Khylan's World

VR (Virtual Reality), as well as AR (Augmented Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality), are changing many different industries. It has many different applications, from entertainment, education, design and more. Virtual Reality is the use of a headset and headphones to immerse yourself within a computer-generated environment. VR headsets consist of two individual screens separated to display to a single eye each, and different hardware allowing for head tracking. In addition to headsets, there are normally VR controllers for each hand that work with an external sensor. Most standard VR headsets connect to a PC and run through a real time engine, but there are some standalone VR headsets. In 1968 Ivan Sutherland invented the VR headset, but the technology only recently advanced enough to sell the commercially available ones we know today. 

VR does not necessarily solve a problem, but opens new paths. Now, medical students can see virtual diagrams of different organs and systems, architects can walk within buildings they are designing, and more. The main risks of VR are eye strain from staring at the screens for extended periods of time, and motion sickness from the simulated movement. VR will affect the world in many ways. It could be used for socially distanced meetings and conferences in the future, it could allow students to learn in a more immersive way. Eventually, there will be more adaptation of VR with MR to implement virtual aspects into our reality. VR will become a leading tool for learning and entertainment in the near future, when they begin to make the headsets more affordable. 

References:

Corporativa, Iberdrola. Virtual Reality: Another World within Sight. www.iberdrola.com/innovation/virtual-reality.

Thompson, Sophie. “VR Applications: 21 Industries Already Using Virtual Reality.” VirtualSpeech, VirtualSpeech, 12 Mar. 2019, virtualspeech.com/blog/vr-applications.

“Explained: How Does VR Actually Work?” Wareable, 26 Dec. 2017, www.wareable.com/vr/how-does-vr-work-explained.

YouTubers generate income directly through the app as well as pairing the site with third party sources. Many YouTubers will begin their own lines of merchandise as their channels begin to grow. This can be anything from clothes, plushies, accessories and beyond. They would have to sell their merchandise through a third party source but can promote their own products on their channel. The main source of income provided to creators directly from YouTube is ad based. By including ads within their videos, content creators can generate income based on the number of views a video receives with ad impressions. YouTube has now started taking 50% of each video’s revenue, so oftentimes creators will use other third party resources in addition. 

One example of such is Patreon. Patreon allows fans to subscribe to a payment plan to help support their favorite YouTubers. The site also gives the option to upload exclusive content only accessible to subscribers. Another way content creators create revenue is through partnering with businesses. Oftentimes businesses will sponsor YouTubers, and in return the YouTubers will promote their products or services within their videos. This can also include things like affiliate links and creating ads for them. 

Instagram is another large app that many people use to make money. The way creators generate income on Instagram is very similar to YouTube in some ways, but differs in others. Instagram doesn’t generate income for its creators in any way, and it is left up to the creators themselves to use third party sources with it to make money. This consists mostly of partnering with businesses as an influencer or with sponsored ads, or through promoting your own products. Many people on Instagram are influencers, and are paid to create posts that advertise a product. The aim is to get people attention and make them aware of the product. Income for this ranges depending on your reach, being your number of followers and how many views you typically receive on a post. Creators will also partner with brands to become an affiliate, where they attempt to sell more products for the company. They usually will then make their income through specific links or codes, which then gain them commission from sales when used. 

The other way that people can use Instagram to create income is by selling their own products through the site. These can range from promoting physical products, digitally downloaded products, or more. Through Instagram Shopping, you can link a specific product page to a photo to allow users to quickly access items they would like to purchase, rather than having to go to the website and dig around for the specific product. 

Sources:

“Evan Edinger: The Five Ways YouTubers Make Money.” BBC Newsbeat, BBC, 18 Dec. 2017, www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42395224/evan-edinger-the-five-ways-youtubers-make-money.

O’Connell, Brian. “How Much Do YouTubers Make? Revenue Streams and Top Performers.” TheStreet, 12 Oct. 2018, www.thestreet.com/technology/how-much-do-youtubers-make-14743540.

Roach, Andrew. “Selling on Instagram: A Beginner’s Guide to Instagram Shopping.” Oberlo, Oberlo, 3 Oct. 2019, www.oberlo.com/blog/instagram-shopping.

Xue, Jennifer. “5 Ways You Can Make Money on Instagram in 2020.” Oberlo, Oberlo, 1 July 2020, www.oberlo.com/blog/make-money-instagram.

We use many services that rely on cloud computing, whether we realize it or not. My first example would be Google Docs. Google Docs allows you to write text based documents which can then be distributed electronically or printed. By using your own account, you can access your documents from a variety of devices without needing an external hard drive with the files on it. The obvious advantage to this is being able to access your documents on the fly without having to have a hardcopy of it on hand, and being able to access it on whatever devices you have available, whether that is a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop. Without the cloud computing the application would still be useful, seeing that at its core it is a document writing application, you could still make use of it and just export the files to an external drive. The cloud functionality adds an ease of access and better quality to it. I personally do not worry as much about a security breach seeing that it is a Google application. Google Drive is another cloud computing application I often use. Google Drive is entirely reliant upon cloud computing, with its main function being a storage place for images, audio, text documents, and other files. It allows you to store files within the application and access them through other devices by simply logging into your account. Without cloud computing it would not be functional at all. Again my security and privacy concerns are the same because it is another Google application.

There are plenty of different content management systems for individuals wanting to create their own websites. The first CMS I will be talking about is WordPress. According to wpbegginer.com, about 35% of websites are powered by WordPress. The only fees associated with WordPress are domain names and a hosting account. WordPress allows lots of freedom when creating websites, does not require any coding knowledge, and allows you to make money. It is designed to be able to integrate seo easily. Joomla is another good option for people with little to no coding experience, and is good for building complex websites due to its large amount of flexibility. You can use extensions to set up a store on your website. The only fees with Joomla are also domain names and hosting accounts. Drupal is a CMS that is better developers, Drupal is more sophisticated and not aimed at beginners as much as WordPress or Joomla. It is easy to add content to your site though. BigCommerce is a site that works as a CMS and hosts it. BigCommerce is centered around ecommerce rather than blogs or other sites. BigCommerce also provides security for your site. It can be integrated with WordPress. You do not have as much control over customization as other sites. You pay different payment plans depending on how much income you are making yearly. Shopify is another good ecommerce CMS, which provides both CMS and hosting. You have more customization options through third party apps, but it will cost you. There are different pricing plans that are not based on profits, so this allows better flexibility based on income and expenses. 

Sources:

“15 Best and Most Popular CMS Platforms in 2020 (Compared).” WPBeginner, 14 Feb. 2020, www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/best-cms-platforms-compared/.