Communication and Collaboration

Social network service (SNS) users could share information easier, faster, and being widely used more than the past because of its function such as ‘share’ button on Facebook and ‘retweet’ one on Twitter. Those functions develop communication among users. For example, most companies create their web pages on the SNS to serve their clients directly. SNS enterprises focus on how much comfortable to use their own services to interact with others. This point becomes a significant part of keeping users.

Let me give you another example. Most college students who have lots of group works need a space to discuss without others’ interruption. They’ll find and use a SNS that offers the good one. SNS’ functions for collaboration, after all, exceed ones for communication. However, there are still some propaganda contents on SNS. As SNS is based on individuals over the world, there are limitations to check all users’ posts, so that it’s risky to share personal stereotypes or incorrect information. SNS corporations’ role, therefore, should encourage users to cooperate with each other while checking unsound contents. Furthermore, whenever people use SNS to share their thought or work together, they need self-censorship in order to keep the sound environment with SNS’ functions.

User Generated Content - Is It Creative Thinking or Stereotype?

       User Generated Content (UGC) refers to media contents made by its users no matter who is professional about it or not. Therefore, they are more subjective and include personal stereotypes. For instance, when someone wants to buy a car, he/she will see other consumers’ reviews. He/she makes a decision depends on the reviews. However, they are non-experts, so that they might be in all probability that they don’t know law well, especially about the copyrights. They support their opinions with experts' report without considering copyright. They might think that it is okay because they use a little part of them to make their thoughts creatively. According to Larry, he says that the laws limit people’s creativity on the media. On the other hand, people use others’ digital contents without the permission in their own thoughts. I think that’s why we have to ask ourselves if it is proper. For example, I saw a content which is a remix of the Sochi 2014 Olympics report video and porn. In this case, I think UGC violates defamation with a corrupt image and personal prejudices/stereotypes. In addition to, Internet bullying, celebrities’ scandals, and rumors are also derived from UGC. 

        I think the main point is how people use UGC. On the good side, it’s enough to motivate people to think critically and logically. It offers a chance to see broad fields. In my opinion, one of the best solutions is that UGC reveals the source of citing. American college students learn how to cite authority in order to prevent to commit copyright and get credits.

Social Media & Relationship

Today, we use countless Social Network Services (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter, and we can easily see thousands of 'Likes' or 'Favorites/Following' about the posts, even by people who 'I' don't know. In addition to, it makes users interact with people across the world. However, do SNS really play a role to keep an online relationship as much as an offline relationship? The online relationship has ambiguity of 'real' friends and just "SNS friend." As SNS goes commercialized,—companies let people share their promotions’ posts and events—it's difficult that users say their own thoughts/opinions. In other words, a personal 'space' is turned into spaces which are kept under guard from others. Social media are influencing relationship in that people who are behind a monitor have gradually no regards each other.

            On Facebook, 6-7 seconds funny videos are in fashion. Recently, I saw one of them, which deals with joking ethnicity between a White person and a Black man. I think not only this one fosters prejudice, but also other similar contents are still posted which make stereotypes. In order to prevent SNS from being out of control, we must keep in mind how to manage self-censorship.