Facebook reveals privacy to interviewers

Nowadays, social media platforms such as Facebook that contain absurd amounts of personal information on its users have completely changed the meaning and confidentiality of private information. There are many consequences and disadvantages that have arose due to the increasing accessibility of people’s personal information. One of the biggest problems caused by this arises during teen job interviews. Many teens are mindlessly displaying photos, videos and statuses that show them taking part in unprofessional and inappropriate activities. Prior to this over-exposure of users’ privacies, an employer had no way of obtaining information about the personal life of the individual being interviewed. However, with the help of social media like Facebook, interviewers can learn a lot about an individual’s private and social life before the interview ever takes place. In many cases, this results in the interviewer stumbling upon an undesired picture or status. This will often cause the interviewer to either form a strong bias against the individual and thus decreasing his or her chances of getting the job desired, or to simply never consider the individual for an interview. In both cases, the person being interviewed is suffering from detrimental consequences even though the “undesired content” on his or her Facebook profile may have been a mistake and does not represent the person’s personal nor social life. This causes many employers to miss out on potential skillful employees solely due to an irrelevant Facebook picture or post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/employers-use-facebook-to-pre-screen-applicants_n_1441289.html

 

No more net neutrality

The digital age began about 40 years ago with the invention of the first personal computer. Then a decade or so later the internet and worldwide web were created. The digital age is also referred to as the information age because of the fact that one can learn about anything on the internet now. The amount of raw data and sheer information that is available via the internet is almost endless. Almost anyone who has internet access can share information whether it is through a blog or other means. These blogs created by students will have the same internet traffic as the websites of major corporations and this is especially due to net neutrality.

Net neutrality is the ability to have an open and free internet. Many have compared net neutrality to the first amendment of the internet and the new media age. Personally, I am for net neutrality and can’t really see how anyone is opposed to it. Net neutrality allows everyone and equal opportunity to have a voice on the internet. Without it, then internet service providers would have a complete monopoly over the internet. They could charge certain corporations more and speed up their internet channels so it’s much faster. And for the people that can’t afford it, can’t afford a voice. This is due to the fact that their blogs and websites will be slowed down and contain more internet traffic.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

http://fortune.com/2016/11/29/att-net-neutrality-directv-now/

http://fortune.com/2016/11/21/trump-net-neutrality-fcc/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/29/donald-trump-s-transition-team-wants-to-end-net-neutrality.html

http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/01/technology/net-neutrality-fight-trump/

Snapchat’s super social media

 

Social media; what is it? Many forms of social media such as Facebook or Instagram allow us to portray our life the way we want. We are able to display our “lifestyle” through a series of carefully selected  pictures. This is what social media has become, it’s ironic considering we use it to connect when in reality we’re not seeing the real versions of ourselves. I think snapchat is an app that’s starting to change that. It’s the hottest and most ideal form of social media. With snapchat you can be casual and send an unattractive picture to a select few of your friends or post a more ostentatious image or comment to share with everyone at once. It’s convenient and fun to use and the older generation hasn’t ruined it yet.

Snapchat exudes as a great example of social media because with Snapchat you can truly express yourself. Every Snapchat’s user has their own unique story where they can identify themselves with or even just express how you feel. As I mentioned earlier you don’t always have to post a snap to your “story” so you can select individual groups and share your content exclusively with them. Snapchat is ahead of the game and is the most popular form of social media today. Another great feature is knowing the availability of another user. No other social media website or app is as fundamentally sound as this one. All in all, Snapchat is a revolutionary application that portrays a perfect platform for peer-to-peer social networking.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

How Snapchat is building the future of social media

Implementing augmented reality in our daily lives

Pokemon GO was revolutionary for augmented reality and really shined light upon how this concept works. Augmented reality is the use of technology to enhance or augment a users view of the real world. Its the ability to insert digital and/or virtual information into the real word, which can be done via computer generated images. Personally, I believe augmented reality is an interesting concept, especially the way Pokemon GO has incorporated it into their mobile application. 

I’m pretty sure everyone above the age of 8 is aware of what Pokemon is. It first came to be in the age of the Gameboy, which is a handheld gaming platform the size of a dinosaur, but now Niantic has brought the game back to the app store and the android market. Pokemon GO was very successful and had more than 20 million active users. In addition, Pokemon Go was used more times a day than Facebook which is huge. Pokemon Go had augmented reality to thank for its success. Augmented reality has been around for a while, however, what makes Pokemon GO stand out is the way they integrated augmented reality into their mobile platform. It’s revolutionary!

Pokemon GO has partnered with Alphabet and Google maps, so they could incorporate the world’s best navigation system into their app. This is one way they are implementing augmented reality. Everyone knows the concept of Pokemon, “you gotta catch ‘em all.” Only now, you have to interact with the real world to play. There are many pros and cons to this. First, kids are getting more exercise by walking around town, going to parks, and meeting up with friends more often to “catch Pokemon.” This is an amazing movement that will help overweight and antisocial kids. Not only does this app promote physical daily activity, however it also encourages people to get together and converse. 

There are some cons as well which are pretty scary in my opinion. Sexual predators and kidnappers have taken liking to this app and have used it to camp out at the “Poke-stops” to find easy and vulnerable targets. There was also a story of a little girl crossing a major intersection, but she was so distracted playing Pokemon GO that she got hit by a car. Thankfully the girl is okay, however her mother is currently suing the app. With all great advancements come some difficulties. Pokemon GO is working on making the poke-stops safer, and it’s also working on informing individuals to be cautious of their surrounding while playing. For example, as soon as you launch they app it immediately warns you to never play Pokemon and drive. All in all, I am really fascinated about how Pokemon GO integrated augmented reality into their mobile platform and am glad they did.

Sources:

http://fortune.com/2016/07/23/pokemon-go-augmented-reality/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton/2016/11/14/augmented-reality-the-future-and-pokemon-go-infographic/#55472bf44e66

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nianticlabs.pokemongo&hl=en

 

Airbnb vs NYC

Airbnb is an online marketplace that allows individuals to lease or rent their homes out. The service is amazing and is definitely an example of disruptive innovation. Not only is Airbnb creating new markets, however it’s also receiving backlash in New York City. Airbnb is a great service and very similar to Uber except for homes. Both services provide a very easy to use platform and an incredibly flexible schedule.

Airbnb began as a startup company in 2008 and is now valued at 10 billion dollars. It is a great example of entrepreneurship which is creating new opportunities for consumers. Airbnb is a very innovative company that is disrupting the hotel industry and taking advantage of its online marketplace. Before the internet Companies made their revenue and interacted with their customers through retail stores, distributors, and salespeople. However Airbnb has taken full advantage of the internet and has grown at an exponential speed. One of the reasons why the company is valued at 10 billion dollars is because of its ability to access such a large cliental so efficiently at such low costs.

Airbnb is located in over 200 countries and is targeting individuals who have a passion for traveling. Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry and has a competitive advantage because of its broad range of prices and places to stay. Airbnb also has a very attractive and easy to use website. It stays consistent to the normal layout and its platform is very user friendly. In addition, the mobile app is very appealing as well. Both the mobile app and website promote traveling and create a need for individuals to explore the world.

Airbnb is a very successful company with a high customer satisfactory rating, however it is still receiving backlash in New York City. Governor Cuomo of New York State signed a law that made short-term rentals illegal and was effective immediately. This was a direct shot at Airbnb. The same day the law was passed, Airbnb decided to open a law suit and sue the state. This is why Airbnb is a perfect example of disruptive information, because not only is it creating a new market, however it’s causing the hotel industry in New York to take a hit, which is very impressive.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbnb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i398KaQawnI

http://www.thestrategygroup.com.au/airbnb-disruptive-innovation-at-a-valuation-of-10b-in-five-years/