chenfan9-blog

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Post 5

If you ask me to name one of the most popular technology emerged recently. Virtual Reality must be one of my answers. It appealed just a short times ago and now it's ability is beyond my expectation. Users play games, watch movies, sometimes even porn. It also being used to communicate. A few days ago, I read a news about the new possibility of VR technology (link in the end). A new virtual reality experience called "The Last Goodbye" debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival. "The last goodbye" is a 16-minute-long experience follows Pinchas Gutter, who is a survivor of former Nazi Germany extermination camp in occupied Poland. Holocaust is one of the most horrible events in human history. People may read about it in books or seen it in films or documentaries. But use VR as a media to let user participate in one of those events is a brand new idea. "The Last Goodbye" combines 360-degree video and photorealistic interactive environments, which makes the journey as painful as it is immersive. Personally, I think using VR technology to create such an experience is a better way to memory those historical events. As a student, we all need to learn those memories in the books. From where I came from, people making films, building museums in memory of the Holocaust. VR can be an easier way for people to experience and participate. But on the other hand, as a new media communication method, it also needs to be restricted in case of the panic it might cause(Nora Draper, 2011).

Link to the article: https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/22/the-last-goodbye-vr/

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post#3

I didn't go outside for observing people during this assignment. it's too cold out there during the spring break. Instead of that, I went to a very large shopping mall called Somerset Collection in Troy Michigan and spent some time there to observing people. I have to say, it's a boring time sitting there just watching people walk around. Even I spent some time on my iPhone too. Most people do not use any technology when they are walking around. Some of them have their earphone on. some are making a phone call, some are listening to music I guess. Very little people stare at their phone when walking. In the central area where people can sit and rest. most of them are using their mobile phone. From my observation, people using their phone to look up discount information and make the phone call and send the text message. Only a few people I observed are using equipment which is not a phone. they are all gathered in the place like Starbucks or another shop where WIFI is provided. I don't want to get close to them, that may make both of us uncomfortable, but luckily I can tell most of them are chatting or browsing a website. Another finding is that outside the restaurant where people are waiting for a seat. most of them are using the mobile phone to spent their time of waiting. Even some customer with children. They leave their children around and let them play, those parents just sit there and staring at their phones. After the observation ends. I have some interesting finding. All those people who sit there and play their mobile phone are behaving surprisingly similar. Most people are checking their social network or using IM software, some are browsing a website. They do not talk or communicate with people nearby, also don't care about things happening around them. Maybe focus on their mobile phone can keep distance with strangers. It's a common way when people don't want to make awkward things happens, like talk to strangers. People can feel more comfortable when they are alone playing their mobile phone. In other words, people use technologies to avoid unnecessary communications with others. But those technologies also isolate people. It limits their social behavior in real life. People talk less to others and it is not a good phenomenon.

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Blog#2

This assignment requires me to took records of my communication with my friends and family during a few days. I have to say, this is an interesting assignment I've ever had during my college life. I never realized that I have so many different ties while I communicating with others. First of all, the most common way I used to contact my friends and parents is Weixin, an IM app on smartphone, which can sent text messages and voice messages to my friends. I also use this app to have a video call with my parent, it's just like facetime. They don't like sending text messages for some reason. Then is face-to-face, when I in the classroom. This is the second common method of communication. I also use email a lot, I sent many emails with my professors. I have three different email accounts, only my university email is used for communication. other accounts are my backup option. One other tool I have is Facebook. One of my online course uses Facebook group to post information. Phone call and text message are rarely being used, I only got some phone call from my mobile carrier and apartment manager. And I have a text group with my classmate for our group assignment. According to statistics, I have 30% of communication with others are using Weixin, 40% of face-to-face, 15% from email, 15% are Facebook and Phone call and texts. 

The reason why Weixin is so dominant in my communications is that this app is combined with multiple features including texting and video call. As an international student, my parents like using video call to talk to me. Weixin is also widely used in our country, it is one of the most common apps in China. Facebook is required by my professor because online course needs a platform to making posts. Facebook is a good choice since most of us have our own Facebook account. Email is even more common compared to Facebook, but the only problem is that sometimes you don't get instant respondings. 

All those communication methods have different advantages. But when compared with face-to-face communication. The methods of Weixin/Facebook/email tend to show it's flexibility. They can carry more content and can reach further distance. And when a group of people needs to share information, face-to-face is not the most efficiency option.

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Blog #1

Ten years ago, when I was a middle school student. I used a software called QQ to chat online with my friends. This software was similar to ICQ, an instant massager platform. During that time, this software only provides functions like chatting and sharing files like pictures or documents. I could still remember that everyone in my class has his own QQ account. It was so popular at that time. One of the reasons that QQ became so popular is that back in time text massage still cast money. Normally you have maybe a hundred free text massages for a month, but after that, mobile carrier starting charging you for extra text massages. That’s why people use QQ instead of text massage to connect with other when there is the internet available.    After few years, the company who owned QQ release a new IM app specifically for the mobile platform called Weixin. This new IM app included all the exist functions and elements of QQ. The user can use their QQ account to log in without sign up for a new account. So they don’t loose their friends in QQ. Besides, they integrate a new function into the app. The user can send voice massage directly to others. That was nearly five years ago. Users can also send emoji during the chat. After few updates, Weixin started to support group chat, and also open its social sharing function. Users can share their pictures and thoughts and even short videos. From my observation, many QQ users move their IM platform to Weixin Since then. One strong evidence is that the developer started to put a new function in Weixin then updated it on QQ.    In my opinion, the success of Weixin is partially thanks to the development of the mobile device. Ever since smartphone gradually replaced the older generation of the cell phone. More and more functions are integrated into mobile platform. People started to use a phone to handle more social business. For individuals, this change makes our communication to others more efficient, we can share different information in a simple way, no matter what kind information is, text or voice massage or pictures or videos. For the large group, it also provides a link, to connect everyone. I’ve seen families and classmates use Winxin to communicate, also colleague uses it to share documents and deal with businesses. All those transforms are the consequences of the development of digital communication. And it meant to be more and more significant in future.

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MI401

This is my first post for MI401