DMD 113

Deep Fake

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For the past five years, many big movie companies such as Disney and Hollywood have been live action films with little to no actual location scenery. Instead, they are doing virtually everything digitally; and that has come to include people.

Disney was criticized heavily with Star Wars: Rogue One because Karey Fisher was playing the role of Princess Leah Skywalker-Solo. Why you might ask? Because Karey Fisher had died months earlier from a drug overdose, and she was just one of few actors that were in Rogue One that were absent from filming for some reason. This meant that every move and sound that came from the absent-yet-on-screen actors was faked, but this is the same technology that Deep Fake employs. Deep Fake changes parts of a person to do and say what the manipulator wishes, however there are a few tricks to finding these. Watch the minute facial details, these are the areas that Deep Fake struggles the most with.

Is it available to everyone? Yes, anyone can create a deep fake using a decent laptop and coding as it does not take much to do it; but for pristine results, you need to have lots of man power and high quality input images. This makes high visibility people like celebrities and world leaders vulnerable to manipulation, and has even been used in nonconsensual pornography, prompting some to advocate for it to be put on the list of revenge porn. But this does solve the problems of actors not being able to be in multiple films simultaneously. Meaning that with the widespread adoption of the technology, actors can stay forever young and be in endless films at the click of a button.

To end this post, let us tell Chris Umé thanks for bringing us deep fake, and making them popular with those viral deepfake Tom Cruise videos on TikTok. The visual and AI effects artist in Bangkok, India created deepfake videos as part of his company Metaphysic’s products.

 

Mobile Apps

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Everyone has some mobile app that they use, ranging from cooking to entertainment, and each one serves a different purpose. This year in 2021 alone Uber and TikTok are the two most popular apps by downloads and users, both are vastly different in their uses. Uber is a everyone service based transportation business and TikTok is more of an entertainment business, as seen in the next two paragraphs.

Uber is global transportation provider that is run out of San Francisco, California. The app offers a variety of options from ride-hailing, food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), package delivery, couriers, freight transportation, electric bicycle and motorized scooter rental through Lime, and ferry transport in partnership with local operators. They are a commission based company, meaning that of the price of each ride,, they get 25%; and the prices change depending on the local supply and demand. Uber, in 2021, had over 100 million monthly active; and they cornered 68% of the USA ride-sharing and 26% of the food delivery markets. In fact, they have become so big that the term “uberisation” was coined to describe the companies in the sharing economy in the service industries that use computing platforms and some companies are even classifying some of their services as “Uber for X”.

I personally do not use this app, but The Ultimate Guide to Uber and Earning Maximum Points says that if you use the Platinum American Express Credit Cards, they give you $15 in Uber Credit each month plus $20 in December, but these credits don’t transfer to the next month. The website also says that shopping at participating places of business gives you Uber credit. Another way to upgrade your experience according to Business Insider, is to bookmark your favorite place, schedual in advance, order food on the way home, and connecting your calendar to the app to know when and where you need to be. This seems to show that Uber is aimed toward working adults that need cheap transportation that do not or cannot own a car; or they need food delivered to a specific place at a specific time but they cannot physically come get the food at the time of pickup.

 

TikTok, or Douyin in the Chinese market – was released in 2017 – according to Influencer Marketing Hub, is a video app that is owned by Chinese ByteDance company. The platform allows for the user to upload short 15 to 120 second videos in a variety of genres such as dance, comedy, drama, and education. Then in 2018, it merged with Chinese social media platform Musical.ly, thus causing it to become a global company.

Even though TikTok and Douyin have similar user interface, they have no shared content – meaning that their servers are completely separated, so it seems –  and their servers have different server bases. These companies are aimed at teenagers and children from ages 5 to 17, but will accommodate anyone who wants to join. TikTok at this point cannot be searched by face recognition, or offer features such as buying, booking hotels and geo-tagging like Douyin can. At this point, TikTok has far surpassed 2 billion global mobile downloads and is ranked as the one fastest growing social media app. I also have never used this app, but Later Blog says that the top five ways to get the most out of the app are to Be Quick on The Trends, Choose a Niche, Prepare and Practice, Immerse Yourself on The App, and Tell A Story. They also say to post often, be the first and don’t give up are some ways to get the most out of the app; and that is all for today in this Mobile Apps post, see you in the next one.

The Cloud

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Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Suite, two of the best known names in the media and writing industries. At first sight, these these two services may seem like they are hard drive based and could function without the internet. Well not true, as these are actually internet based programs and they require internet to function. When you search on Google “Is Microsoft 365 a cloud based service?” the answer comes up as

“Microsoft Office 365 is a subscription-based service that’s accessed through the Internet on a web browser. It’s not stored on your computer—You must launch it through a web browser each time you use it. SaaS applications can be run in the Cloud, but this doesn’t make them a Cloud. Jan 12, 2018″

So this means that every time you run Microsoft 365, it is using the internet to operate. It can be run offline, but then you have no access to saving anything on the internet. So, your probably asking, ” Well, what even is Microsoft 365?” I am glad you asked, it is a writing, presentation, and accounting sheet service provider that helps you manage your documents and giving them added protection. However, they are cloud based for some of the products and services they provide, so they can be accessed over the internet if the user so chooses. But this also means that if there is a breach of security around the users files, the files could be lost, damaged, stolen, or leaked.

Next up is the Adobe Creative Suite, which most of us are acquainted with. The all in one service provider that allows you to do everything web related from coding and designing websites to movie production and animation. This is a nearly all cloud based service that can have files saved on your local drive, but works best in an all internet setting. The downside to this set up is that when there are issues with the connections in the Creative Suite, it makes it hard to work with the programs that it provides. A quick Google search reveals that the Adobe Creative Suite is

“Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications and services from Adobe Inc. that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, along with a set of mobile applications and also some optional cloud services.”

This does greatly benefit from using the cloud, as it makes it easier to work with other people but also is a area of security concern as someone could infiltrate through this cloud service and steal the information that the user has. Personally, I try to avoid using cloud services like the plague, because I simply do not know what they do with the data that I give them, so even though I have access to use the cloud, I avoid using it as much as I possibly can because of the lack of control over my data once it leaves my device. What do you think about the cloud based services we use every day? Let me know in the comments below.

Understanding Social Media Demographics

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As of 2021, the most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Facebook is a website which allows free profile users to connect with others in an online space. It allows users to share pictures, music, videos, and articles, as well as their own thoughts and opinions with whomever they wish. Acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram is a free, online photo-sharing app and social network platform. It allows users to edit and upload photos and short videos through a mobile app. Users can add post captions, use hashtags, and location-based geotags to index these posts then make the posts searchable by other users within the app. Each user post  appears on their followers’ Instagram feeds and can also be viewed by the public when tagged using hashtags or geotags. Users also have the option of making their profile private so that only their followers can view their posts. Lastly there is Twitter, a microblogging site where people communicate in tweets. Tweeting is posting short 258 character messages for anyone who follows you on Twitter, with the hope that your words are useful and interesting to someone in your audience.

When you join a social media platform such as Facebook, you become a part of their social media demographics, which is in short, is a particular sector of a population that you are a part of that regularly utilize specific social media platforms. These are used by digital marketers to cultivate social media strategies that align with the needs and habits of different demographic groups on each social media network. In the next three paragraphs, I will walk through the social demographics available on Social Media Demographics to inform your brand’s strategy in 2021 as to what the break down of users and the user device types.

First up is Facebook, which has about 2.7 billion active monthly users, with 25-34 (26.3%) year-olds being the largest group. Of all the users, 44% female, 56% male but they all tend to spend 38 minutes per day on Facebook. The large influx of boomers to Facebook in 2021 makes it an excellent place to advertise for older demographics. But they also are being joined by many teenagers although it’s definitely not their preferred social media platform. Next up is Instagram, which has about 1 billion active monthly users 33.1% are in the 25-34 age range and 57% female, 43% male compared to Facebook’s 26.3% 25-34 year-olds which are 44% female, 56% male and Twitter’s 30-49 (44%) year-olds which are 32% female, 68% male. Most Instagram users spend 29 minutes per day on Instagram, and it is the third U.S. teens’ preferred social platform and recent Instagram stats show that Instagram is a high motivator for shopping.

Twitter is the last of the top three social media platforms at 187 million daily active users in of which 44% are in the 30 to 49 age bracket with 32% being female and 68% male. They tend to spend about 3.53 minutes per session in a given day or week. 80% of tweets are produced by the 10% of the most active accounts, but interestingly, 42% of Twitter users have a college degree of some type. But across the board, there seems to be more men than women on social media.

As I mentioned in the earlier three paragraphs, on average, according to Social Media Demographics to inform your brand’s strategy in 2021, each person spends about 23.51 minutes per day on each of the social media platforms. But Facebook is the fastest growing social media network out of the three, with 69% of Americans using it and it is the second fastest growing network. It has not grown significantly in numbers, but many people say that they are using the platform from 2019 to 2020; but 81.8% of people use only a mobile phone to access Facebook, 16.7% use a mobile phone and computer, and 1.5% use only a computer to access Facebook. The reason that Facebook is becoming more popular is because it used by many as the only place of updates. Next, Instagram is the third fastest growing social media platform is which has grown 3% since 2019 and 40% of Americans use the platform. They break down into four categories of user accesses: 47% smartphone users, 31% Tablet users, 20% computer users, and the last 2% are other random devices. Lastly, Twitter is the seventh fastest growing social media platform, with only a 1% increase in usage since 2019 and only 23% of Americans actually use Twitter, and less than 50% of those using it daily. In 2015 (that was the newest statistics I could find) 61 million monthly Twitter users were on desktop and 241 were mobile.

So to sum this up, Facebook is the largest social media platform, especially when you add Instagram in and the largest group of users are the 25 to 35 age range the male population. This means that the adult male population has a high interaction rate with social media and ads aimed at this age group are more likely to have an impact. So, that is what a demographic is and this is all for DMD 113 week 9 understanding social media demographics.

Cybersecurity and bad habits

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As I mentioned before on my cybersecurity post, cybersecurity is the biggest growing business in the world. A prime example of this is a website maleware attack that cause a educational website to become the launching pad pornographic photos and video.

The employees that run the site had an email that came from what they thought was their book supplier, but it had a slightly different form when it came into their email box. When one employee opened it, it started a chain reaction that sent emails to everyone on the email contact list, and it continued to populate until it hits 100 devices. After it reacted its limit, it froze the devices it was opened on an took a copy of all the data on the device, after which it deleted itself from the device and left no trace of its presence on the device. After getting access to all the sensitive company data, it used it to take control of the company’s social media and websites and changed them to pornographic launch pads that take control of devices. The devices used on the site, become spying tools for the hacker to use to gain money and data. This caused millions of dollars in damages to people around the world, and people’s lives were ruined for eternity. The only way to stop the male/ransomware attacks was to create a counter attack that caused the attack software to malfunction and collapse in on itself, but the repercussions of such an attack are felt for years, and some people never truly recover from such an attack.

The lesson is that even though you get an email, does not mean it is the true thing, things that seem as innocent as a text or email can cause you to lose sensitive data and  years of work. So, do your research on an unknown email or text; if you can talk to the person offline, do so to make sure that they actually sent you that email or link. If you realize that it is not the person you think it is, block and delete the conversation from your devices. Also, if you are new to a server or website, be careful about what you do, as you are a more vulnerable target for hackers, as they may realize that you know very little about your area and it makes you easy to manipulate. Read 10 worst Cybersecurity Habits to Stop Immediately and CISA Names 3 ‘Exceptionally Dangerous’ Behaviors to Avoid.

 

 

Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity is the biggest growing business in the world, as it is required to keep safe the online lives of thousands of people every day. Many of us do not think about our online security, cause well, there are many companies working to keep you safe every day; but there are also companies out there that are scheming to scam you out of money, information, or property.

The top five threats are phishing, cloud ware attacks, mobile malware, ransomware attacks, and insider threats. Phishing is where a hacker pretends to be someone like our company or our bank; but the email address is often slightly altered. In the email, they send a link that requires you to enter your personal information, and in 2019, phishing was responsible for 32% of confirmed data breaches and 78% of all cybercrimes. These  cybercriminals managed to create phishing schemes through companies’ cloud applications. This is a top priority security detail to watch for in 2021.

The second type of attack is cloud jacking, meaning there is infiltration by a third party in the company cloud computing. Upon the hacker infiltrating the company cloud, they attempt to reconfigure the cloud code, attempting to take control of the entire company cloud and gain access to sensitive company details. This creates the perfect opportunity for hackers to create a phishing attack from within the company.

Next up are the malware attacks, because many people are moving to remote work, those working with the company that are open to attacks by using unknown WIFI networks. Think that it is okay to just use that public network at that coffee shop just once? Think again, it is not just playing games on an unknown network, but also working on an unknown network that leaves you and your device vulnerable to malware attacks. This type of cyberattack is aimed specifically at mobile devices to gain sensitive company data are that is being accessed and stored on mobile devices.

Fourth on the list is ransomware is an increasing plague for business for several years now. The most successful attacks have caused the lose of millions of dollars in ransom payments, which encourages hackers to continue to use and refine these attacks. According to a McAfee prediction report, the process on the dark web to purchase ransomware kits is much easier; also the software for ransomware is becoming increasingly more sophisticated. Also, the ransomwares are beginning to consolidate to form powerhouse; meaning that one attack causes even greater costs from downtime.

Lastly, there are the insider threats, or threats posed by employees, this is affecting 34% of businesses around the world. This is caused by employees intentionally or accidentally hurting the company, out of ignorance or negligence. With the increase of employees going to remote work, creates additional risks, meaning extra precautions are to be taken curb insider threats. However, there are specialized tools that detect unauthorized logins, new apps installed on locked computers, newly granted authorization accesses, and restricted networks that have new devices on them. Also, routine cybersecurity training should be provided to employees to prevent mistakes before they happen.

In the restaurant business, there is cloud storage of employee data, a website, mobile ordering, as well as Instagram and Facebook pages. As mentioned in the five pervious paragraphs, unintentional leaks and hijacking are means of attacking the company, and Facebook hacking has become an even bigger thing. Why just within the last month, a friend of mine had their Facebook account hacked into by someone in an attempt to control the account.

As the Chief Tech Executive, I recommend giving employees routine cybersecurity training, using VPNs for sensitive data, and having a cloud storage that is only accessible by VPN, for sensitive data using one time passwords that are given based on employee privileges’, also using encrypted email and data for highly sensitive data. When employees are doing work, they have use known networks or data to work company projects. These are some of the ways to protect data and there are thousands of more ways to protect the company. See Computer Security Threats for more information.

Visual Effects

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We all love that wild dragon or that flying car, but ever wonder how they create such things? It is called Visual Effects, these are the artificial pieces of action used to create a film that looks realistic without using physical effects. Over the years, the effects in movies have gone from entirely physical such as cars, people, props, and animals, to a mix of physical and digital to entirely digital effects.

Visual effects is the process that footage is created or changed outside the camera footage filmmaking and video production. This mixing of live action and CG elements to create realistic footage is called VFX (that is the acronym for visual effects). Now, entire scenes can be done using Adobe Premier Pro, After Affects and a few other plugins; see https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editing-tips/best-special-effects-software.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wWBgehWdnw, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30fDSDTBeQ. These all were uploaded within the last 14 months, and they all are very practical. Two of the links are videos on YouTube that were produced by Visual Effects Artists that run CreatorGalaxy.com and unexploredfims.com. These videos are run by the Visual Artists, who go through and try to answer questions that they get in the comments on different visual effects. All of the information that I viewed seemed easy to follow, and easy to do with the right tools. I will most likely be using https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UP6BKrTFVs as a reference for editing later, as it will come in handy for later videos.

Web design CMS vs. HTML/CSS coding

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CMS, short for Content Management System, the basis for internet programs. Content Management System is simply the software tool used to build a website from the base up with little to no knowledge or use of coding. The software runs many internet programs, including creating, editing and managing online content. The content used is usually stored in a database, then displayed using presentation templates. CMS is not only for websites, it is also for document information sharing (such as Google Docs and One Drive). Another version of CMS is dotCMS, which handle nearly anything requiring internet and is aimed toward big companies workflows that need to integrate with their systems and third-party software.

When we look at CMS websites and websites coded with HTML/CSS, we see vast differences. First off, CMS websites have little need for the creator to know any coding; as it was already coded into the CMS software that changes made to the site can be done with just plain text. In contrast, to create a website using HTML, you have to have a good understanding of coding just to create a basic website; and one tiny mistake can crash the entire site. This is where a web developer comes into play, as they take what you tell them you want and translate it into the necessary coding for your pristine website. When you are looking to create a website, it really depends on what you want that determines how and which type of site you create.

Are you wanting a very detailed and specific site for your business, and have a decent budget for it? Consider using a CMS base then having a web developer refine your site using HTML/CSS coding. Have some nerdy friends and family that all they talk when it comes to the internet about is coding? Talk to them about helping you code your very own HTML website. Or are you someone with little to no coding knowledge but you need a quick website for a project? Use a CMS server like WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla for that quick website base that can be changed using plain text – no coding required. At this time, most websites are done using some form of coding, but CMS websites are growing in popularity, as they are very simple and easy to use.

However, now web developers will need to also be able to help with problems that may arise in CMS servers, as it is becoming necessary to know code if you want to do detailed changes to your CMS site. Content Management Systems will most likely become very popular, this will probably cause some jobs for web developers to be lost but at the same time creating new jobs.

Information from Content Management System: What it is, functions and everything else you need to know

The Internet and what is it?

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Seems many are talking about the latest internet breakthroughs. They are constantly glued to their mobile devices, and sometimes laughing at landlines and PC desktop computers. (Question 1: Today, do more people access the web using computers or mobile devices? Provide a resource that supports your answer.) According to https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106607/device-usage-coronavirus-worldwide-by-country/, due to the coronavirus outbreak, mobile phone use went up 40% in 2020 compared to the 23% for PC and desktop computers.  Now when we look at the internet’s upward trend, we must ask who controls the internet? (Question 2:  Who controls the World Wide Web? What is it made up of?) Well, in the USA, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) controls the internet, according to International Business Times. Though the Internet itself is just made of different devices around the globe networking with each other.

Well, who created the internet? (Question 3: Who is Tim Berners Lee? What is he best known for?)That was Sir Tim Berners Lee, best known as the creator of the World Wide Web, along with the standard web language called HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language. This coding change was part of what made today’s internet, because before HTML, the internet lacked a standard network coding language. This made it near impossible to network outside of your group. For more information on Tim Berners Lee, visit https://answerstoall.com/technology/what-is-tim-berners-lee-best-known-for/ and https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tim-Berners-Lee

(Question 4: What is a blog? What is it used for?) Next up is the blog, which is what you are reading now. It is a diary- or journal-like literature piece that is intended to share information with others. (What Is A Blog? – A Guide to Understanding The Concept Of Blogging) It is important to note that whatever is on the internet has a way of living forever. It can always be found, it just might take a bit to find what you are looking for. See How long Do Your Online Posts Stay on The Internet?.

Notice how on Facebook or Amazon, you see ads that have followed you for pages? Notice how it is whatever you recently searched? (Question 8: What is dynamic content?) That is called dynamic content, changing based on your behavioral patterns. Facebook suggests viewing content based on connections, search history, activities, and posts. It analyzes all data stored in its data bases and generates content tailored specifically to you, and those third party ads you see, but your friend doesn’t? That is because they pay Facebook to show you the ads that you fall into the categories for. Here is more information on What is Dynamic Content? Definition, Types, Strategy, Best Practices with Examples.

On the topic of Facebook, they use a “responsive” website design. (Questions 5-6: What is a “responsive” website design? Why are “responsive” website designs necessary?) This design type works on any device, no matter shape, size, or type. This is needed because millions of people often visit the same site on multiple devices. What does this mean? It means that a hard to access site gets lower usage and SEO. (Question 7: What is SEO, and why should website owners/managers be concerned with SEO?)This is What is Responsive Web Design and How To Do It discusses in detail. SEO or Search Engine Optimization, means search engines view your site as user friendly, accessible, and useful. A key element for building brands and bringing in engaged users. See WHAT IS SEO IN MARKETING AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? and What is Search Engine Optimization? And Why is it important? for more details. (Question 9: What is a content management system? You work with one, what is it’s name?) To gain SEO, content must be managed by a content management system, the categorization of information in a easily navigated and maintained manner. You already know it, it is the web base such as WordPress. See What is a Content Management System? The Ultimate Guide.

(Question 10: 10. What is a YouTube channel? Who might want to start one?)The last aspect of the internet to talk about is a YouTube channel, a means of sharing video content for others to view on the internet as a way to make income, for entertainment, instruction, and encouragement. Anyone can start one, especially if you want to comment on any videos. To comment on any video content, YouTube makes a channel with your name on it. For more information, visit How YouTube Works on How Stuff Works.

 

 

Introduction

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Hello everyone,

My name is Joni and I wanted to introduce myself. I am the oldest child in a family with three children and we were homeschooled by my amazing dad. Since I was homeschooled my entire school life, I have grown to love reading and art. Art is something I have always done, whether it was drawing on paper scrapes to alleviate my boredom or coloring pages off the internet, I had a few different art experiences.

Digital art is becoming a new found stream of income, but I have done it for years a way to store art in a compact form. Windows Paint was a good program for beginners because it allowed for easy access to different art tools without any internet access. Which was good, because it meant that it more secure and it was one less thing my parents had to think about when it came to the internet. Now Windows has moved on to Paint 3D, a program that not only allows you to created 2 dimensional artwork, but also allows you to created 3 dimensional artwork that can be used as project models. However, some of the 3D artwork requires the internet, and maybe signaling that the age of internet-less art creation maybe coming to a close as more programs now require an internet connection to work properly in some form.

That however is a topic for a different time. As I was saying earlier in my post, I also love reading. When I was little, my dad used to read us stories and as we got older, he helped us learn to read. When ever one of us got stuck on a hard word, he made us sound it out or use the dictionary, because he said that if he just told us, we would never truly learn it and would always be returning to him for help. That, at the time, was a little irritating, because it seemed to take more time to go find what we were struggling with, but it has since paid off.

So, what about you? What is something you did growing up with your parents that you are thankful for now?