Explain the tech; what is it, how does it work, what hardware, software, and network does it need?

Augmented reality (AR) blends interactive visual, auditory, or other sensory information onto the real world to enhance one’s experience. Most mobile devices have all the hardware these programs would need I for them to run, like a processor, display, sensors and input devices. The software must derive real world coordinates, independent of camera, and camera images called Image Registration. The main network AR programs need to function is the internet.

Is it currently available to the public?

There are many publicly available AR applications such as Pokémon Go and Disney AR coloring book but that’s not the only way consumers can enjoy this new tech. Some companies are picking up on the interest in this technology and using in their marketing or even as part of their in-store experience. Augmented reality has been incorporated into store catalog apps, which allows consumers to visualize what different products would look like in different environments. For example, when buying furniture, shoppers point the camera to the appropriate room and the product will appear in the foreground.

Who (or what) invented or pioneered the technology?

Ivan Sutherland was the first to develop AR technology in 1968 at Harvard creating an AR head-mounted display system. But the first commercial application didn’t appear until 2008 as an ad campaign in Germany.

What “problem” does it solve for its users?

AR can be very useful for many different purposes such as Event Planning, Conference Agendas, E-Commerce, Political Campaigns, Education and, Interior Design. From sampling the look of products to displaying information AR technologies can be used to solve many problems.

Are there any potential drawbacks or dangers of using the tech?

Just as anything else there could be some potential dangers or drawbacks to AR technologies. Too much information and internet addictions may cause an overuse or dependency on these technologies and cause people to overlook and miss out on what’s right in front of them. There is also a privacy concern with this as facial recognition technologies could allow any stranger to point their phone at you and immediately see information from your online profiles.

Offer one example of how widespread adoption of this technology might impact society.

Widespread use of AR could be really amazing as it can help those with disabilities by making the world around them more accessible. But it could also be problematic as it encourages an immersion in a false reality and will make it easier for people to overlook what’s right in front of them.

Sources:

https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-mainstreaming-of-augmented-reality-a-brief-history#:~:text=The%20first%20AR%20technology%20was,AR%20head%2Dmounted%20display%20system.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/augmented-reality.asp

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

https://business.adobe.com/resources/5-realworld-examples-of-augmented-reality-innovation.html

https://arvrjourney.com/five-augmented-reality-usages-that-solve-real-life-problems-55e7a81f61b

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm

Find at least 2 cloud-based systems that you use and write up a brief description of each.

Both Amazon and Zoom use a distributed network system or a cloud.

Amazon is an online store where you can find anything from new shoes to a nice mug to gift your grandmother.

Zoom is a cloud-based communications platform used for video conferences, meetings, webinars, etc.

Would this application/system work as well NOT in the cloud?

As Amazon is web-based it is essential that they have an agile way to store complex data without the need for a local device. Without the cloud network, the processing speed would diminish, and more complex problems might arise due to the mass amounts of confusing data.

One of the features that make Zoom unique is the fact that it is an entirely cloud-based system. Without the cloud, Zoom would not be able to offer the many important services that it currently operates.

What are the advantages of having this system on a distributed network?

The main advantages of a cloud network are speed, ease of access for users, and the organizational abilities that the IT department has access to.

Do you have any security or privacy concerns when using this system?

Using anything online comes with its risks but there are no significant concerns I have when using either Amazon services or Zoom.

What were the top three social media sites, in terms of traffic, in 21-22? List them in order of popularity. 

The top three social media sites were Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. Facebook has 2.934 billion monthly active users, YouTube has 2.515 billion, and WhatsApp has at least 2 billion monthly active users.

Provide a brief summary of how each social media site works and why people use it.

Facebook is a social networking site that helps you connect with friends and family. It is mostly used by consumers to stay in touch with loved ones while companies use it to best connect with their audience as it is the most used social media site across all ages.

YouTube is a free video-sharing app that allows users to create and upload their own videos to share with people. Consumers use it to watch fun and entertaining videos, follow or research brands and products, keep up with the news and current events, or post and share videos.

WhatsApp is a free multiplatform messaging app that allows users to make video or voice calls and send text messages through the internet. This is used to stay in touch with friends and family members.

What are “demographics” and why is it important in social media?

Demographics are statistics that describe populations and their characteristics. Knowing the people in your target market allows you to plan strategically for future trends and consumer demands. The different types of social media have various uses that are attractive to certain demographics.

Explain any demographics that stand out among the three social media sites you listed above. (More popular with a specific age group, are the majority of users male or female, married or single, employees or self-employed, etc.)

Facebook is enjoyed by the largest amount of people, and it is used by all ages, but it is most popular with 35 to 44-year-old women and 25 to 44-year-old men to stay in touch with family and friends.

An interesting demographic for YouTube is which county has the most active users on the platform which is India.  India has the largest YouTube user population, with 467 million active users. With 247 million users, the USA has the next largest user base for the platform.

WhatsApp is the most popular with 45 to 64-year-old women and men to stay connected to loved ones.

On average, how much time do users spend on each social media site during a day, week, or month? Provide a resource that supports your answer.

On Facebook users spend an average of 33 mins a day. Though some people may spend hours and hours on YouTube a day most people spend an average of 19 minutes watching YouTube daily. WhatsApp users spend an average of 28 minutes a day on their app.

Which of the three social media networks is growing the fastest? Why do you think that is?

Out of these three social media sites, WhatsApp has been growing the fastest. It is becoming increasingly popular for international communication as international SMS can be quite expensive.

How are the majority of visitors accessing these three sites (computer, mobile device, tablet)?

The majority of people who use Facebook use a computer to access the site while the majority of users of YouTube and WhatsApp use mobile devices, especially phones.

Sources:

https://revive.digital/blog/most-popular-social-media/

https://datareportal.com/social-media-users

https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media

Find one concrete example of “bad behavior” in the online space. In your blog post for this week, briefly summarize what happened…

Who was involved, and what was the outcome?

Experian is a data managing system that connects consumers to banks, businesses, and investors. Experian experienced a hack in October 2013 that resulted in the leak of 200 million personal records of users. The leak included sensitive information like names, addresses, social security numbers, driver’s licenses, and dates of birth. According to Experian, it was targeted against those who applied for financing through T-Mobile from 2013 through 2015, affecting over 15 million users.

Was there financial loss or damage to someone’s reputation?

This affected the reputation of Experian and all the users whose personal information got leaked as they were left vulnerable to identity theft. This has led to numerous privacy concerns, with those who use Experian questioning the validity of the security measures they have in place. There have been multiple hacks of the Experian servers in recent years and many users experienced identity theft because of the information that had been leaked. The results of identity theft can be disastrous to anyone’s life.

Were the criminals held accountable?

The criminals responsible for the breach were not found or punished. Nevertheless, Experian assured the public that law enforcement had been notified and was looking into the matter. As it was a remote hack connected to T-Mobile’s servers and they didn’t become aware of the breach for two years it was virtually impossible to track down the perpetrators.

What practical lessons can we learn as a result of this example (i.e., what will you do to avoid being similarly victimized?)

Something we can do to avoid a similar issue is to check the security measures of the sites we give our private information. By double-checking this, we can better ensure the security and privacy of our important information. There is also something a company like Experian could have done to better protect the information entrusted to them like hiring a group of “white hats” that would attempt to break into their system and alert them of any holes or vulnerabilities. Some things to be wary of and stay better protected from are social engineering attempts, unreliable websites, strange USBs, and unprotected internet connections. Some active steps you can use are VPNs, strong passwords, and trusted data-managing systems.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/01/experian-hack-t-mobile-credit-checks-personal-information

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/07/experian-you-have-some-explaining-to-do/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/10/experian-breach-affects-15-million-consumers/

Know your enemy: As of Summer 2022, what are 5 sources/types of potential digital threats to your organization?

Five types of potential digital threats to an organization are Social Engineering Attacks, Third Party Exposure, Configuration Mistakes, Poor Cyber Hygiene, and Ransomware Attacks.

Social engineering relies on human mistakes and manipulating people to gain access to a system. Email impersonation would be an example of this by pretending to be someone you trust to get information, money, or access to data.

Third-party exposure is a way of targeting a less protected network with privileged data to access your information. Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram experienced this when Socialarks, a contractor employed by them, was hacked and personal data got leaked.

Configuration mistakes are human errors in the installation or setup of software that leave the system vulnerable. An employee who has experienced a decline in mental health during the pandemic may become careless during a setup and miss something important.

Poor cyber hygiene is the security habits of individual workers that may be lacking. With weak passwords, no use of a VPN, or the lack of a two-factor authentication system.

Ransomware attacks are threats to publish private data or permanently block access to a system unless a ransom is paid. Once gaining access to a company network a hacker may restrict access to it unless a ransom of $20,000 is paid.

Know yourself: Identify at least 5 digital processes, systems, and/or functions your company has in place. Importantly, address how could those be exploited or manipulated to gain access to valuable corporate or customer data.

The company uses many different digital systems and processes in place for the use of employees like ATS, Collaborative Systems, Delivery systems, Data Managers, and an Online Ordering System for our website and online store.

ATS (applicant tracking system) is a digital system in place to optimize the hiring process of new employees by determining which candidate is best qualified for the position. This system could be exploited to gain information about the employees and other applicants.

Collaborative systems like meeting rooms, chatrooms, and discussion boards are used to gather colleagues together for important meetings or discussions. These websites that our employees frequent could be compromised and used to distribute malware to our network.

Delivery systems like DoorDash, GrubHub, and Instacart are used to deliver our online orders to customers. These third-party contractors could be compromised and used for access to customer data and private information.

Data management systems like Pivotree optimize the data from our online store and keep everything organized. This is also a third-party contractor that could be exploited for data.

Online ordering systems like Self-Point make ordering on our website convenient and personalized for the customer. But once again this is a third party with access to our data that could be hacked.

Develop your strategy: As the chief technology executive, make 5 recommendations that your company should adopt to be safer, more secure, and more reliable.

Some recommendations I would suggest for minimizing the possibility of online attacks would be to use proper data storage software, Train staff, create Stricter protocols, Keep the System Updated, and Minimize the number of third-party contractors we use.

Using the proper data storage software will ensure that the system is protected and there won’t be an excess of data that leads to confusion and vulnerability.

Training the staff in proper cyber hygiene and educating them against social engineering scams will better protect us from the human mistakes that could lead to disaster.

Creating new protocols and updating the systems we use will ensure we are up-to-date and using the best and newest security technologies.

Staying updated will be the highest priority of the IT department so we don’t get left behind or end up using out-of-date security measures that are easily compromised.

Minimizing the number of third parties that we allow access to our network will protect our data from more vulnerable systems.

Sources:

https://www.embroker.com/blog/top-10-cybersecurity-threats-2022/

https://retail-today.com/pivotree-partners-with-gourmet-foods-international-to-boost-digital-commerce-capabilities/

https://www.prweb.com/releases/gourmet_garage_optimizes_online_shopping_and_customer_convenience_with_self_point_e_commerce_solution/prweb15673697.htm

https://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/retail-foodservice/how-digital-saved-deli

https://axiomq.com/blog/5-benefits-of-digital-systems-in-business-management/

Find 3 sources of information, advice, or tutorials online and review them.

I looked at answers to the question “How to Illustrate a Children’s Book?” The three sources I found were YouTube, and the two blogs Artists & Illustrators and Creative Bloq.

Technology changes very rapidly, how current is the information you found?

The YouTube video was from January 21, 2014. Creative Bloq’s post was published on February 25, 2022. Artists & Illustrators’ post was from September 8, 2011. The initial search gave me information from varying times, but the most recent results were closer to the top of the page than others.

Who is posting the information? Are they an authority on the matter? How can you tell?

The sources were made and published by users either on their blogs or YouTube channel. Each article or video was from an authority on illustration. The channel is organized by a professional illustrator who explained her personal experience and process of illustrating. The blogs were either written by journalists who interviewed a professional illustrator or by the illustrator themselves.

What types of gatekeeping mechanisms are in place for the source you found? (i.e., is there an editor or are posts up/downvoted democratically?)

YouTube as a platform has Terms of Service and community guidelines for what is and isn’t allowed to be posted on its site. Individual channels may have editors to help them put the video together but there is also a system of viewers liking or disliking videos to tell others whether or not the information is helpful. The blog sites are big and set up like news sites with editors and journalists creating the posts.

Discuss the quality of the information. Is it well-written, clear, and easy to follow?

All the information was of high quality and easy to understand. The information was clear and helpful for the question being asked.

Finally, is this a resource you might use in the future, and if so, why?

YouTube is a great resource that I would use in the future to find tutorials on something I am interested in or just an explanation of something I don’t understand. Blogs can be a great source of reliable information with references and professionals but you need to double-check their sources and make sure they are truly reliable.

Sources:

How to illustrate a children’s book

https://www.creativebloq.com/features/how-to-illustrate-a-childrens-book

 

 

Briefly define what we mean by “content management system.” Is it just for websites?

A content management system or CMS is a tool to create and manage a website without the hassle of coding everything from scratch. Instead of having to write all your own code and then inputting the format you’d like, a CMS like WordPress, would act like an interface for you to easily input content and pick a format or template that works for you. It enables users to create, publish, edit, collaborate and store digital content. Most CMS platforms are typically only used for websites because of the ease they offer users.

Compare and contrast building a website using a CMS and coding a website by hand using HTML/CSS. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each? What is the current best practice when it comes to making a website?

With HTML/CSS coding you have complete freedom and control of how your website looks, what functions it has and everything else but with a CMS you only have the flexibility and freedom of what they provide. Some benefits of CMS are the ease and speed of their platform, you can quickly type content and post it immediately, whereas coding is a lot more time-consuming and difficult to work with especially for beginners. The best option is to decide what works for you and offers what you need because no one option will be best for everyone.

How do CMSs impact the web design industry? Are they taking away jobs from web developers? 

CMS makes it easier for entrepreneurs to create a website for their products without all the extra time or money spent with a web design company. It has made things easier and more accessible for those who would never have the ability to hire a company to create a website or the skill to do it on their own. Web developers may look like they are becoming obsolete, but they have just found a new area to be creative and innovative. Although we the users may no longer be using web developers as before, the CMS we rely on does need web developers to stay relevant, and create more templates and functions, to maintain the sites and keep everything secure. Without the web developers behind the CMS, the CMS would no longer be useful and all websites would look the same and become stagnant.

Sources:

https://bemarketing.com/websites-pros-cons-building-html-vs-cms-platforms/

https://www.ramotion.com/blog/web-design-dying-career/

Today, do more people access the web using computers or mobile devices?

More people access the web using a mobile device than a desktop but people spend more time per visit on computers rather than mobile devices. Mobile tends to be used for short searches or visits but for more in-depth research and long-term entertainment computers are more widely used. According to the Google Analytics’ Benchmarking feature, which provides aggregated industry data from companies that share their data:

“Mobile devices drove 61% of visits to U.S. websites in 2020, up from 57% in 2019. Desktops were responsible for 35.7% of all visits in 2020, and tablets drove the remaining 3.3% of visitors.” “Globally, 68.1% of all website visits in 2020 came from mobile devices—an increase from 63.3% in 2019. Desktops drove 28.9% of visits, while 3.1% of visitors came from tablets. However, desktop devices remain very important, as they drove 53.3% of total time on site in the U.S. and 46.4% of total time on site globally.”

Does anyone control the internet? And what is it made of?

No one person controls the internet it is open to everyone and is too big for anyone to control or manage. The whole point of the internet was to create a decentralized network that could survive a nuclear bomb. It is made of independent networks that are fully distributed and share the goal of universal connectivity.

Who is Tim Berners Lee? What is he best known for?

Tim Berners-Lee is a software engineer who invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. He is known for inventing the World Wide Web, the first web browser, and the fundamental protocols and algorithms allowing the Web to scale.

What is a blog? What is it used for?

A blog is an informational or journal website. In the 1990’s it was more of a personal online journal, now it can be used for many purposes like building up your business by connecting with a wider audience and communicating with them.

What is a “responsive” website design?

A responsive website adapts to the needs of the user and offers them the best experience no matter what device they use. It will automatically adapt to the screen size and capabilities of the device.

Why are “responsive” website designs necessary?

Having a responsive design assures a good experience for all users no matter what they use and alleviates the work of designers so they don’t have to create a whole new website for every individual device in existence.

What is SEO, and why should website owners/managers be concerned with It?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. It is a way to get your website on the first page of a search and bring in more customers. This is a very important aspect of any website because the higher you are on the search the more people will see your website and the more potential clients you gain.

What is dynamic content?

Dynamic content or adaptive content is exactly what it sounds like. Web content that adapts to a user’s preferences, behavior, and interests.

What is a content management system? You work with one, what is its name?

A Content management system or CMS is an application for the easy managing of content and allows multiple creators to make, edit and publish their sites. I work with WordPress.

What is a YouTube channel? Who might want to start one?

A YouTube channel is an individual’s personal account where they can upload their own content or comment on the videos of others. Anyone could start a channel and Its uses are plentiful, from promoting your business to a vlog of your week it’s a great way to reach a large audience with the right content. People who might want to start a channel are entertainers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and influencers.

Welcome to my blog! Please leave a comment and tell me if you enjoyed your visit.