This is me in a virtual NYC....looks nothing like it....and there was no one around!For those of you in the dark about Second Life, it is an online reality in which you create a virtual self, make virtual friends, live in a virtual home, purchase virtual goods and even..if you want... create virtual art and put on virtual shows. Almost anything you might want to do in reality (or 'RL' -short for real life as Second Life-ers say) you can do in SL, you can even have intimate relationships, get married, become pregnant and have children. I choose to do my research using the IDEO model of Rapid Ethnography, for the past few days I have tried my best to become part of the SL world.
I must admit, it has not been easy- when your having trouble just navigating your way around the tool bar it can become quite challenging to make friends. As of right now I have about five actual 'friends'- this means I can see when they sign off and 'on-world' (SL slang for being online). All of these people I met while 'teleporting' around to different areas, I went to a virtual club, a virtual beach and a virtual island (all places created and owned by different users). Although the landscapes were different I did observe many commonalities between those around me- all of the people I spoke with sort of had the same idea about SL.
Each of them had a good looking physique and most said that they looked like their character in real life yet not as physicly fit, a few admitted to me that they looked nothing like their character. All except one said it was a culture, explain that SL has its own specific set of rules and standards, it posses a learned set of beliefs that differ from RL and any other culture. Most admitted that SL gave them the ability to say whatever they wanted and although they were friendly in RL, SL allowed them to really let loose. One guy said he met 5 girlfriends over SL, "One looked exactly like Paris Hilton!", he bragged. All of the people I talked to said their favorite thing to do was interact with others by joining groups of interest and chatting (many brought up sex) they all agreed it was easier to meet people on Second Life then in real life particulary because, "the site draws in the same type of person to begin with, I think we're all nerds so we get to talking easier.", one girl said.
Second Life has its many of its own rituals and traditions, in fact SL is more many cultures within a larger culture of the social network. Many of the events that you might attend on SL happen at specific times of day and if you don't want to show up to an empty location you must arrive on time, it was not uncommon for me to be asked if I knew of "anything fun" going on. SL has a certain etiquite- you cant just say anything to anyone- there is a whole section of the second life main page deticated to this and you can attend SL etiquite classes every thursday night at 9. It is easy for a seasoned SL-er to tell who is new and who is not, who has a full membership and who does not- you need to be a full member in order to use your 'Linden dollars' ($1=$500 Linden) to purchase a house, clothing (from American Apparel perhaps) or anything else for that matter. I found it to be quite elitist, I can only liken the feeling to that of being the new kid in the back of the bus with a bunch of upper-classman standing around laughing.
A sense of ownership was very much a defining point in SL culture, creating your name, your own look, home and life style seemed of utmost importance. Out of the group of 15 or so I spoke with over a few nights most said they spent most of their time 'designing themselves', second only to chatting with others and visiting clubs. Everyone I spoke with seemed to care very much about they way they looked and portrayed themselves to others.
Overall the most shocking thing to me about this culture is how addictive it is, it really allows you to become someone else and do things you would never dream of doing in real life. Customizing the way you look is just the tip of the ice berg, you can truly BE someone else and I think that this is what is most appealing. This culture is incredibly specific and it is easy to feel as if you are on the outside- trying to truly BE one a SL user has brought me much closer to understanding who these people really are, and what they make up as a group. I think we have finally hit the nail on the head- Second Life is a culture!
Visiting a Virtual 'Sex Mall/Dance Club'...I met two of my 'friends' here.I decided to go bald... I couldnt decide on on a style...do you like it?
5 comments:
what exactly is going on in the photos you have posted? have you made your own character, and what was it like if you have? could you upload some information about the photos, game, your experience
ohh there it is , you must have just been putting it up. good stuff!
"I think we have finally hit the nail on the head- Second Life is a culture!"
Haha Yaaaaay! Great job guys! It's really fascinating to hear about SL, and I really appreciated your lingo-dropping in the post. It's so crazy that on a very superficial level, SL is just like RL; but on another level it's a microcosm of the internet that reflects how people use the net. The anonymity of feeling like you can be less inhibited and 'say anything', and the preoccupation with sex, for example. Can't wait to hear more.
I think the anonymous quality of second life is the most interesting. Although one girl described second life users as "nerds" they seem infatuated with a lavish lifestyle and harbor superficial preoccupations.Not what you would expect from stereotypical "nerds." It seems the anonymity really allows people to become someone else. It raises the question of how much one cultivates themselves in reality.
So glad you finally got one!
This is so interesting and fascinating.. the dating and elitist aspects..my. It really is a second life for people...I can't wait to hear more.
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