Module 2

Convergent technologies or “technological convergence” is the tendency

for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. New
technologies were created that took over past technologies and perform the same task
but in a more advanced manner.
In general, convergence is a coming together of two or more distinct entities or
phenomena. Technological convergence is increasingly prevalent in the information
technology world; in this context, the term refers to the combination of two or more
different technologies in a single device.

Technology convergence is the holistic convergence of big data/analytics,

social, mobile, and cloud. This combination of technologies will provide organizations
with the tools they need to run faster with more efficiency, deeply mine and utilize data
in real real-time, innovate, and connect with their customers, partners, employees, and
the rest of the world proactively and at the speed of thought.

Widespread connectivity helps to bring diverse information together. It extends the

value and capabilities of a device beyond its out-of-the-box functionality

IoT - The Internet of things is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and
digital machines provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network
without
requiring human-to-human or human-to computer interaction
The emergence of new services and applications
Convergent technology opens up new sales markets for companies, a case
observed in mobile operators. As the market saturates, they look to non-voice
services, such as video streaming, portals, messaging, information services, and
gaming, to drive future revenue growth.

Challenges in the convergent world Technological convergence has raised several issues of
adjustment to the new environment by telecom operators, service providers, policymakers,
regulators,
and users
Privacy, security, and reliability
As society becomes increasingly interconnected and dependent on ICT
networks, cybercriminals continue to invent increasingly cunning ways to exploit
human and the computer vulnerabilities to their malicious benefits. This challenges
operators, service providers, and users to take measures to minimize risks of network
intrusions, attacks, and viruses.
Similarly, as technologies
and systems become complex,
the higher is the risk of their
instability. Product designers,
manufacturers, and operators
are challenged to guarantee the
reliability of these new
technologies.
Technology convergence offers massive opportunities for the development of
new value-added services, convenience, efficiency, and the expansion of markets and
consumer choice. It also raises several issues of adjustment to the new environment
by telecom operators, service providers, policymakers, regulators, and users.
Six Types of Social Media
1. Social Networks: These are sites that allow you to connect with other people
with the same interests or background. Once a user creates his or her account,
he or she can set up a profile, add people, create groups, and share content. Ex.
Facebook and Google+
FACEBOOK
An online social networking site that allows users to create their profiles,
share photos, videos, and thoughts, and communicate with each other.
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg
(CEO) is an American media
magnate, internet entrepreneur, and
philanthropist. He is known for co
founding Facebook, Inc. and serves
as its chairman, chief executive
officer, and controlling shareholder.
Co-founder:
Andrew McCollum, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes
Founded: February 2004, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Google+
Google+ was a social network owned and operated by Google. The
network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challenge other social
networks, linking other Google products like Google Drive, Blogger and
YouTube.
Created by: Vic Gundotra, Bradley Horowitz
Date launched: 28 June 2011
2. Bookmarking Sites: These are the sites that allow you to store and manage links
to various websites and resources. Most of these sites allow you to create a tag
that allows you and others to easily search or share them. Ex. StumbleUpon and
Pinterest.
StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon was a discovery and advertisement engine that
pushed web content recommendations to its users. Its features allowed users
to discover and rate Web pages, photos and videos that are personalized to
their tastes and interests using peer-sourcing, social-networking and
advertising principles.
Owner: StumbleUpon, Inc
Founders: Garrett Camp, Justin LaFrance, Geoff Smith
Founded: 2001, Calgary, Canada
PINTEREST Pinterest is an American image sharing and social media
service designed
to enable saving and discovery of information on the
World Wide Web using images and, on a smaller scale, GIFs and videos, in the
form of pinboards.
Founders: Ben Silbermann (CEO), Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp
Founded: December 2009
Date launched: January 201014
3. Social News: These are sites that allow users to post their news items or links to
other news sources. Ex. Reddit and Digg
Reddit
Reddit is an American social news aggregation, web content rating,
and discussion website. Registered members submit content to the site such
as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down by other
members.
Founders: Steve Huffman (CEO), Alexis Ohanian, Aaron Swartz
Founded: 23 June 2005, Medford, Massachusetts, United States
4. Media Sharing: These are the sites that allow you to upload and share media
content like images, music, and video. Most of these sites have additional social
features like liking, commenting, and having user profiles. Ex. Flicker, Youtube,
and Instagram
Flickr is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well
as an online community. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and has been
popular with hosting high-resolution photos by amateur and professional
photographers.
Owner: SmugMug, Inc.
Founded: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2004
YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform
headquartered in San Bruno, California. Three former PayPal
employees-Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—created the service in
February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion;
YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries.
Founders: Jawed Karim, Steve Chen, Chad Hurley
Founded: 14 February 2005, San Mateo, California, United States
Instagram
A free photo and video sharing app available on Apple iOS, Android,
and Windows phones. People can upload photos or videos to our service and
share them with their followers or with a select group of friends. They can also
view, comment, and like posts shared by their friends on Instagram.
Owner: Facebook15
Date Launched: 6 October 2010
Developer: Facebook, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger
SNAPCHAT
Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app developed by Snap Inc., (a
camera company) originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat
is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they
become inaccessible to their recipients.
Original author(s): Evan Spiegel (CEO); Bobby Murphy; Reggie
Brown
Initial release date: 8 July 2011
Developed by: Snap Inc.
5. Microblogging: These are sites that focus on short updates from the user. Those
subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates. Ex. Twitter and Plurk
TWITTER
Twitter is a 'microblogging' system that allows you to send and
receive short posts called tweets. Tweets can be up to 140 characters long
and can include links to relevant websites and resources.
Founders:
Jack Dorsey (CEO), Evan Williams, Noah Glass, Biz Stone
Founded: 21 March 2006, San Francisco, California, United States
6. Blogs and Forums: These websites allow users to post their content. Other
users can comment on the said topic. There are several free blogging platforms
like Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr.
WordPress is an open-source website creation platform that is
written in PHP and uses a MySQL database. In non-geek
speak, it’s probably the easiest and most powerful blogging and
website content management system (or CMS) in existence today. From
blogging to e-commerce to business and portfolio websites, WordPress is a
versatile CMS
TUMBLR
Tumblr is an American microblogging and social networking website
founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows
users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog. Users can follow other
users' blogs. Bloggers can also make their blogs private.
Founded by: David Karp
Founded: 2007
Other Apps related to Social Media: VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
VIBER
Rakuten Viber, or simply Viber, is a cross-platform voice over IP and
instant messaging software application operated by Japanese multinational company
Rakuten, provided as freeware for the Android, iOS, Microsoft
Windows,
macOS, and Linux platforms.
Original authors: Talmon Marco, Igor Magazinnik
Founded: Might have been founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2010
WHATSAPP
WhatsApp Messenger, or simply WhatsApp, is an American freeware,
cross-platform messaging, and Voice over IP service owned by Facebook, Inc.
It allows users to send text messages and voice messages, makes voice
and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other
media.
Part of what makes this app appealing is that it works on various phone
and computer operating systems, helping with messaging. It can also take
advantage of Wi-Fi and cellular data to make one-on-one or group calls.
Owner: Facebook
Original authors: Brian Acton, Jan Koum
Initial release date: 3 May 200917
COMMON FEATURES
1. Social media are interactive Web 2.0 Internet-based applications.
2. User-generated content is the lifeblood of social media.
3. Social media facilitate the development of an online social network.