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In My Second Life I Am Cool
by Josh Katz
Virtual reality may not be innocuous. As the computer world of Second Life has shown, the line between reality and fantasy can get nebulous.
30-Second Summary
Second Life is a virtual world based on real life, where anyone can be fit, tall, short, or even a “cloud of particles,” writes the Los Angeles Times.
The world even has its own economy where goods and services are exchanged for a virtual currency known as the linden—named after game creator Linden Lab.
But studies show the personality of a person’s Second Life character, known as an avatar, may bleed into that player’s life. If someone has a more attractive avatar, not only might that person act more extroverted when playing online, but that extroversion may carry over to real life.
In one study, individuals acted more confidently and aggressively if they had just played with a tall avatar, even if they were not tall in reality.
Kristina Dell of Time magazine writes, “I’m considering giving my avatar a cottage by the sea and a job doing charitable work. Maybe some of the positive vibes will rub off into my real life.
Corporations are also joining in on the fun, for advertising and human resources purposes. Intel and IBM, for instance, have created Second Life communities where employees can mingle and even attend company meetings. “If an avatar falls asleep on screen, that's a good sign the staffer isn't paying attention,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Spanish health officials have been dispensing advice about drug use and STDs to teenagers through Second Life. A virtual nurse and a virtual patient could shield the teenagers from in-person embarrassment, British newspaper The Guardian reports.
The world even has its own economy where goods and services are exchanged for a virtual currency known as the linden—named after game creator Linden Lab.
But studies show the personality of a person’s Second Life character, known as an avatar, may bleed into that player’s life. If someone has a more attractive avatar, not only might that person act more extroverted when playing online, but that extroversion may carry over to real life.
In one study, individuals acted more confidently and aggressively if they had just played with a tall avatar, even if they were not tall in reality.
Kristina Dell of Time magazine writes, “I’m considering giving my avatar a cottage by the sea and a job doing charitable work. Maybe some of the positive vibes will rub off into my real life.
Corporations are also joining in on the fun, for advertising and human resources purposes. Intel and IBM, for instance, have created Second Life communities where employees can mingle and even attend company meetings. “If an avatar falls asleep on screen, that's a good sign the staffer isn't paying attention,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Spanish health officials have been dispensing advice about drug use and STDs to teenagers through Second Life. A virtual nurse and a virtual patient could shield the teenagers from in-person embarrassment, British newspaper The Guardian reports.
Headline Link: ‘How Second Life Affects Real Life’
Studies show that the way people perceive themselves on Second Life can affect their actions in real life. “When we cloak ourselves in avatars, it subtly alters the manner in which we behave,” says Jeremy Bailenson of Stanford. “It’s about self-perception and self-confidence.”
Source: Time
Background: Second Life enters the working world
Corporations have entered the Second Life virtual world, where opportunities to advertise abound. “IBM, Coca-Cola, and Nissan have all set up shop in Second Life, and the Reuters news agency now has a Second Life bureau,” findingDulcinea reports.
Source: findingDulcinea
Eager to tap into the money-making potential of what he considers to be the “Internet’s next phase of evolution,” IBM CEO Sam Palmisano has already committed $10 million to further developing the “3-D Web” typified by Second Life. But IBM’s not the only one fired up about turning virtual moolah into profits.
Source: CNN
Corporate America, universities and conference planners are starting to use Second Life world for office interaction, meetings and activities. The Los Angeles Times reports, “The virtual workplace can be tougher to oversee than the real one. One male IBM employee appears as a female avatar with heels. Another is simply a cloud of particles. But peer pressure to act professional is driving conformity.”
Source: Los Angeles Times (free registration may be required)
Related Topics: When virtual gets real
Spanish health authorities have utilized Second Life to counsel teenagers about sexually transmitted diseases and drug problems in an effort to alleviate the embarrassment of asking in person, The Guardian reported on May 10, 2008.
Source: The Guardian
In a New York Times technology blog, Saul Hansell comments on chief executive of Omnicom’s Organic Mark Kingdon’s move to Linden Labs. “Second Life? Wasn’t that last year’s fad?” Hansell says.
Source: The New York Times (free subscription may be required)
In a May 12, 2008, review, Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post looks at Douglas Gayeton’s film "Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey." Gayeton delves into the world of Second Life and creates the “first film made completely in virtual reality.” Describing the film, Ostrow says, “All you really need to know is this: The search for self is a powerful human drive, whether that self is real or virtual.”
Source: The Denver Post
EXistenZ, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law, is a psychological thriller that first appeared in 1999. Set in a future when virtual reality games become the norm, this film explores the tenuous line between what is real and what is not.
Source: Dulcinea Book Store
Reference: Second Life and Linden Lab
For those who haven’t taken the leap into virtual reality, BusinessWeek takes a trip through Second Life’s flourishing fantasy world. The article chronicles all the pretend banality of a virtual rookie’s (mis)adventures, from finding a home to buying clothes and going to bars.
Source: Businessweek
Linden Lab, creator of Second Life, is a San Francisco-based company founded in 1999. Despite Linden Lab’s short existence, it has enjoyed the status of a pioneer in online virtual innovation. Linden’s Web site contains information on the company, its employees, and of course Second Life.
Source: Linden Lab
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