With many new social media platforms on the rise, people are beginning to question the status of Facebook. If you are in a room with about ten people between the ages of 13-50, eight out of the ten has an account on facebook. Two may not have an account, but have heard of it. And maybe five don't log in as much and are now thinking about deleting their account.
I myself have had a facebook account for years. Do I post pictures-No. Do I start talking and or chatting with friends-No. Do I write and give everybody a daily recap of my day to day escapades-No. But I do know some people that do. Am I going to delete my account, maybe.
According to guardian.co.uk, last month facebook lost about 6 million visitors from the United States. And within the last six months they lost almost 9 million monthly visitors in the US and 2 million in the UK. The US and the UK arent the only countries were are backing away facebook. Neighboring countries such as Canada, Japan, Spain, France, and Germany has been easing away from facebook.
One of the new biggest social platform currently is Instagram, a photo sharing site that has become so popular, that facebook decided to acquire it. Before this acquisition Instagram gained 30 million user within the 18 months. I am a frequent user of Instagram, I would have to say its rather addicted.
Technology is the greatest factor that is linked to economic growth. According to Oxford Economics emerging markets are increasing because digital technologies are growing consumer income and demand. As a result of these successes, corporations are investing in this industry in order to fuel economic growth.
According to Oxford Economics, this is considered the “third wave of capitalism”. It is considered so because of the tremendous impact it is having on societies, governments, innovations and economics. With increasing technology, there is a need for new business models in order to evolve with this megatrend.
The Aspen Institute believes that as the internet grows in scale and scope, it accelerates innovation in new and existing businesses, and enhances the creation and delivery of public goods. For example, Etsy is a perfect example of a new, successful online business model, because its innovations allow for people to sell, buy, and trade their art and clothing. The simplicity of the site’s model has led to growth, and an interest in those who would like their sites to be interactive. The Aspen Institute believes that because the internet is run by the many, there are highly beneficial qualities that go along with that.
New York City has recently become a new tech hub for computer geniuses. While the sector is growing, Tracey Samuelson of WNYC says that, “so too have the number of meet-ups, happy hours, demos and networking events – somewhere in the ballpark of hundreds a month are held throughout the city”. These events are producing new ideas through networking and ultimately revving up excitement for the New York tech industry.
Image Courtesy Of Wired.com
There has been a shift from a rigid, and old Silicon Valley to the bright new economical process in NYC. One way in which office dynamic is changing, is through a new practice called “co-working”. According to Manoush Zomorodi of WNYC, it’s “a communal office space where freelancers, telecommuters, and entrepreneurs can come together to share a copy machine, avoid NYC’s high rents, and make business connections (and friends).” New York leads the way with the most co-working spaces of all the cities in the world. Co-working will no doubt save valuable capital for these up and coming businesses, while also providing a playing field for ideas to bounce around.
According to Donate Life
NY, “more than 114,000 people are
waiting for organ transplants in the United States, and of these, more than
92,000 await kidneys, more than 16,000 need livers; and more than 3,000 need
hearts”. Moreover, “in 2011, a total of 6,669 patients died while waiting for
organ transplants, and on average 18 people died each day because of the
shortage of donated organs”. Now wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a way to
fulfill this demand for organ transplants so that the amount of deaths per year
could decrease?
Well, Surgeon Anthony Atala has
been in the process of discovering a cure. According to TED, “ Dr. Anthony
Atala is the director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine,
where his work focuses on growing and regenerating tissues and organs. His team
engineered the first lab-grown organ to be implanted into a human – a bladder –
and is developing experimental fabrication technology that can “print” human
tissue on demand”.
In a 2011
TEDTalk, Dr. Atala spoke about the field of regenerative medicine, which
consists of specific materials and cells you could implant in patients to help
them regenerate. During the TEDTalk, Dr. Atala also walked his audience through
the first use of a natural biomaterial in a human for tissue regeneration,
which occurred in 1996 and helped replace and repair that patient’s organ
structure. The biomaterial in the human acted as a bridge so that the cells in
the organ could walk on that bridge and repair the gap, and regenerate that
tissue.
Dr. Atala also spoke about how him
and his team could “take a very small portion of the tissue of a deceased or
injured organ, tease the cells apart, grow the cells outside of the body, take
a scaffold, shape that material, and use those cells to coat that material one
layer at a time; they then would place it into an oven like device, create that
structure and bring it out”. In the presentation he showed the audience an
engineered heart valve, human bladder, and liver, which had the same shape and
movement of that body organ.
Moreover, Dr. Atala and his team used
a CT Scan to go layer by layer using computerized 3D reconstruction to get
right down to the internal organs and take the information and scan it in a
computerized form to go layer by layer in that organ, allowing the printer to
design the new organ for that patient.
An example of this occurred about
11 years ago, when Dr. Atala had a 10-year-old patient named Luke Massella
receive an engineered bladder that was made up of his own cells; 11 years later
Luke has been well ever since. According to Luke, the surgery prevented him
from living the rest of his life of dialysis, and it allowed him to “…become
captain of the wrestling team…and be a normal kid with his friends”. Seeing how
well Dr. Atala’s experiment worked on Luke is amazing because this advance in
medicine is truly a way of the future.
The emergences of various digital and networked technologies have
dramatically changed the ways in which we do business today. An example of this
is the “Square” application
for Android's, iPhone's, and iPad’s.
According
to USA Today, Square is a company that has an application, and a
mobile credit and debit card reader that plugs into the audio jack of an
Andriod, iPhone, or iPad, and allows merchants to swipe customer credit cards.
With each swipe or transaction, square charges 2.75% for American Express,
Discover, MasterCard, and Visa cards, and then the money is deposited right
into your account. Users can also choose to use the $275 per month
package, which eliminates the per-swipe fees for small businesses that process
up to $250,000 a year.
Many
small businesses have begun using the Square application because it is so small
and easy to use. I for one can vouch for the efficiency of Square because I use
it when operating my accessory business. This technology has significantly changed the way
that I do business because it has opened up my customer base tremendously. Many
times when I used to do showcase events for my accessories, I would lose
customers because I only accepted cash, but now when I do showcases I gain
customers because I am able to accept most payment methods.
Many
other small businesses have also had a boost in their sales because of Square.
In a Boulder County Business Report article, it was stated that Square readers were
becoming increasingly prominent around Boulder County, “particularly around
farmers markets, said Matt Aboussie, owner of Wild Alaska Salmon LLC. His
company sells wild-caught salmon online, to retailers including Alfalfa’s and
at farmers markets."
This tiny
device is not only beneficial for small businesses but big corporations like
Starbucks as well. According to The Economist, “On August 8th, 2012 Starbucks announced
a $25 million investment in the company, which will now process the coffee
shops chains billions in credit-card charges (and receive an undisclosed fee
that Starbucks currently pays other companies)."
All in all, this tiny
device has dramatically changed the way that businesses big and
small function in a positive way.
Below are two short
videos promoting the Square application:
It's believed by many people that in order to keep their homes or workplaces secure, some kind of security device is needed. However, in the technologically advanced world of today, many people are finding ways to hack into these security devices, specifically cameras, and spy on people in the privacy of their homes and workplaces. So I pose this question: Who's Watching You??
A blog called Console Cowboys brought to the attention of many that some models of a home security camera made by the company Trendnet can be hacked into. The blog even went as far as to post instructions on how to access these devices. All one has to do is get a code from the firmware of Trendnet, attach it to the IP address of any camera of that company and VIOLA!!! You're watching your neighbor paint their toes tickle me pink.
Katie Notopoulos of The Verge received an email from Zak Wood, the director of Global Marketing for Trendnet, issuing this statement:
"We became aware of it when it was reported on a public forum, very recently. This is a major concern and we dedicated significant resources to fix this issue immediately."
He also advises that Trendnet customers update their firmware over a secure, wired internet connection.
Hacking into security cameras is starting to become a dangerous trend. In the UK 1.85 million security cameras were put up to decrease the crime rate. Andrea Petrou of TechEYE.net reports that a security expert, who is going unnamed, warns this new technology will become a new target. He states that "although this isn't a new risk, we've seen this increase over the past few years as this technology becomes more of a tool to provide evidence and put people away." Hackers will try to break the encryption of the cameras and get in to rid of any evidence if a crime were to occur.
Knowing that an average person can do this, makes me wonder about the capabilities of an expert hacker. They will eventually get tired of watching people on security cameras and want to take it to the next level. Possibly hacking into people's personal information or worse the government's.
According to the NYTimes, people will now have to know what they are getting in to when they purchase an E-book reader. Many people who buy E-book readers are unaware that when they purchase a book from a company, they are committing to that company's choice of books for as long as they have that e-book reader. That is because people are unaware that the book formats of the different E-books are not compatible with each other. In other words, it is not possible to read a Kindle book on a Nook or a Nook book on a Sony Reader.
What makes things even more complicated for customers to choose which tablet to buy are the continous advanced installments. According to BBC news, it is without a doubt that the new Barnes & Noble's Nook Simple Touch with Glow-Light gave customers something to think about. Now the "Simple Touch with Glow-light"provides an LED-based lighting system in its frame that users turn on when the ambient light becomes low.
Before, there were only E-books with E Ink screens that has no color. To solve this problem the advancement after the E Ink screens are the LCD color screens. The Nook Color and the Kindle Fire both have these attributes but they are a problem in the price range for customers. The cost of these tablets are over two hundred dollars. To add, it can not be used for reading in the sun because the screens wash out.
According to FoxBusiness, the Glow-light Nook is self illuminating and gives what readers been asking for. "The glow ink eliminates the number-one problems couples have in bed – having their sleep interrupted, or being prevented from falling asleep, when their partner reads with the light on,” Barnes & Noble said in a statement.
The Nook offers a low price, long battery life, a screen that you can see at anytime and anywhere, even in the dark, and it solves a couple's problem of not being able to sleep because of their partner reading with the light on. The cost of the Nook is $140 which is very reasonable. The impressive Nook is supposed to be available in the stores in May.
Google has come under increased scrutiny when they were rumored to have violated people's personal rights and viewed people's personal information, such as emails or passwords, with0ut the individuals consent. The Federal Communications Commission(FCC) has stated that although Google has not violated any major laws it was indeed partly responsible and was fined $25,000 as a result.
The scandal is centered around an engineer, which has been labeled as anoymous name of "Engineer Doe", who worled for Google andtold Google officials that they can collect payload data from individuals which then can track the individuals wi-fi networks and location. Payload data is the data sent over the internet which contains vital information on location, wi-fi and other important info and Google was accused for using this to steal individuals personal information. In a report with the Washington Post the FCC has stated that Google has used street viewing cars for this, "On at least two occasions Engineer Doe specifically informed colleagues that Street View Cars were collecting data."
According to BBC News the information gained from the reports were going to be used for other Google projects, the FCC has stated, "Engineer Doe intended to collect, store and review payload data for possible use in other Google projects." This news is alarming news as internet safety is yet again another major topic. Google is a major giant in the media asit has alot of power and can get away with scandals such as these. What's even more of a concern is that Google is affiliated with many different forms of technology and media such as E-Mails or G-mail, you-tube, maps, search engines, advertising, etc, and will use this to collect more data on individuals. Google will probably use this info that people store on other sites which they are affiliated with to promote their products, spread their information, control internet content and what not.
We have already passes the phase of the glorious iPhone, apparently. Now our world is moving on to the new technology of a Windows operated phone. The Nokia Lumina 900 is the newest technology in all types of media. It really is like having a hand held computer because it is operated by a computer system; Windows. This smartphone is the new face of media. The owner will be able to operate the internet and social media apps in the newest, most efficient way. Apple is not too happy about this. “There clearly is a danger now that iPhone is going to get a stranglehold of the U.S. smartphone market, and I don’t think operators are crazy about that,” Mr. Kuittinen said.
Even though last Christmas the iPhone still reached highest sales, they know that the Nokia Lumina 900 is right up their tail. Verizon and AT&Tare fiending for this; they see the potential. “We’re really looking at the Windows Phone 8.0 platform because that’s a differentiator,” Mr. Shammo said after Verizon’s earnings report Thursday. “We’re working with Microsoft on it.” He didn’t say when Windows Phone 8 handsets would be available on Verizon.
The soaring popular of the Nokia Lumina 900 was made clear by CNET: "The carrier's Lumia 900 page shows both the white and cyan models as "temporarily out of stock." AT&T's retail outlets are also reportedly facing the same shortage, according to WPCentral, which says that both color models are hard, if not impossible, to fina in store."
Both AT&T and Verizon are working vigorously with the phones makers. This phone is soon to change everything. It is predicted that when sales start rising, Apple will get wind of this and the iPhone may not be top in its game anymore. Yes, the iPhone was a remarkable piece of technology in the media and social media world. However, now we have the Nokia Lumina 900, a phone operating by a legitimate computer system.
How will anything be able to compete with their technology in the media world with a cell phone that is run by Windows? The way that we use social media and other media sources is by the computer, originally. That is also the most reliable, efficient way that we use media. Windows, one of the leading companies in computer systems now has their system running a cell phone. This is guaranteeing a change in media, because media through a computer is now in the palm of our hand.
At a press event in New York City the founder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, announced that they will be partnering up with the beverage giant, Coca Cola. The purpose of the unlikely partnership is to promote the music service on a global scale as well as advertise Coca Cola to bring up revenue.
To join forces with a hundred plus year old company that is known world wide would be considered by many as the collaboration of a life time. Yet, Ek expressed that, "this partnership is just as important as the Facebook relationship for us" as reported by PC Magazine.
As for Coke, they are no strangers when it comes to working with the music industry. According to Ad Age, they've have been using music to attract the younger crowd due to this demographic:
"teens are projected to represent one-third of the global population by 2020. The U.S., China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan are expected to have half of the teen-age population by then."
This statement clarifies why Coke would want to work with Spotify. In addition, ABC News reporter Tina Trinh, further explains Coca Cola's logic to working with Spotify:
"By renewing its focus on technology and aligning itself with a music service used by young adults, Coca-Cola is attempting to stay relevant to young consumers and their changing musical tastes."
In the coming months, Daniel Ek also announced that they will be adding brand apps onto their Spotify desktop app to allow its users access to new music. They've made plans to work with Coca Cola, McDonald's, AT&T and other brands as they expand their business to the global community.
One could say that Spotify is lucky to work with these well known companies, but i feel they are lucky to work with Spotify. Although, these companies that are collaborating with Spotify are much more known, Spotify's business caters to the majority of the population whether they are well known or not.
Deceased (or allegedly so) rapper Tupac made his return the other day at the Coachella festival. But, how is this possible if the rapper had passed away in 1996? The Rolling Stone says that with a whole lot of money, a little help from a company called 'AV Concepts' and Digital Domain, and an idea bought about by Dr. Dre, the rapper made his debut back on stage.... as a hologram.
In a MTV article, Smith, owner of AV concepts says it was all Dr. Dre:
We worked with Dr. Dre on this and it was Dre's vision to bring this back to life," said Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, the San Diego company that created the hologram. "It was his idea from the very beginning and we worked with him and his camp to utilize the technology to make it come to life."
AV Concepts, has done similar work. The company did work for the Grammy's making the holograms for the group the Gorillaz possible. In the same MTV article, Smith says that this could possibly lead to something bigger than a simple hologram:
"I can't say how much that event cost, but I can say it's affordable in the sense that if we had to bring entertainers around world and create concerts across the country, we could put [artists] in every venue in the country," he said.
The Tupac hologram is already taking over the media as the hologram has its own Twitter account with 11,922 followers, probably growing by the minute. Is it possible that maybe holograms will be the go to for artists unable to perform, or maybe unwilling to perform? An article in Business Week states that other holograms were successful but Tupac's performance is the closest thing to raising the dead. Who's next? Business Week guesses Elvis. But Ed Ulbich, Digital Domain's chief creative officer say's it doesnt seem to promising to see the King swinging again:
“While we’ve demonstrated that we can certainly do that,” says Ulbrich, “that’s not really our business model.” Instead, he’s more excited by the fact that such a realistic hologram was created in just a few months. “It took us two years to do Benjamin Button,” he said. “Now that we’ve developed the tools to do this, we can start to look at other applications—advertising, commercial work; until now things like this haven’t been feasible.”
Looks can be deceiving- are your favorite artists on stage real, or just a hologram?
