Digital marketing seems to be an effective tool through which the business people will be competing for in the future for marketing purposes.

The digital future seems to be growing brighter each day as new advancements crop up every day. Everyone is gradually claiming a digital space and the business world is taking advantage of that for marketing purposes. One of the promises of digital future is digital marketing, whereby the business people will be increasingly utilizing the growing digital platform in marketing their brands. There is no better way of creating the awareness of a given brand other than digital marketing. Digital marketing seems to be an effective tool through which the business people will be competing for in the future for marketing purposes.

Through digital marketing, there has been increased availability of various goods and services over the internet. Today I can access a number of stores with online presence and make an order of a given good that I want from their shelves and make payment through various mobile payment apps. I need not travel to my preferred shop in order to have a good share of my favourite pizza, but through digital marketing I can navigate through the internet and visit a number of pizza inns and from the available reviews make an order for a pizza. One aspect of digital marketing that I would love to see develop is customer support and real time response. I believe with the advancement in digital communication in the growing digital society, digital marketing is going to be a big thing in the future, whereby we could be accessing almost everything over the internet.

However, am concerned with the safety of the internet usage in terms of online privacy. I expect our digital society will be much safer as we go into the future at the heart of growing digital marketing. With the development of digital marketing, our dependence over the internet for almost everything is likely to come with a price. With the expansion of surveillance, online privacy is going to be a problem, but we need to more vigilant as we head into the future, as companies are likely to take advantage of us by manipulating our personal information and compromising our online privacy.

Andrejevic cautions us to be more vigilant as we go into the digital future by mentioning that, “commercial surveillance is key in manipulation, alienation, and control attached to the interactive economy” (Surveillance & Society, pg. 279). The many companies we interact with are more concerned in making more profits and their main priorities are their sponsors, advertisers and investors rather than serving our interests. We ought to understand that in digital marketing, many companies are geared towards using our services for profit purpose and not the vice versa.

Questions

Do you think digital marketing will serve all your business needs in the future?

How do you think your online privacy will be impacted by digital marketing?

 

 

 

 

 

As an entrepreneur I’m fascinated by how social media has helped create marketing for my services at no cost. Not only that but it has helped me reach out to people that doesn’t even live in the U.S. Even though, with marketing, it’s hard sometime to go on the right direction, it is worth to take the risk. Here is this article of “The 10 laws“ that can help you be successful while doing so. This media revolution has just began and it is going to bring new ideas, markets, and connections.

Marketing in social media is definitely an aspect that I would like to see grow and expand. This has opened a platform for a lot of people like me to get recognized around the world. However, every new idea brings negative aspects as well. Like for example, if I post some pictures of my work (makeup / dancing), on my Instagram page, somebody can easily access it and use it. Instagram or other platforms doesn’t really require you to give credits to the owner of the sources. You can easily screenshot an image and use it for anything you want, chances are the owner won’t even realized.

This is what happened to James Jollay, when a major international company stole one of her images. Marie Claire magazine, a very well known brand in the fashion/style industry has stolen and posted an image that belong to Jollay. Take a look at the article and what Jollay had to say.

I believe that is great  that many other people enjoy social media and are able to share their ideas, work, and services but at the same time this information needs to be protected. For example, Facebook now has copyright laws that won’t let you upload any music videos without crediting the owner. They can be your own videos, but if it has a soundtrack on the background, you have to credit the owner or the creator of the source. Here is an article of why Facebook needed to do that. If I can create a law, I will follow Facebook steps and apply it to other social media platforms. Everyone’s work need to be protected not matter how “small” or “big” the information is. Platforms like Instagram need to come up with a set of rules that explain how to give credit to the original creators  and videos, so it is not easy for other to steal ideas or images. If this is done, everyone would be free and encourage to share their ideas because they will feel their information is secured.

1. Have you steal images from Instagram or other platforms to use them for your own benefit or purposes?
2. How would you feel if a big corporation features your images/work on their account?