Monday, April 4, 2011

Knowing the Age of "Second Lifers"

I have actually been a member of "Second Life" before. It was
about 5 years ago or so and I got the idea from watching my local news. They were doing a story on this new virtual world and I decided to go check it out. I think I only went on the site once and it wasn't because I hated it, but rather you never know what kind of people you are talking to. I can distinguishably remember two types of people. There was this guy who kept making fun of me because I was new to the website. He put me in a bubble and I had no idea how to get out of it. Reading Professor Levinson's section on "Second Life," he probably created a script that put me into said bubble. The second was a girl who claimed to be 15 but was actually 10 or 12. I figured this out based on the language she was using and her lack of typing skills. Since that day, I have never been on the site again. Based on the reading, apparently it was through some changes; one in particular. That change is the addition of voices. Before, members had to type everything as if they were in a chat group. Now, members have the option of speaking aloud to other members. This change can also help identify an approximate age of the complete strangers that you are socializing with.

Has anyone else attempted this virtual reality? Did you notice any changes or updates that have been added over the years? Share your thoughts in the comments.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for trying to get responses. As we've seen, no one else in the class had been to Second Life before. I do think the problem is too much overhead for too little payoff.

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