Are “The Big Four” really taking over. After our unit on Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook I realized how much each of these show up in my daily life. I use Google almost everyday to search for mindless things like “how to bake gluten free cookies?” or “how much do plane tickets to thailand cost?”. The answers to these questions are made available to me with just the touch of a button and a little cell service. I am then able to pull up millions of cookie recipes and a bunch of plane ticket options along with advice on how to take the best trip possible. This, by the way, is all done on my iPhone provided to me by Apple, one of “The Big Four” as well. And when I get sick of staring at the tiny screen I look to my Apple computer whose browser opens right up to the Apple homepage incase I have any questions. Then if I decide that I want to buy some books on the topics I searched I go no further than Amazon, which has the best selection which links me up with other shops that may have books I need or Amazon may even have their own stock of certain books. Then, because I have an Amazon account, buying this book is only one click away.

The only platform that I do not use is Facebook. When I was younger, sharing things with my friend via Facebook was very popular, but as I get older, there are other forms of social media that have attracted me more. One such site is Twitter, which I feel in conjunction with Instagram is taking over the social media control and even beginning to beat out Facebook. This is not to say that the use of Facebook is dead, I still have a Facebook for the soul purpose of photos, but slowly I have been transitioning even that use into Instagram. I feel that because of new trends in the social media world, the fourth spot will continue to change, slowly yet surely. I feel that it is only a matter of time before the next big invention comes out and beats out Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

However, I do not feel like the end is quite as near for Google, Amazon, or Apple, who seem to have a monopoly over their three functions. They, unlike Facebook, do not have to rely on being trendy, only functional. The reason that I use these three is because they are easy and they work. I do not have troubles with my Apple products, which are easy enough to use that my grandmother can use them. Google is very accessible and provides me with the information that I need very quickly, and Amazon provides me with the products that I need at a low price. Though it may be possible one day to create things that are more functional than these three platforms, but for now I think that they will reign supreme for longer than Facebook seems able.

This semester in UMass 302 I have learned a lot about new media but I think one of the most important lessons I have learned is to be aware of what is going on when I use new media. We talked a lot about privacy, and how most of the time we really have no idea how much privacy we really have while browsing the web. When reflecting on this unit I realized how I almost never read the “terms of use” contract that you must sign for iTunes, your iPhone, YouTube, SnapChat, or any other digital device. I do not have a lawyer go over all of these things with me and I have never once thought of it as an issue. However, many students in this class brought up reasons that I should be concerned about my privacy on the web, and on other apps. Why should Google, or other apps, have access to my medical records, my personal emails, or other private things that I may use the internet for? This was addressed in our reading “Google Controversies”, in which the violation of privacy for the sake of relevant ads is debated. This has led me to be more skeptical of the type of information that apps on the web really do take from me, and I wonder how much information they have documented.

Another thing that I have become more aware of because of UMass 302 is the lack of representation in common media such as television programs, radio, and movies. Popular television programs rarely have much diversity and are normally predominately white male and female leads. One thing new media has opened up is ways that minorities can show their talents and prove that, even if they aren’t on a mainstream television program, they can attract a large audience. One place that we have touched on a lot during this course is YouTube and Web Series. These portals have opened up great opportunities for all communities to showcase themselves in a positive light, rather than conforming to the way that mainstream media seems set on portraying them. This is creating opportunities for new types of television shows that break the stereotypes that have been creates by society as well as helping people see themselves accurately depicted in media.

The last thing that I have really become more aware of is the way that people are portrayed in video games. I have only been exposed to very few video games, most involving animals with no hint at any societal themes (Banjo-Kazooie, Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, etc.), however in this class we looked at many different video games and how racist and sexist tones are taken in many of them. Though, some classmates enlightened me on the different video games that are out there that do not take on these themes and instead help to promote positive images of all, not just the select “majority”. This is especially important because of the growing diversity of gamers that are out there who all have a right to recognize themselves in a game as a protagonist.

All and all I have learned very much in this course, and it has really helped to enlighten me about the ways in which new media is growing, and ways that I can be a more responsible and aware user of new media of all forms.

Well, I most certainly got with the program after a few weeks in UMass 302 (like the pun… program?). After a few readings and some personal online webisode research, I began to understand what web series really were. I had never really explored the realm of entertainment on youtube besides random music, rock climbing, and funny cat videos. I did however, after a while, find one web-series-like video called Bee and Puppycat. This is the closest I have gotten to a web series outside of what I have been shown in class or what I have sought out because of class. This is an anime short that originated on youtube much like any other web series on youtube. However, Bee and Puppycat does not address some of the issues that are addressed in other web series. A lot of minorities are absent in modern television, and web series create a way for these minorities to shine through despite the restrictions on major television networks and their lack of diversity. I feel like this is a great way for these minorities to be noticed!

Recently, a lot of these web series have been noticed by large television networks like HBO and Comedy Central. These networks are noticing the popularity of web series that include stars that are part of minority groups like blacks, single mothers, the working class, women, and the LGBTQ community. The web series medium is creating a way for different communities to represent themselves accurately and in a more positive light so that others within the same community can see a positive representation of themselves rather than the stereotypical representation or lack of representation on mainstream television networks. Then, because of the popularity of these more accurate shows that appear on the internet and their popularity amongst web browsers, main stream television networks are beginning to take an interest in this new form of show and the diversity in the actors and actresses that appear on these webisodes.

Despite the fact that I am now informed on web series and all the different series there are to explore on the web, I find that many of my peers still do not know where to find these kinds of shows or they may not even know that they are out there. I wonder if there is a way to make these more popular, because it isn’t like there are commercials on the web, especially not for shows that have very little funding or no funding at all. The only way for these shows to gain popularity is by the off chance that a web browser will stumble across a link in a blog or a friend will recommend a show when they have seen one. I think that it is important to inform more people, to tell our friends about all the web series about diverse groups of people on the web, because honestly some of them are much funnier than anything I watch on television, and maybe that is because of the rawness of the content. Whatever it is, it needs to be shown to a larger crowd, because this is the start to the reinvention of the television as we know it.

Throughout my life I have been involved with many different types of videogames and videogame systems. During Dr. Fox Harrell’s lecture I began to reflect on my experience with video games and their lack of representation of all genders. Many videogames allow you to customize characters (Sims, Wii Avatar, Xbox avatar, Destiny, etc.) however in most of these games you only get a choice between two genders: male and female. This neglects many people who may use these video games, and does not allow them to accurately depict themselves in the virtual world where they will be playing. A lot of the lecture that Dr. Fox Harrell made addressed what this lack of representation, or lack of positive representation can do to ones self esteem. Most of what Fox Harrell discussed was in relation to race and the negative representation of most characters who are not white. This thought could also be applied to the almost complete absense of any representation of any gender other than cis male and cis females. Even aliens in many games are gendered male and female, once again implying that there are only two genders that could possibly exist, when in reality, many people associate with genders other than these.

Recently, Facebook has added fifty six genders which one can select to identify with and more than twelve that can be displayed on the users Facebook information page. This new option allows for all people to accurately represent themselves and even goes as far as to let you adjust your preferred pronoun! This is a great step in the right direction for all forms of social media. It allows for all people to have a way to identify their true self. I think that this model is one that should be applied to all forms of social media and eventually video games. Being able to customize something as simple as an avatar with an accurate gender and accurate pronoun usage would really be an amazing step towards inclusion of more genders than just cisgender females and cisgender males. This might also allow people to become more familiar with all of the different genders that people associate with. It will create awareness of the existence of these different genders and might help build sympathy for the cause concerning gender acceptance.
On this note, I really appreciate all of the work that Dr. Fox Harrell is doing in relation to my reflection. It made me aware of just how little representation of different genders, sexual orientations, and positive representations of people of colors besides Caucasian are present in popular video games. I think that raising awareness of this fact will help in the movement to change all of these problems in video game culture as well in media representation. I really appreciate Facebook for including all these genders and I definitely think that this is great step in the right direction. I hope that other social media organizations follow Facebook’s lead and changes standards for gender representation across the board.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/02/21/gender_facebook_now_has_56_categories_to_choose_from_including_cisgender.html