Wiki So Far

In regards to our class wiki thus far, I have contributed by adding content in the "Youtube Stars and Advertising" subsection of the Youtube page. I basically wrote about Adam LZ, a youtuber who went viral for his interests in BMX and Japanese-inspired cars. I also contributed by editing one of my colleague's content on this page as well, fixing spelling and grammatical errors. My next contribution will focus on the page regarding new media in sports and e-sports. I will add content in relation to "Television and Sports", as it seems to only focus on football. I have already pinpointed the subsection, "Advertising and Sports", as well, which needs its information updated.

P2P

File sharing is an act which basically describes itself. Files are shared using digital media; sometimes over a local area network for work related documents, or other times, further on to friends, for software, music, movies, and other related reasons.  This act allows many people to access the same file, giving them the ability to view, share, modify, or copy it. One problem does arise; it is not always legal. The majority of mp3's or movies being shared are in violation of copyright law. The software that is shared is also subject to software piracy. However, this act of file sharing is not uncommon present day.

One type of file sharing that is most prevalent is P2P file sharing. It is "peer to peer" file sharing, where digital media becomes available to those accessing the same P2P network. One example of this is BitTorrent, one of the most successful P2P programs in history. It allows users to upload and download files from the size of a simple mp3, to sizes thousands of times as big. It should also be noted that this happens at extremely fast speeds, leaving very limited wait time. These files include music, television shows, movies, software, and much more. However, according to the article "The BitTorrent Effect", the crackdown of this program began, as those downloading movies were being caught and struck with piracy charges. Although very convenient for users, it is also very illegal, and hurts the individuals who work hard to release this content. This article was written in 2005, and even twelve years later, BitTorrent is surprisingly still around, running strongly.

Privacy

When dealing with new media, the issues of privacy and confidentiality often arise. Individuals want to trust that their personal information will not be leaked to outside sources when new media is utilized, but this unfortunately does happen. One tragic example of this occurrence involved the University of Maryland. Over 300,000 students had their social security numbers, date of births, and university identification numbers leaked to an outside source during a security breach. This was accessed through the school's computer system. Although we hope for these type of incidents not to happen, it is natural in the new media world. Whenever or wherever an individual inputs personal information, there is always a chance of an unethical worker, or even a hacker accessing this information. A platform as simple as Facebook and Instagram can be targeted, holding names, date of births, and even credit card information, due to the fact that people can now shop through the Instagram app.

Another instance where privacy and confidentiality have been compromised were with Target. In this case however, over 110 million people had their credit card information leaked to an outside source. As we can see, it seems very normal (being a large chain store that many Americans go to), but it is definitely not something we want to deal with. That is why Target began using chip enabled smart cards to make hacking much harder. They also started using tougher security on their system so that it would take a great deal of effort to actually access credit card information of customers. No matter which company you deal with, no matter how well known it may seem, the compromise of privacy and confidentiality is always possible. It is just up to the company to not leave open doors for hackers, and to try just as hard protecting their customers, as they do serving them.

Advice

As an employee of Baruch college on the verge of improving new media, I would create multiple apps accessible to all students of our college. For example, students often want to be notified of networking opportunities and job fairs. If possible, I would create an app specifically for Starr which would allow mobile friendly, simple access to students when downloaded. This saves a lot of time from finding a computer to log on to, or trying to find your way around the website on a phone which isn't mobile friendly. Another possible benefit to this app could be saving your resume and using a "one touch" application; a function where you can send your application in simply one touch.

Another app I would create would be a sort of Facebook, dedicated to only Baruch Students. Not only would this allow easier communication, it would be an opportunity to network.Not all students are comfortable asking their peers for a number or email, but in this platform, they would definitely be comfortable knowing that the app functions for this purpose. Users (students) would be able to chat, and post entries all relating to Baruch. There could possibly be groups formed, based on classes, where students can easily upload and share notes, and ask each other questions. As the need for information is in demand based on the topic, more apps could be created to allow easy access.