Essay 1-[Me and social media-my relationship to social media technologies]

When seriously thinking about my relationship to social media technologies, I am so surprised to find that all kinds of social media technologies have dived into my daily life quietly and unconsciously. From work to study, from leisure to entertainment, I become social media technology-dependent and sometimes get hooked on them. Let’s have a look at how my daily life is “dominated” by the social technologies. Three aspects related experience in terms of learning, leisure and entertainment would be elaborated as below.

As the study aspect is concerned, more and more internet-based learning tools are brought into our eyeshot. I remember last semester a new kind of online study software called Simplelearn was introduced for the terminologies learning in media production fields. In my point of view, such software can help you to develop a good learning habit. When starting the learning, the system will automatically send you a message via E-mail to remind you the time to study. When finishing terminologies’ learning each time, you would be asked whether the terminologies are remembered or not. And for those terminologies which you do not remember very well, they will be repeated frequently in your next study time. The study schedules are set strictly, which means that you can neither study later than the required time nor ahead of time. Only in this way can you get the best effect. The software can be used through both computer and mobile phone so long as they can get access to the internet. Hence, you can study anywhere connected to the internet. What is more, some basic tools like searching engine and encyclopedia play a rather important role in the learning aspect. When you are in face of something you don’t know, just Google it! Just Wikipedia it!

When it comes to leisure aspect, the MSN (messenger) and QQ (one software offered by Tencent Company which is China's largest and most used Internet service portal) have to be first discussed. Every time when I turn on my computer, undoubtedly the QQ and MSN would be given the priority to be run. QQ is the main tool for me to contact my family and Chinese friends in terms of having a video, audio conversation and common chatting. You can also use it to transfer the documents and pictures. Besides there is also a Blogger called QQspace connected to each account for posting whatever you like. You can decorate your personal space with the virtual money and earn the virtual money through the advertisement clicking rate displayed on your space. And for each account, you have also three auxiliary accounts which are the QQgame QQpet and QQmusic. With QQgame, one can play simple socialized game online such as poker. With QQpet, one can raise your own electronic pets, which are favored by many children. With QQmusic, one can get free music stream online. Well, my messenger is mainly used to contact the international friends. However, I registered the Facebook last year to experience a new social network tool.

For the entertainment part, the digital online games such as the strategy game Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is my favorite because it is not time consuming compared with the online social game World of Warcraft. In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the player can play either alone (choosing computer to be the opponent) or with somebody else or with many players together to play the RPG game. Besides, watching the WCG (World Cyber Games) tournament is a popular worldwide competition in the electronic game field.

Finally, I’d like to mention one point which is internet is the carrier for all social media technologies so that the development of related social media technologies is dependent on the development of the internet technology itself.