Internet of things is when they have everyday objects use the internet to work. An example would be smart watches, like the fit bit or the Apple watch. Watches are everyday objects we use them to tell time, but now they read our heart rates, measure our cardio and other workouts, receive phone calls and messages etc. This will impact the future, all devices will be all connected to each other. While your alarm clock wakes you up at 6 am it can send a message to your coffee machine to star making your cup of coffee. In the article of foreign affairs they mentioned that software has become so advanced that you are able to make a server that fit on a fingertip for $1. This has taken over the world to the point where there are more computers than people then also mentioned in the article.

Joseph Singh

MCS

Jonah Brucker-Cohen

March 15 ,2018

Weekly Post: The Internet of Things / Locative and Physical Media

Write your responses to the readings and if you think that connecting physical objects to the Internet is beneficial or detrimental?

After reading the articles, I am sort of on the fence about the whole situation. Basically, my understanding of the whole situation is that instead of just having computers and smart phone devices, we will also have basically a smart world. Where everyday objects and things will have computer access and access to artificial intelligence. With an open mind to the whole idea I think just like every new idea, it must go through some trial and error and take a bit of skepticism, but ultimately us, consumers will say if we like it or not and continue to use the services.

As I mentioned before I am on the fence with the idea about making physical objects connected to the internet because who knows which way things will go. Furthermore, on pro I think will come with objects connecting to internet is there innovativeness and availability. Once this big transition is made, there is no turning back literally everything will be electronic and connected to the cloud. One con about connecting physical objects to the internet is that maybe the artificial intelligence will get too smart and be able to take over and live without humans. Sounds crazy but in this age in time anything is possible, based off how much we rely on artificial intelligence.

After reading about this and learning about the idea of giving physical objects connection to the internet, it reminded me about my childhood. In the early 2000’s I saw this movie on Disney channel about a house that was a robot, it would clean, cook, repair itself, and be watching 24/7 and when the father and kids who lived in the house wanted to get out the house had a huge problem and didn’t let them go. This is what I imagine could possibly happen in the future if we give physical objects artificial intelligence and connection to the Internet.

I find the concept of the “Internet of Things” to be really interesting; especially as it pertains to my own life. Just last week I felt like a “blogject” when Google asked me if they could track my texting patterns and where I am when I text. Of course I declined. It also reminded when Microsoft tried to force people to buy their Kinect motion camera which must always be on to play a video game despite whether that game needed the camera to function or not. I feel like these things could be either good or bad depending on what it is used for. Is it being used solely to collect data to get an angle on marketing? Or is it being used to truly try to improve functionality and practicality. I also find interesting the idea in the parsons article about technology being “invisible.” I think technology would function better and be a lot less controversial if it stays invisible but as the article says “most consumers will associate their mobiles with being social, aesthetic, and fun,” iphones have become a statement about status, cutomer loyalty has become more important than putting out a better product and the marketing is more important than the engineering and innovation.

However I do like the idea of “a stoplight can communicate with roads to route cars around traffic, a building can operate more efficiently by knowing where people are and what they’re doing, and even the health of the whole planet can be monitored in real time by aggregating the data from all such devices.” These are things that can actually help and benift society while also being almost invisible.

The Internet of Things are objects that humans are in connection with and have use of that exchange information and that are connected to the Internet. This goes beyond computers and smartphones. Initially, I thought the Internet of Things specifically meant computers of cell phones as I never heard of this term before.  IOT goes further and these Internet things are objects that collect data for various reasons like health, safety, financially and economically that will eventually help humans in the long run.  An example of some Internet of Things is the fit watch. The fit bit, the Apple watch and the Garmin watch are devices that track your information like your weight, heartbeat, steps and calories for health tracking purposes. This device is connected to the Internet collects all your data and every now and then you can update your information by updating the watch on your computer by plugging in your USB cable. These are everyday objects that are great to have to keep up with our everyday activities and living better. In the reading, As Objects Go Online the author stated, “When embedded in everyday objects, these small computers can send and receive information via the Internet so that a coffeemaker can turn on when a person gets out of bed and turn off when a cup is loaded into a dishwasher, a stoplight can communicate with roads to route cars around traffic, a building can operate more efficiently by knowing where people are and what they’re doing, and even the health of the whole planet can be monitored in real time by aggregating the data from all such devices.” (Gershenfeld, Vasseur Pg. 1) In this reading it is stating that there are good and bad things about the IOT and both are equally important. For example, the IOT should learn from the “history of the Internet” (Gershenfeld, Vasseur Pg. 2) in which I agree so that less mistakes are made and that technology will help the IOT grow and we will be able to achieve more things with this concept that will continue to help humans and also businesses.

I am thinking that more needs to happen then items like a fit watch. Technology is increasing and expanding day by day and we need more things that are efficient that can help us on a higher level. In the reading, Why Things Matter, it was stated, “The promising, exciting news around the Internet of Things cannot possibly be the “cool” factor of having my toothbrush connected to the network so that the Proctor & Gamble people knew when I was low on toothpaste.” We need “Things” that can help the war on rats in NYC as an example. My Alexa home device is cute but to me it isn’t all that helpful but it looks like it’s a step in the right direction so I am excited and hopeful. This is why I believe that connecting physical objects to the Internet is beneficial because it will help humans with things like health and safety concerns and even financially by collecting data and using it to elevate us. It would be great for one day to have a device that can track other people who have smartphones that may have a gun on them and can alert us and give us a warning that someone in the vicinity has a gun the same way how they have GPS tracking systems for cars that alert people when there is an up an coming accident or gridlock.

Digital vs. Traditional television, for sometime now we have had an overwhelming amount of subscription TV services coming out.   These services allow viewers to watch their favorite shows wherever and whenever they want. They no longer have to wait every week and sit at home at a specific time to watch their shows. According to one of the articles that we were assigned they explained that the “concept of the traditional line-up and channels goes away when people just chose their shows”. In my personal opinion i enjoy digital television more because we are a fast paced society and having our favorite shows at our finger tips. Many social media sites are coming up with their own subscription sites or free viewing sites like Facebook came out with “watch” however they use paid ads to pay for these shows. Pretty soon traditional tv would be gone.

Television and its’ content has definitely changed over the last decade or so. Before, we paid $100 or more in cable each month. Now, we have advanced to streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc) and it seems to be the preferred method of watching television.  As the article “The Future of TV: Digital, Traditional and Something In Between” states, viewers are now in control by being able to watch shows on any device besides a television. We also have the navigation experience and “smart” remotes such as the Roku. Digital TV is data-driven, and traditional TV benefits from that by using digital TV’s tricks. Advertising is an especially powerful tool because television is the largest market for it. It will be able to reach millions of people.

People use streaming services more than ever because it is kind of like customizing your own TV schedule. Cable television is always run on a specific schedule/air time, while streaming is on-the-go or readily available for viewing. Plus, it has different content than a regular television network. It can be more web based because you can connect to Youtube or other video-content sites.

To answer the question, I think reality television has changed the ways we view human connection because it puts people under a microscope and gives a glimpse into what their lives are like. Much of reality television is scripted, however, so it’s also almost like watching an altered reality. It can show the good, the bad and the ugly sides of people. Since it is “reality”, we automatically connect to the people on these shows whether we really believe who they are or not. It also can make us compare each other more often. We look at these reality shows full of celebrities or wannabes, and think about how their lives are compared to other, more “normal” people. It is easy to be influenced by reality shows because after all, they’re trying to be “real”.

These few articles spoke about digital TV and reality TV. In the article titled “The Messy, Confusing Future of TV? It’s Here” the author speaks about how now instead of actually watching certain TV shows, we stream it by using Netflix, Hulu or HBOgo. He also speaks about how Facebook plans on inserting a “watch” tab where you can watch video series for free. Also, Disney is ending its distribution deal with Netflix and starting its new stand-alone streaming service. Who needs cable services with all of this going on? This is why a lot of people get rid of their cable and just stick to Netflix or Hulu or just watching certain shows online. I myself barely watch TV. If I’m not on YouTube then I’m on Netflix. I usually only turn my TV on for background noise. I really feel like in a few years cable might not even be a thing or better yet not as popular. People are slowly starting to realize that there are other ways to watch their favorite shows for free or for way cheaper than what they are paying now for cable. I notice a lot of my own friends/family starting to cut back on their cable packages.

I feel like reality TV changes the way people understand human communication because, certain people look at what is going on in these reality shows and don’t actually realize that most of it is fake. Not only is most of it fake it also can be very negative. Some people are easily influenced by what they see. They see people that they like or look up to acting a certain way on these reality shows and may end up trying to act just like them.

Based on the three articles, you can see how the future of streaming services and companies such as Netflix, Hulu or even Amazon Prime are taking over. Over the years you tend to see people canceling their cable and sticking to buying products like Apple TV’s or Fire Sticks to stream their favorite shows on their TV. Some newer generation televisions have these streaming apps available already installed. It’s just the new way of television. People want to be alone to watch what they want, when they want it. That’s the problem that Cable has. Nobody can just binge watch their favorite show if they wanted unless there is a marathon going on but you still don’t even get to choose what episodes you may want to watch at the moment.

The main problem that I have with these streaming services is that as time goes on, there will be more competition between one another and us, the audience will have to pay for more different services just to watch our favorite shows or movies. For example, Disney is now parting ways with Netflix so they can start their own serivces where people can watch ESPN, live sports, Disney shows and movies. Yes, that means you won’t be able to watch your favorite marvel movies or series on Netflix in the future. It’s kind of annoying in my opinion. It’s just like the music services with Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. Everyone is trying to make their money but it kind of hurts the listeners because some companies give certain exclusives that won’t be available for people that use their competitors app. It’s a shame to see this happen with television and movies.

Everything nowaways moves very fast. Nobody likes to wait for anything. Now that we have the internet, we have a lot of information in our hands and the fact that we can get it in such an instant has us impatient with anything that’s set to come in the future. With the formula of letting the audience have control on what they watch, when they want to in genius in itself.

Joseph Singh

MCS

Jonah Brucker-Cohen

March 8,2018

Weekly Post: Digital and Reality Television

How has reality television changed the ways in which we understand human communication?

Me personally, I don’t believe in certain things. I’m a firm believer in the term, “I gotta see it to believe it.” With, I don’t 100% believe that everything on tv is true or has and real aspects about it. For example, my childhood I grew up watching Man Vs Wild which turned out to be fake after all these years. After finding that out nothing was the same. Also, after finding out about WWE not being real it had the same effect for me.

Reality tv has changed the ways in which we understand human communication in many ways like everyone wants to be a reality tv star, but don’t realize that this stuff isn’t real. Like most reality tv shows are created by producers and are acted out by people who are pretending that what the producers created is their everyday lifestyle. Furthermore, Reality television has created stereotypes. Some positive and some negative, but they can sometimes be the explanation for why certain people of different ethnicities have their beliefs.

Communication and television are kind of working hand in hand. For example, tv stations put out shows and channels, and we the viewers watch them which communicates what we do and don’t like. I feel like reality TV since it has the power to be twisted up and not be 100% true, it sorts of dictates our communication. For example, a show like the Kardashians, Say for instance Kim K gets into an accident, that would be the trending topic and topic of conversation for the next month.