Normal, hardworking, determined, business man/woman by day; Online “Second Life” Vampire, robot or animal by night... does this sound like you?
The mass numbers of people who engage with the virtual world of ‘Second Life’ is absolutely staggering. The link below illustrates some unbelievable statistical figures about the ‘Second Life’ economy in 2011.
The amount of time that people spend on such sites like ‘Second Life’ or ‘There.com’ is mindboggling, this is because there are multitudes of people, who literally spend entire days doing nothing but engaging with ‘Second Life’. As a result, ’Second Life’ has become a worldwide billion dollar industry with over 20 million accounts.
One could ask “how has ‘Second Life’ attracted so many users?” Well, I believe that the attraction strategy used by the Computer-Mediated Communication system, which is ‘Second Life’, is similar in nature to other social networking websites such as ‘Facebook’ or ‘Bebo’. This is recognised by the fact that ‘Second Life’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘Bebo’ all link your membership in which you have with them to your everyday email and flourish your inbox with direct mail. This marketing tool brings a sense of belonging to the user and installs cravings of wanting to enter the social networking site into the user’s mind, by telling you what you are missing out on. E.g. ‘Facebook’ does this by sending an email with the message:
“Jamal, you have notifications waiting for you. Log in now.”
Desire for the user to sign in and engage, is a result of this marketing tool. I guess you could argue that this tactic is just the digitalised version of what used to happen before the vast movements toward online social networking activities, occurring in today’s society. E.g. In the past your mum would let you know that your friends are outside waiting for you, more than likely, this for a child would result in a vehement desire and an overwhelming joy as he/she would want to join the group of friends and interact with them.
“Okay, so now that I am in ‘Second Life’ what can I do?” Well, funny enough everything… the synchronous communication of ‘Second Life’ allows you to: Create yourself and your surroundings, meet new people, make friends, date etc. It gives you the ability to walk, run, fly…. (Yes fly), see different worlds and buy and sell goods, (even “Armani” have their own store in ‘Second Life’ - http://mashable.com/2007/09/27/armani-second-life/).Overall, I feel It gives the user a chance to let their inner self manifest, whether it be in the form of a human, vampire, dog or robot to name a few, allowing you to connect with people just like you, who accept you for who you are in this virtual utopia. In addition, you could argue that ‘Second Life’ emphasises Goffman’s Dramaturgical theory.
As we are social animals, ‘Second Life’ offers the chance to, well… frankly, to be social. In addition to the above ‘Second Life’ offers you the chance to restrict access to places, rooms or buildings (which I found out first handed). This creates a sense of belonging, exclusivity and power to the group involved; manufacturing the feeling that they are in an impenetrable circle that is not only cut off from the outside virtual world, but more importantly from the real world.
My final impression of ‘Second Life’ is that it seems to be an escape from reality illustrating what people actually want out of life. I believe that Second Life gives a false sense of hope to the ‘Second Life’ community, which only an onlooker can see. Probably controlling the balance of emotions between real life and the virtual life of ‘Second Life’ is probably one of the hardest things to do for its users.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my views and why? Are you a ‘Second Life’ addict? Do you think that Second Life has a positive or negative impact on its users? Are you swayed by the marketing tools of social web?
Want to know more about ‘Second Life’? then follow the links below:
An Introduction to ‘Second Life’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q
In response to your question, ‘Do you think that Second Life has a positive or negative impact on its users?’ In regards to specific types of users, I believe that there are many benefits; unfortunately however there are some negatives that can be quite disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThe positives I mentioned in my blog were specifically towards the educational impact Second Life provides. Second Life in an educational sense provides students with learning difficulties a place away from the physical educational establishment where they are able to learn in a safe educational haven. Students with learning difficulties are able to learn and converse without the burden of being judged and discriminated against. As a result, the confidence that could have been lost due to bullying and mismanagement of the student can be restored. The student is able to learn at their own pace and converse with other students with an equal learning ability. Students hampered by distance can study within Second Life virtual world and are able to contribute within a networked virtual classroom, in which feedback from fellow students and lecturers on problematic aspects of their studies is usually instant. In both cases Second Life provides a sense of realism whether it is through personalised avatars, detailed campuses or real-time conversing. However, more importantly is the social feature Second Life provides, as many of us have struggled with throughout education, Second Life provides support against the feeling of isolation and loneliness.
The negatives, in regards to paedophilic activities, are very disturbing and every effort should be made to combat this. For instance, separate islands for children should be implemented and monitored regularly to prevent any unacceptable behaviour; especially with young and vulnerable children.
Overall, even though I am not a Second Life addict I can see the positive impact it can provide, whether it is through educational purposes or respite from the mundane day to day activities we sometimes experience. As you state ‘it seems to be an escape from reality,’ which I believse we all sometimes need but don’t always get.
McCrindle, R. J., & Adams, A. A. (2008). Pandora's Box. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Fantastic comment mufc1811, I like your positive and negative views. It is important that we find the right balance in life, especially when it involves the online game of ‘Second Life’. Your comments on education in Second Life are fascinating; it seems like Second Life helps a lot of children in the education sector, but this doesn’t take away the psychological issues that it holds. E.g. I was speaking to one of my lecturers and he stated that his brother is a second life fanatic, he plays every week on Sunday's and when he plays he is "non- contactable" his words not mine. This illustrates the lose yourself aspects of Second Life which is so dangerous and additive.
ReplyDeleteIt all comes down to what we feel that second life's impacts are having on its in online community as a whole; is it education or is it the unseen psychological aspects. In all respect I do feel that your positives comments are only reflecting one sector of second life where as my one looks at the overall impact of second Life. But, in all fairness I do believe it comes down to the users own individual view of second Life.