Cryptocurrency is a digital token that enables people to make payments using a currency other than their country’s national currency. It is available to the public, but it is very simple to receive it, as you just need a device that allows you to access the websites on which this currency is traded. However, since this currency isn’t legislated around the world, most companies that take in the currency do it out of spite or being able to add it to their network. Satoshi Nakamoto (Anonymous)  created this in 2009, but the cryptocurrency that became the face of it all was Bitcoin and Ether. Cryptocurrency fixes the issue of not being able to buy anything. The fact that you do not have to hold USD in your wallet anymore shows that people can have multiple ways of using money now.  There are many drawbacks to this, however. The main problem is that there are many scams nowadays that allow people to invest in a cryptocurrency and never receive anything back from it. On the online space, this is called a “Rug Pull,” and it’s become way more common than it ever has been due to the behavior of the internet as of right now. Lastly, there is definitely a come up for cryptocurrency as you can use to crypto wallet at many locations in the present day, you can even add it to your Apple Wallet and use it like a debit card. Now, all businesses take this currency, but there is definitely potential for all businesses to take the currency in the future, as we are coming to the age of a widespread digital society.

This week, I will be discussing two mobile apps that were very popular this year. The first app I will discuss is Threads by Meta. This app is a microblogging application that replicates the same format as Twitter. Meta released this app to challenge X and bring users who were tired of the content they were receiving on X. Threads can also be linked to your Instagram/Facebook profile, which allows anyone who wants to have an audience on an app to have an easier time achieving that. The difference between Facebook thread posts and Thread posts is that Facebook is more used for a local/family type of audience, while Thread posts are more publicized for the world.

Threads has become the fastest app to gain 100 million users ever (surpassing ChatGPT), which has allowed for the revenue of the app to increase immensely. “One analyst projected Threads revenue to reach $11.3 billion by 2026.” This would be a great step towards reaching their goal to become the best microblogging app. The app itself has all the features you would need, like the home page button, likes, and repost, but the only problem with the app is the content itself. There’s not a lot of consumable content on the app, so you just gotta browse with caution.

The second app we’ll speak about today is Spotify. Spotify is a music/podcast application that allows its users to enjoy audio content created by artists/creators. This app is in competition with other applications like Apple Music, SoundCloud, Tidal, and many more. With there being so much competition, Spotify seems to be the most popular among all its competitors. This is due to its wide catalog and public statistics that sway the whole music community to believe one artist is bigger than another.

A big problem Spotify has is the fact that streaming music on the application does not give any-type of financial upbringing unless you have a mass audience. One stream on this app is about $0.003 to $0.005, this fact is one reason why many people are even taking their music down on the app. Also to receive music with freedom and no ads you have to subscribe to their premium member service. This isn’t an option everyone in the world can afford, there are some ad blockers that can prevent them from popping up on the service but you still can not simply choose what to do on the app freely.

Work Cited

“Spotify Royalties Calculator: Most Accurate (November 2025).” SoundCampaign, 25 July 2025, soundcamps.com/spotify-royalties-calculator/.

Gmail is an Email application/website that allows you to send messages with text, attachments, files, and media to other email addresses and contacts. Instagram is a social media app that lets you post pictures on your public/story thread, send direct messages, and promote yourself or your brand/business to a wider audience. Gmail would not work as well without its cloud system, as it directly impacts how emails can be sent and received. Without its cloud, the application would almost become worthless, as most emails would not save after being sent, and you would not be able to send attachments in emails as well. Instagram, as an application would not work as well due to the cloud system literally holding/ managing user data. This would include photos, videos, and other forms of data used on the app. Having a cloud system for both of these apps is very beneficial as it provides the user experience a way easier process. I do have concerns with privacy with this system, as all someone has to do is be able to access these companies’ cloud system, and most data will be bypassed and or deleted.

This first tutorial video was uploaded on August 20, 2o24. Vince Opra was the person who uploaded this video; however, they are not an authority on this situation, as this person does not work for Adobe. This was a video to showcase a beginner tutorial for all his viewers. For this post, there are no gatekeeping mechanisms, as it was simply an honest YouTube tutorial video. The information given is really straightforward for the basics, very well thought out, and all the dialogue was easy to follow. I would use this resource when I get into Photoshop, as this shows you all the basics you would really need to know.

This second source is a Wix blog posted by Rebecca Sterhlow on March 27,2025. It seems to be as if she has some sort of authority on the main topic “Digital Marketing” as this information on here isn’t the most easy google search and Wix is also an E-commerce website as well. There is an editor for this post as this would be most likely approved by Wix blog team. This is written very well, the picture within the website seem to be very clean and not stand out too much. I would use this as a resource in the future.

https://www.wix.com/blog/what-is-digital-marketing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21334177617^168715657411^search%20-%20dsa&experiment_id=^^701024144528^&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21334177617&gbraid=0AAAAADwEfwWPlG5bfYYcU3r2N5_IEYMmF&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9obIBhCAARIsAGHm1mQqDm-BlkT7LU2N6eZsST3DmIULoqYuPx0dBq0bmi2Dolhat23prZ4aAmPUEALw_wcB

The last source will be a reddit thread talking about Adobe Dreamweaver. This thread was made around August of this year, the thread is called r/macbookpro and has many users speaking on how to use the application. Most of these users seem to be experts that were upvoted because their information was the most helpful. The most upvoted post are very information and seem to help each user out extensively, I will for sure be using this thread in the future.

Adobe Dreamweaver
byu/bgm80 inmacbookpro

Today, I’m diving into some fundamental aspects of the internet and web technologies. Mobile devices are the primary way most people access the internet. According to Statista, mobile devices account for a majority of web traffic worldwide. No single entity controls the World Wide Web. It’s a decentralized system made up of countless interconnected servers, websites, and user devices. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops open standards to ensure the web’s interoperability. Tim Berners-Lee is a British scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. In 1989, while at CERN, he invented the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), the fundamental technologies that make the web work. A blog (short for “weblog”) is a regularly updated website or web page, typically run by an individual or small group, written in an informal or conversational style. Blogs are used for various purposes, including sharing personal experiences, providing expert commentary, promoting businesses, and building communities around specific topics. A “responsive” website design is an approach to web design that makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and window or screen sizes. It ensures that a website adapts its layout and content to provide an optimal viewing experience, whether on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Responsive website designs are necessary because of the diverse range of devices people use to access the internet. Without a responsive design, users on mobile devices might have a poor experience due to small text, difficult navigation, and slow loading times, leading to high bounce rates. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s the practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Website owners/managers should be concerned with SEO because higher rankings can lead to increased organic traffic, brand awareness, and ultimately, conversions or sales. Dynamic content refers to website content that changes based on user behavior, preferences, or other variables. It allows for a more personalized and engaging user experience. Examples include personalized product recommendations, targeted advertisements, and interactive polls. A content management system (CMS) is a software application that enables users to create, manage, and modify content on a website without needing specialized technical knowledge. I work with WordPress, a popular CMS known for its flexibility and extensive plugin ecosystem. A YouTube channel is a personal or brand’s presence on YouTube, where they can upload and share video content. Anyone who wants to share their ideas, showcase their talents, educate others, or build a community around a specific interest that might start a YouTube channel.

1. What were the top three social media sites, in terms of traffic, in 22-23? List them in order of popularity.

Facebook

Youtube

WhatsApp

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

Facebook is a site where you update your followers on how your life is going with constant updates on your thread, and watch reels

YouTube is a website where you watch videos uploaded by a content creator/ business

WhatsApp is a text messaging app that can replace your phone number, and you can also upload stories on

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

A demographic is a word to group people to a certain form of content or certain form of a post. It is important to have demographics for social media so the content one consumes will be to their interest.

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

Whatsapp is used by a lot of foreign people to contact people from other countries or most of the time people from the US. This allows for easy access to contact anyone anywhere in the world which can allow for more conversation all over the world.

5. 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.

In 2024, users spent about 143 minutes a day on social media.

https://soax.com/research/time-spent-on-social-media

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

Facebook would be growing the fastest due to its mass user base and the company “Meta” being able to hold many IP’S that allow facebook to connect to other applications.

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

Mobile device is the main device of choice for most users as this would be the most simple and comfy  ways of accessing these websites.

Demystifying Content Management Systems: Your Website’s Backbone

Have you ever wondered how websites are created and managed, especially those that seem to update regularly with fresh content? Often, the secret lies in a Content Management System (CMS). In its simplest form, a CMS is a software application or a set of related programs used to create and manage digital content. While many people associate CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal primarily with building websites, their application extends beyond that. A CMS can be used to manage content for mobile applications, intranets, and even digital signage. Essentially, if you need a structured way to create, edit, publish, and organize digital information, a CMS can be the solution. The core benefit of a CMS is its ability to separate content from presentation, allowing users with little to no technical expertise to easily update and manage a website’s content without needing to touch the underlying code.

When it comes to building a website, you have two main paths: using a CMS or coding it from scratch. Building a website using a CMS is often likened to using a pre-fabricated house kit. It comes with many components already built, and you assemble them with some customization. The benefits are speed, ease of use, and often lower initial development costs, especially for smaller projects. There’s a vast ecosystem of themes and plugins that can extend functionality without deep coding knowledge. However, drawbacks can include a learning curve for advanced customization, potential performance issues if not optimized, and sometimes limitations in achieving highly unique designs or functionalities without developer intervention. On the other hand, coding a website by hand using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript offers complete creative freedom and control. You can build a highly optimized, bespoke website tailored precisely to your needs.The benefits are unparalleled flexibility, better performance potential, and a deeper understanding of how the web works. The drawbacks are significant: it requires specialized skills, takes considerably more time and resources, and makes content updates much more challenging for non-technical users.

The current best practice for most websites, especially for businesses and individuals who need to update content regularly, is to leverage a reputable CMS platform. This offers a balance of control, flexibility, and ease of management. The rise of CMS platforms has undeniably had a profound impact on the web design industry. They have democratized website creation, making it accessible to a much wider audience. For some, this might seem like it’s taking away jobs from traditional web developers. However, it’s more accurate to say that the role of web developers has evolved. While the demand for developers who can code entire websites from scratch for every project might have decreased, there’s a growing need for developers who specialize in customizing, extending, and optimizing CMS platforms. This includes building custom themes and plugins, integrating CMSs with other systems, and ensuring security and performance. Furthermore, the need for UX/UI designers, content strategists, and SEO specialists has also increased, areas that are crucial for any successful website, regardless of how it’s built. In essence, CMSs haven’t eliminated web development jobs but have shifted the focus towards specialized skills and a more collaborative approach to website creation and maintenance.

WORK CITED

“What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?” Kinsta®, 6 May 2024, kinsta.com/knowledgebase/content-management-system/

Bhagat, Varun. “Cro Strategies: CMS vs. Custom Websites for Higher Roi.” PixelCrayons, 1 July 2025, www.pixelcrayons.com/blog/software-development/cracking-the-code-cms-vs-custom-websites-for-success/.

“Understanding CMS in Web Design and Its Business Impact.” Understanding CMS in Web Design and Its Business Impact, www.digitalnovacore.com/insights/what-is-cms-in-web-design-and-why-does-it-matter. Accessed 25 Sept. 2025.

Boyd Gaming is a casino/entertainment company that holds many property in the US. They are based out of Nevada and their properties are known to give hospitality (hotel), game tables, slot machines, spas, and many more amenities. This company experienced a data breach where data such as names, addresses, phone numbers and financial information was all stolen.  A unauthorized third party was able to get within their IT database to pull all this information. The investigation to catch who did this is still ongoing, this event effected the employees and customers of Boyd Gaming.

Organizations like Boyd Gaming are encouraged to improve their cybersecurity measures after such incidents. This includes installing strong firewalls, regularly updating software, and training employees on how to spot suspicious activity. It is also necessary for companies to have a plan in place to respond quickly if a data breach occurs. This way, they can reduce the harm caused and recover faster. Customers can also protect themselves by being cautious with their online activities, avoiding suspicious emails, and regularly checking their financial statements for strange activity.

There is a financial lost for Boyd Gaming as many customers are scared of doing any business with them due to this data breach and some employees have taken it to the point where they want to sue the company. Apparently they did not immediately tell all of the employees about the breach and only told some employees who were at a certain meeting. “Upon detecting the incident, the company promptly took steps to respond to the incident with the assistance of leading external cybersecurity experts and in cooperation with federal law enforcement authorities,” this quote is from the filing of the lawsuit. I think this is a lesson for any company that holds this much information to be more careful of the data they posses. This will most likely affect a lot of the property that Boyd holds as they do run many property in Las Vegas. Without the same big amounts of clientele coming in we don’t know how much longer the company can run these properties.

In conclusion, the Boyd Gaming data breach is an example of how cyber attacks can damage companies and individuals. It highlights the need for better cybersecurity practices and awareness. Both companies and customers have roles to play in preventing data theft. Companies must take steps to ensure their data are secure, and customers should be vigilant about their personal information. By working together, they can reduce the risks associated with data breaches and protect personal privacy in the digital age.

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