Second Life

             Second life is a 3-D virtual world that was created by a man named Linden Labs in 2003 and it has grown immensely since then, “inhabited” by millions of Residents from all over the world. This virtual world is centered on human interaction. People can use this virtual space for a variety of interactions, including customizing their avatars, creating and selling items, and essentially creating a second life for them to indulge in. Second life can also be used in the educational environment to do thing that would otherwise not be possible. For example, a student can use role playing as an educational tool, by immersing themselves in a Shakespearean setting to learn more about the literature of the author. Though, this virtual world may be beneficial in an academic atmosphere, it does have ramifications for adults in the real world. Some people have taken it too far as to allow their avatars to have sexual relations with prostitutes in this virtual world and it has led to divorces in their real life. It’s the idea that someone needs to escape to another world in order to engage in actions that they obviously think about in their own lives that makes this second life game all to real.

             I’m not quite sure of all the ins and outs of Second Life but I do know that it is very unlikely that I will ever use it, neither personally nor professionally. I’ve had a hard time, unfortunately, with this set of blogs as far as relating the material to my field of study because most of the stuff we have talked about recently is mainly applied to education. I did see when I was researching the virtual world of Second Life that some businesses use it to virtually advertise for products or performers and it made me think that in some form or another maybe a news company could do the same. They could simply put a “billboard” or advertisement up in the Second Life world with their logo so that people would see it there and then actually tune in to that broadcast in the real world. It’s possible. I don’t think as a reporter there’s any way I would utilize it, other than maybe doing a report on it someday and how it is becoming too real of a world for some to handle.

The video below explains the virtual world of Second Life and its uses that draw in so many people. It also gives examples of how Second Life is being used in the business world to advertise for real life things. According to the video, Second Life encourages creative talent.