The Kent Stater - April 6-9, 2017

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The

Kent Stater 4/6 – 4/9

TECH TAKEOVER

Decrypting technology’s all-consuming place in society

Features Edition

THE WEEKEND GUIDE TO ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND STUDENT LIFE

Photo illustration by Nick Labate and Clint Datchuk

Schwartz Center 'Makerspace' sparks creativity Paige Brown Libraries Reporter Spark Innovation Studio, a "makerspace" on campus, has opened with access to 3-D printing, laser cutting and prototyping. A makerspace is a place where people with shared interests, often in computing or technology, can gather to work on projects and share ideas, equipment and knowledge. “We see it as a collaborative space on campus for anybody in the Kent State community to come to create, design and learn,” said Hilary Kennedy, student multimedia studio manager. “It’s a cross-disciplinary space, so we really love seeing students from different majors come in and work on projects or learn something new out of their own wheelhouse and collaborate with other students.”

The name “Spark” is not an acronym — Kennedy said it represents the idea of sparking creativity and new ideas. Spark Innovation Studio is open to the entire Kent State community and is currently free; however, people may not be able to use the machinery their first time at the space. “There is a badging process," said Outreach Program Officer Jeffery Jones. "We want to keep safety first so we have the students get badged (watch tutorials and get information needed to work with equipment safely) and each piece of machinery has its own badging process.” Spark Studio welcomes new ideas and people who have never used machinery before. Training is offered and there are tutorials online for people to look at before even stepping foot in the studio. “What we really love about the

space that makes it different from other makerspaces on campus is that we train users on how to use the equipment themselves and then they’re able to come back once they’re approved and run the equipment themselves,” Kennedy said. “It really empowers the user, which I think is great.” Spark is made up of two rooms: the makerspace that has all the machines, and another room referred to as the “dirty room,” which is the project studio space. Anything from casting concrete panels to a large sandbox for the Kent State Robotics Club to work on their mining robot can be found in the space. Jones mentioned one of the most relatable projects he has seen was a young man who broke his taillight making a 3D model to create a new one.

SEE SPARK / PAGE 4

Various plastic objects printed by the 3-D printing machine lie in the SPARK Studio in the Schwartz Center on Wednesday. Angelo Angel / The Kent Stater

Tech Help provides affordable fixes Students pose and post on social media for payment

Rick Pongonis University Tech Reporter

ond most common issue. A computer with this issue is first checked in at Tech Help and then the broken screen is replaced off-site. “The pricing on that is really based on how much that screen actually costs us and then how difficult it is to actually replace that part,” said Jay Frye, director of IT service management. “We have a pricing matrix that kind of dictates if it’s this level of difficulty, it’s going to be charged this dollar amount for the labor.” The third most common issue is virus or spyware removal. “In a lot of cases we are able to remove that with some specialized software that we have.” Zevchek said. “The other thing that we could do, if that doesn’t work, is we could reinstall the operating system for them.” Zevchek said the customer is charged when the task is complete. He said it is the same cost either way and they are not charged for both the scan and the operating system reinstall, only the method that is successful.

The worst repair senior IT user support analyst Nicolas Zevchek worked with at Tech Help was the result of spilled soup. “We offer a $50 liquid cleaning fee, and with that we tear the computer completely down," said Jesse Schwiebert, a junior applied engineering major and student worker at Tech Help. “Everything that can come out will come out. We inspect all the boards for any sort of corrosion and any liquid, and we try to clean everything out of the board.” To get a basic service done at Tech Help can cost as low as $25. Helping a student log in or stay connected to the wireless network typically takes under five minutes and is free of charge. Tech Help has served more than 2,750 users already this academic year. “Approximately 60 percent of our interactions are resolved at the front counter and never get checked in for work, so we don’t hold onto it at all,” Zevchek said. Internet connectivity issues are seen most commonly at Tech Help, as well as questions and quick troubleshooting. “A lot of those end up being network-related, like how to connect to the wireless and why is there difficulty in doing so, or software installation such as installing Microsoft Office,” Zevchek said. “In most cases, it’s completely free to the student, that’s just something that we do and provide as a service to those students." Besides the simple fixes, there are those that are more in-depth, like broken laptop screens, the sec- A Kent State student receives help with his computer from Tech Help on Friday, March 3, 2017.

SEE TECH / PAGE 4

Kayla McMillen/ Kent Stater

Rachel Duthie Student Life Reporter Looking in the mirror, Tracie Pfrogner does a quick once-over of her outfit and makeup before working for the day. Satisfied, she picks up a couple skin care products and holds them in front of her friend, a photographer, as she snaps a couple of pictures. Pfrogner, a senior fashion merchandising major, is a rising star on Instagram. With 2,000 followers and a fashion blog, she is living her dream — and businesses want in on her platform. After reviewing the photos, she'll pick out the best and upload it on her Instagram, where her followers will see what's in her hands. "It hopefully gets my name out there as a blogger, and I enjoy it," she said. "Collaborating with brands works both ways because we both get the coverage we want." Social media influencers are taking over the online marketing industry as more and more businesses are using popular online figures to sell products. The growing trend was popularized by celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Michelle Phan and is generally successful, even if the product is less than subpar. "Influencer marketing is becoming a staple in the advertising world," said Colin Campbell, a marketing and entrepreneurship assistant professor

who specializes in social media and online brand management. "It raises interesting questions about what makes someone want to buy a product, and right now the answer is Twitter, Instagram and Facebook." Campbell said influencers are successful because their content doesn't appear as an ad. Instead of having a flashy image telling audiences to buy a product, influencer marketing is much more subtle, featuring brands indirectly through a series of selfies and personal product reviews. "Audiences have always responded more positively to word of mouth, as opposed to regular advertising," Campbell said. "Instagram is great in this regard because it's so visual and the use of hashtags can attract a large audience." Consumers respond positively to it, too. According to a 2012 Nielsen study, 92 percent of people trust recommendations from individuals over brands, even when they do not know that person personally. "Social media personalities are communicating in ways that are similar to how people interact in actual, face-to-face interpersonal relationships," said Rekha Sharma, a communication studies assistant professor. "Even though the viewers may not actually know this social media personality in a traditional sense, they may feel like they know this person."

SEE INSTAGRAM/ PAGE 4


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