Sony releases massive PlayStation 4 FAQ as launch approaches Sony Announces, and PlayStation 4 companion app.

1

November

2013

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In approximately 2 weeks from now, Sony’s PlayStation 4 will be released. (YES!!!). Sony has set up a FAQ section for its users in order to answer any of the questions we may have regarding the release and the product prior to it happening. The FAQ is to be published at the PlayStation Blog, and will cover a wide range of topics including things to do with the console, accessories and the games availability. 

Linked to this, sony has announced the PlayStation 4 companion app which will be released on the 13th of November 2013 in North America, and 22nd of November in Europe. 

Since the PS 4 is an upgrade of all we have ever known for consoles, what do we expect? The new PS 4 is going to transform our world of electronics, and what we know of social media, including our Androids and tablets. 

 

The app will be a mobile companion for all things PlayStation, including second-screen game experiences such as Wii. The app will have access to PSN social features and online multiplayer invitations. As the users, we can purchase PS4, PS3, and PS Vita content via the online store, and there’s a remote control feature for movies, music, and supported games. Perhaps most interesting is the spectate feature, which will allow us to view live and recorded game footage shared from other players’ PS4 games.

Since Sony has let its competitors be lately, I feel that the launch of this new app will show their true selflessness to us, and will have the app be compatible with non-sony hardware when it gets released. As far as I have read, an iOS version is also going to be released (YES!). 

I am very excited for this release, and the fact that my (future) new PS4 will have software available on my phone and social media has made my life so great! 

 

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Hackers target President Obama’s social media tools

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November

2013

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Its always quite funny to think that even the most respected people in the world, who have the most security, and possibly the biggest fan base worldwide can get their accounts hacked. Recently, president Obama had his social media accounts hacked. surprised? well i was! The political activist hackers of the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) are responsible for the hacks this time, on Obamas social media site. The SEA have posted numerous posts on the President’s Facebook and Twitter accounts directing users to YouTube videos uploaded by SEA, and to the SEA website itself. The hackers also posted an image of a Gmail inbox belonging to an employee of Organising for Action, an official promotional website for President Obama’s various political initiatives.

According to the news article, none of Obama’s accounts were seriously compromised, as they believe the way SEA carried out the hacks was seemingly unprofessional and unsophisticated. Their unsophisticated actions were compared to other high-profile attacks that have happened over the past few years, and are probably not a serious threat to humanity.

It was found that the SEA managed to get hold of the username and password of someone related to the website or account in question, and simply logs in with their credentials, rather than coding a special virus or decrypting critical communications, as most other hackers do.

often, these attacks on high-profile users of social media are highly visible, but they’re not the kind of hackers that will reveal state secrets or undermine the NSA. U.S. cybersecurity types are more worried about what they call “advanced persistent threats” such as state-sponsored hacker groups in China and Iran targeting military operations and critical infrastructure.

Therefore, the hacks done by SEA are not as big a threat than the media make them out to be.

What are your thoughts on hacking in general, and hacking of high-profile users suchs as President Obama?

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Virtual economy?

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November

2013

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We’ve not discussed much about video games throughout this course, however i find it one of the most interesting and rapidly evolving social media there is, so here a post about the blurring lines between virtual worlds and the real world.

 

It has become a multi-billion dollar industry over the last few years; the buying and selling of virtual goods over websites such as eBay. The majority of web users play video games one way or another, from simple Facebook app games to complex MMORPG games with a functioning virtual world with millions of community members playing their part in it. However time has value, and sometimes people who want to progress in games faster do not have the time to do so, hence they resort to buying virtual items or money with real money. This can be a couple of dollars for a rare crossbow to hundreds of dollars for a legendary sword. It has reached the point where the virtual market has had such massive rise in people working to make virtual money and selling it for real money that the entire game market has had a severe inflation. Virtual economies follow the same basic principles of scarcity, demand & supply etc. as the real market, and with now real life value being added to these goods, can this still be considered a virtual market or rather an extension of the real market? This is just one example of how social media can blur the lines between virtual and real platforms, do you think that this can become a serious issue in the future?

Reference:

Castronova, E., Williams, D., Cuihua, S., Ratan, R., Xiong, L., Huang, Y., … (2009). As real as real? Macroeconomic behavior in a large-scale virtual world. New Media & Society, 11, 685-707. doi:10.1177/1461444809105346

Guo, Y., & Barnes, S. (2007). Why people buy virtual items in virtual worlds with real money. Database for Advances in Information Systems, 38, 69-76.

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Homework: Diffusion and social influences

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October

2013

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All the readings of week six touched the subject of diffusion in today’s information age. Social Networking Sites and other platforms that help facilitate communication within a social network help companies design word-to-mouth (MOT) marketing strategies such as “Kony 2012” or “Will it Blend?”. MOT marketing campaigns are based on the idea that the users of such platforms share viral videos, or other advertisements, with their network contacts.

According to Aral & Walker (2011), there are two types of diffusion of information, one being the personalized and active diffusion of information, which is more efficient, but less effective than passive-broadcast viral. This is due to the higher amount of contacts that it spreads to. However another important factor that has to be included is the ties between the sender and receiver of these shares.

As Van Noort et al. (2012) indicated, the effectiveness of viral campaigns is highly dependent on the influence that the sender has on the receivers, if the ties are closer, the receiver will respond more positively to the campaign and the brand. This could also be seen in Kony 2012 where countless celebrities spread the message over their social media to their fans, and friends and families talking about it.

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