Monday, October 8, 2007

Get a Real Life!

Based on the Slideshare summary and review of Second Life, it is hard to get excited about this form of networking. While it does have a number of different networking capabilities: chat, IM, group IM, and supposedly voice and Skype capability coming soon, do we really need to travel through a 3-D graphic “artificial world” in order to network? I don’t think so. Why do I want to spend time earning fake money to buy fake clothes, etc. for my avatar? Wouldn’t spending the time earning real money that can buy real things be a more productive use of time? I know that SL offers an opportunity for escape, but I can easily see people getting wrapped up in this second life and becoming not only unproductive in their real life, but neglecting their relationships with real friends and family.

The summary from the author says that is overhyped and the technical requirements are too high. What is surprising is the demographics, with 25-34 as the largest user group, not teens, because to me Second Life is only for people who don’t have much of a real life. The NY Times article discusses spending time shopping for clothes for your avatar. Anyone who has time to do that must not have much of a real life!

1 comment:

Alexandra said...

"..do we really need to travel through a 3-D graphic “artificial world” in order to network?"

I completely agree with what you said. Get a real life! Social networks are better created in your real life, we need to get our there and create them. Like i said in my blog, people need to have something else to do with their lives instead of playing around in an imaginary world.