Week 3 // MySpace and it's fall from grace

Week 3 // MySpace and it's fall from grace

In the last 15 years, social networking sites have gotten bigger, multiplied and have slowly dominated our everyday lives. Throughout the decade we have seen social networking sites such as Bebo, Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and a variety of dating sites too. We have seen them rise and fall, proving how disposable each of them can be if they fail to evolve accordingly. MySpace could be considered the flagship social networking site that was embraced by millions of users across the globe and really created the online networking craze.

Originally launched in 2003, it served as an improved mimic of Friendster co-created by a team of four, including the famous Tom Anderson. Originally, the site was only used by team members of eUniverse (now Intermix Media). In order to start up the site, MySpace aggressively held contests with it's team members to see who could sign up the most amount of users. (Percival, Sean (2008). MySpace Marketing.) Eventually, they signed up a massive 20 million users just in it's early stage of launch.

In 2005, MySpace quickly rose as the top social networking site, used by many demographics. In particular, teenagers and young adults. In it's peak, the company had an estimated value of $12 billion in 2007. (Barnett, Emma (2011-03-24). "MySpace loses 10 million users in a month". The Daily Telegraph (London)) But as time went by, any companies wanted to bank on the social networking craze by creating their own platform. Many companies failed, but the now ever so powerful Facebook quickly pulled MySpace from it's peak and it's dominance in the Online Social Networking craze. 

By 2008, Facebook was crowned the #1 social networking site. The blame to MySpace's fall from grace have been pinpointed from many factors. Some including it's failure to focus and evolve it's medium on purely social networking which Facebook and Twitter quickly mastered and polishes. MySpace continued to fish for and sustain it's users by keep it an entertainment platform for music and stuck to it's outdated 'Portal Strategy'. Chmielewski, Dawn C.; Sarno, David (2009-06-17). "How MySpace fell off the pace". Los Angeles Times. Other reasons include MySpace's sluggish servers failing to cater it's growing audience, making the site slower and more stressful to navigate through. MySpace also had a 3 year advertising deal with google which hindered MySpace's efforts to re-vamp it's interface. 

In 2011, CNN had reported that the company was sold for 35million. A massive drop of worth compared to it's peak gross of 12Billion in it's heyday. As of today, it is now co-owed by annoying, douchebag entertained Justin Timberlake. Ugh.



Bless Lohan xoxo

 

Week 4 // Cyberpunk Timeline! 2/2

Week 4 // Cyberpunk Timeline! 2/2

//TIME LINE//

1980 - Web Of Angels by John M. Ford  

The probable first novel to depict cyberspace within it.  

Bethke, Bruce. "Cyberpunk" Amazing Science Fiction Stories, Vol. 57, No. 4; November 1983

<http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/cpunk.htm>

1982 - Blade Runner (Movie)

Set in 2019 in a dystopian future in which manufactured beings called replicants are slaves used on space colonies and are legal prey on Earth to various bounty hunters who "retire" (kill) them.

Blade Runner (1982), IMBD, Visited 24th August 2012

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/>

1995 - Ghost In A Shell (Anime adaptation of the Manga of the same name)

Cyberpunk has greatly influenced Anime and Manga culture. Ghost In A Shel was one of these groundbreaking and classic titles. The manga was first adapted into a theatrical anime film adaptation in 1995, titled Ghost in the Shell, directed by Mamoru Oshii.

Ghost In A Shell (1995), IMBD, Visited 24th August 2012

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/>

2000 - Sony Center in Berlin 

Some real life places have been described as cyberpunk, such as Japan, the Sony Center in the Potsdamer Platz public square of Berlin, Germany

Suzuki, David (2003). Good News for a Change:How Everyday People Are Helping the Planet. Greystone Books. p. 332. 

2005 - Lady Gaga (Entertainer)

Lady Gaga draws in inspiration from the cyberpunk genre for her music, fashion, and music videos. Most notable and controversial 'Born This Way''s music video. Lady Gaga gives birth to a new race on Earth.

 

Week 5 // Social Media Survey

Week 5 //  Social Media Survey

As part of our tutorial tasks, we were required to create a survey relevant to our discussion on social media! It would be great if y'all could participate in mine! It'll only take 30 seconds to answer 5 questions!  I'll post the results next week!

 Click here to do my survey!!

Have fun!!

Week 4 // Technology, Ethics and Media! 1/2

Week 4 // Technology, Ethics and Media! 

Mankind has created all sorts of technologies. These technologies help us communicate with one another (eg, mobile phones), help us see beyond our eyesight's capabilities (eg. telescope), and in a medical sense, they help us create solutions for medical disadvantages such as disease. Technology has helped create life (I.V.F -In Vitro Fertilisation-), but if technology gives us the power to create, it gives us the power to destroy and take away life. While man made cures have been created for natural diseases, man made disease do exist.

A group of scientist are pushing to publish research  about how they created a man made flu virus that could wipe out civilisation. It’s a supposedly genetically altered version of the famous H5N1 bird flu virus, but ultimately more destructive. Mail Online reports that the research has cause controversy between scientists with some saying it should have never been carried out. If this new genetically altered virus is placed in the wrong hands, it could very well be used for bio-terrorism, and could wipe nations at a time. 

Anthrax Isn't As Scary As This: Mail Online 2011, viewed 17th August 2012,
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066624/Anthrax-isnt-scary-compared-Man-flu-virus-potential-wipe-millions-created-warns-frightened-scientist.html>

On a lighter note, Bio-Terrorism has been a theme for various video games and movies such as Resident Evil. Resident Evil’s plot is based around the release of the destructive ‘T-Virus’, in which reanimates infected dead into blood thirsty, meat hungry, aggressive ‘zombies’.  While this is a glamourised, hollywood, fantasised exaggeration of bio-terrorism, with the growing technology could possibly happen? lol probs not.

Week 2 // Social Media and Me

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First of all~

SORRY Y"ALL FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES! YOU'LL BE GETTING A HUGE CATCH UP ON POSTS THROUGHOUT TODAY! 

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Week 2 // Communication Technologies and Me

When I come to think of it, I have been using communication technologies since I could ever remember. My father is a seaman and I would frequently chat with him on the phone several times a week on telephone since I was a little child. Even back before we had the digits 55 in front of a landline number! When I was 11 years old, my father gave me my first mobile phone, a NOKIA 3210 and NOKIA 3315 shortly after. These phones were bricks and could withstand anything!

 

I’ve had an array of mobile phones growing up, and their advances in technology throughout time has been incredible! As of now, I have the iPhone 4.

Eventually, my household got broadband internet and I started to use internet social based media. MSN or now Microsoft Messenger was the first internet powered mediums I used. I remember spending hours on this! I probably wouldn't have used this if I wasn't influenced by my friends. Most kids my age at the time did use it. This was back when file sharing client ‘Lime Wire’ was king!! Honestly, it was the only reason why I bugged my Dad into paying for internet haha. I told him to give me the internet for ~educational purposes~ at first haha.

After MSN, I was introduced to MySpace. MySpace was great back in the day. I loved being able to share pictures, music and discover new artists who used MySpace as their platform to be discovered. Lily Allen, Lady Gaga, Tila Tequila and Tynisha Keli were all originally small MySpace artists! While you dont hear much about Lady GaGa much being associated with MySpace as one of her career beginnings, I remember her posting some of her demos on her page, and the hype of her first major debut single for Just Dance!

I remember 2008, when everyone started to really embrace Facebook and move away from MySpace. But this is natural in our world. When something new, better and bigger comes out, its ultimately replacing something else. After a year or two of the Facebook climb, privacy issues. Wikipedia has an excellent archive of these criticism.

Click here for Wikipedia's archive on Facebook's criticisms

With information collection, mining, whatever they call it, it makes you think twice about what you put on the internet. It’s scary that there are individuals out there willing to take advantage of your pictures and even your name for themselves. People have been victims of identify theft by cybercrims (which today tonight like to call haha), all starting from putting a little too much information on the internet. The internet is a very public place, so we all need to think why is this site asking for this? Why do they want my address? My Number? My 411? I ohhh so humorously put ‘ToTez PuTinG my AddRess in Fb’ on the section Fb requests.

But social mediums have been a great place to meet friends. I have made a few great friends on these, and probably wont stop using these to do so. Of course there needs to be a level of caution when doing so, but there are so many opportunities the internet really does offer.