By Meredith Frost (Mfrosty17@gmail.com)
Student Editor
Interested in purchasing your very own island for $295 a month? Well you can, in Second Life. This fairly new internet-based virtual world provides humans with the ability to effectively morph into whoever they want to be, in virtual 3-D.
Second Life allows users to create their own environment, dance, and socialize with other users (called “residents”) from all over the world, and, ultimately, take on another existence completely.
Developed by Linden Lab in 2003, this multimedia phenomenon now has over 4.9 million people “living” in this Second Life.
But just like in the real world, Second Life also carries its own flaws and criticisms. From overzealous sexual content, to troubleshooting Internet connection problems, the Second Life virtual world is a different experience for every individual -- positive or negative.
Hofstra University’s online journalism class explored everything this community has to offer: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Get a Life … or Two
A famous quote goes something like this "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." But this is the 21st century -- and if your life is really all that bad, why not just make a new one? And while you're at it, make it sexy.
This additional existence, a virtual one, comes courtesy of Second Life, an online game much like "The Sims" created for adults by Linden Lab. Free to "basic" members, and $10 per month for an official account. Second Life allows users to fill any voids in their physical universe with virtual ones; enabling members to fly, dance, interact with good-looking characters, personally speak to strangers around the world, and drive interesting cars and vacation for free (with basic membership).
It is also a place gaining a record amount of usership, according to CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen in the article "Is Virtual Life Better than Reality?"
As Second-Life users in total spend an interesting average of "$6 million a month” in "virtual goods" such as furniture for virtual houses and clothing for their online physical persona or "avatars."
What is most interesting about Second Life is, despite the official sign-up regulations against obscene conduct while in the virtual world, over seven of the many places available to teleport to involved extremely sexual conduct and images.
In teleporting to one room innocently labeled a nightclub, avatars and their respective users are brought into a world of topless virtual female bartenders, erotic decorations and other users from around the world who are no stranger to explicit innuendo. The avatars themselves carry a strong overtone of sexual expression, as basic members wanting to represent themselves as female are confined to choosing between several women characters bearing little clothing, or suggestive animals, like the bunny dressed in a bikini.
Visually, male’s avatars are more conservative looking, but many users make up for this with bawdy comments. In this virtual world, it is not uncommon for avatars to ask for contact information, tell a naughty joke (within the guidelines of course) or frequent the "nightclubs" to interact with other like users. Those who would like to keep sexual conduct out of the virtual world can seek refuge (among other places) in Second Life's wildlife center, up in the air, or on the road, as the game allows avatars to act out a user's more innocent dreams by driving interesting cars, looking great, and even flying around the online community.
So, perhaps if your life isn't everything you want it to be, or virtual cleavage happens to be your thing; it might be of interest to try out a free "Second Life" account .
The best things in life are free. Well, maybe virtually.
--By Bonnie McKasty
(bonnie.mckasty@gmail.com )
Live Your Real Life, Not a Second
I dropped from the sky like a baby coming out of its mother's womb, yet this wasn't actually me, it was my avatar, "Bauer Writer," being placed into Second Life.
What's that? It's literally a second life for us humans -- a virtual program where we can interact with people across the planet as someone else.
I was naked when I first was placed into the system and quickly was given a pair of jeans and a white t shirt. I also have a slick haircut and if you looked quick he looked like James Dean for a second.
Instead of blogging about the basics of the program, why not talk about the negatives of it? People use with this program as a barrier from their real life, pushing their problems away to take on the role of someone else and talk to another person, who is probably feeling the same way.
Sure, it's interesting at first, but after the original 10 minutes or so of hunting around this virtual amusement park of dance clubs, city skyscrapers and rural atmospheres with volcanos, you realize this isn't realistic and a waste of time, since you can be out there doing real things that you'll remember forever, not what Bauer Writer is doing.
Aside from being a way to pawn of your real life misfortunes, the program has been known to destroy personal computers and only easy to download with a wide bandwidth server.
You can't fix computers in Second Life and your avatar sure isn't going to pop out of the computer to help you.
--By Chris Vaccaro
(C.R.Vaccaro@gmail.com)
Second Life Offers More than Sales and Sex
Second Life, the virtual networked world, offers a unique educational opportunity. Peter Yellowlees, a professor of psychiatry at University of California, Davis, created an island in Second Life that lets users experience schizophrenia.
This isn’t the only distinctive experience floating around Second Life.
According to Dr. Mary Ann Allison, a professor at Hofstra University’s School of Communication, students from Brooklyn Technical High School in New York and a school in Amsterdam in the Netherlands created a Second Life island to learn about each other’s culture.
“The students would create things like movies and art in order to share their experiences,” Allison said.
Stanford and Harvard Universities have virtual islands where students can attend classes. These aren’t the only universities that use the virtual world and Allison questions whether there is something lost in student’s experiences.
“The classroom is an important part of the college experience -- it’s not the only important part, but it is important and lessons are getting boring, I know I get bored up their [using traditional methods],” Allison said.
Allison suggests that our society is “breaking apart and reshaping” and that we need to teach children how to use participate in things like gaming and virtual worlds in a good way, “Telling middle-school children not to like Facebook is like telling them not to like chocolate; instead of avoidance we should teach them how to participate in a networked society in a way that’s healthy.”
“The chances are zero that this type of program will go away,” Allison argues, “I don’t think it should, I mean scientists are able to make their [Second Life] avatars the size of molecules so they can work inside virtual chemical compounds—they’re able to learn more about how science works with this program. That’s incredible.”
--By Kayla Walker
(Walker.Kayla@gmail.com)
Second Life: Praises and Knocks
The mainstream press has struggled with how to characterize Second Life. The term "3-D online virtual world" doesn't exactly associate itself as just being a game, which most people would probably just refer to it.
Second Life is a 3-D online virtual world, where avatars do the kind of stuff real people do in real life. Buying and selling things, gamble, play games, and have sex. Second Life is definitely missing something, possibly lacking a designed conflict and end objective.
Still, Second Life estimates it going at 4 million strong online community? All you have to do is talk to the people who log in under an assumed name, to hear the praises of Second Life.
To start off, there is plenty of money to be made, the game's currency, Linden Dollars, is convertible to real U.S. green. The smell of success has already driven big corporations like AOL, Gucci and BMW to set up virtual offices. On the educational side of things, more than 60 schools and educational organizations have set up shop in the virtual world. Teachers and school officials alike feel it can make it possible for students taking a distance course to develop a real sense of community.
To every positive there has to be a few negatives. Recent statistics indicate many people's real lives have begun to spill over increasingly into their online lives. Researchers are actually wondering how virtual behavior influences real behavior in the real world.
Another very interesting problem is sex, which is running rampant on Second Life. While liberal- minded Internet users may not be too bothered by swinging clubs or brothels, some are hoping this doesn't become somewhat problematic, as it usually tends to be.
--By Thomas Palermo
(Thomas.Palermo@gmail.com)
(Virtual) Reality Check: Second Life
Last night I was approached by a shirtless male carrying size “C” breast implants, sporting a vintage carnie mullet that complemented the vulture-looking wings gracing his backside.
No, it wasn’t a dream, the carnival was not in town, and this interaction occurred hours after I left a sporting event at Nassau Coliseum. In fact, the scene happened on my computer in the comfort of my own home, just moments after I signed into the virtual reality web world known as Second Life.
After this stranger asked me If I knew where to find night crawlers, I got the heck out of there, locked the doors, and tried to clear my mind by working on the “to do” pile that has accumulated some serious girth.
How could I embark on an alternative lifestyle that demands plenty of time, effort, and money such as Second Life when there is a growing list of challenges that I need to confront in order to fulfill my destinies in the life that counts?
Second Life doesn’t completely turn me off. For every handful of nincompoops roaming around in general admission, there is an occasional refuge to use your time constructively. Second Life Library 2.0 exhibits some promise, as well as Pontiac’s Virtual Racetrack, the International Spaceflight Museum or Reuters reporting on virtual events.
For $295 a month, an individual can purchase his or her own island. For such an outrageous bag of coin, I’m not sleeping in a straw hut with a volleyball. The premium package better come equipped with Playboy Mansion 2.0; and throw in Ginger and Maryann for no additional fee.
If virtual reality is in anyway going to be a staple in the future of journalism, then I’m pursuing the wrong profession.
Meanwhile, my Rubik’s cube-skills development has been stuck in neutral for five years running and my Sport Illustrated for Kids crossword puzzles aren’t going to fill themselves out. In translation, there are better ways to waste my time.
--By Ryan McCord
(rjmccord91@gmail.com)
Second Life, and Health
Second Life, a booming virtual world with over an estimated 3 million residents, created and operated by Linden Lab in San Francisco, is helping the medical community experiment with research and therapeutic activities for stroke victims.
In November, the National Library of Medicine/Greater Midwest Region awarded a $40,000 grant to the Alliance Library System, which provides consumer health information services in the virtual world of Second Life.
The Alliance Second Life Library also provides training programs, outreach to virtual medical communities, consumer health resources, and one-on-one support to Second Life residents.
Stroke victims have a strong presence in the virtual community, in which they see themselves as customizable avatar that can walk, swim, ski, dance and even fly. There is several stroke survivors' group in the virtual world, such as the Second Life Stroke Support Group, which aims to overcome depression.
Doctors are discovering through research that participating in Second Life has positive effects on stroke victims mentally and physically.
These promising results show that virtual-reality therapy helped patients use their weakened legs and ultimately walk better after they used the video training for an hour a day, five days a week for more than a month. The study, released by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in 2005, used 10 stroke victims that had an average age of 57 and that had weakness on one side of their body.
The games were used to improve the victims’ range of motion, balance, mobility, stepping and walking skills. The games simulated going up and down stairs, deep-sea diving with sharks and avoiding obstacles when snowboarding. The small study reported that after the stroke victims played the virtual reality game, their ability to walk eventually improved, despite the fact that the patients had all had strokes more than a year earlier, a time frame when further recovery is unlikely.
According to the lead author of the study, Sung H. You, assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., brain imaging done before and after the experiment indicated a reorganization of brain function after the therapy.
The surprisingly positive and promising results of this study will undoubtedly continue to encourage the medical community to invest in more in therapeutic ventures in Second Life.
--By Remy Melina
(remy.melina@gmail.com)
Second Life Gives People a Second Chance
Escape to a fantasy world, where anything goes. Could this be the next best thing to happen to those who wish they could make some changes in their lives? Well, it could be possible through Second Life.
Second Life is a virtual reality program that allows people to escape the problems of the real world and experience a whole new perfect life beyond their imagination. This virtual reality world allows users to create their own physical image; therefore, anyone can look like a supermodel or professional athlete. Second Life also allows anyone to become what he or she wishes to be, like a CEO of a major company.
In Second Life, people have no inhibitions because it’s a world where anything goes, unlike the real world. There is a wide range of non-stop activities for anyone to become involved with, things from discos, carnivals, movies, pageants, school, and so much more.
Second Life has been around since 2003 and has grown tremendously to an estimated population of 4,941,322 from all over the world. It has become so popular that major businesses have invested millions of dollars into this program. On the other hand, other businesses have installed software into their systems to prevent employees from using Second Life because it will affect the productivity of their corporations.
Second Life is the next big wave in technology advancement; it has already begun to be taught at schools. Some say that this program has gone too far. But, whether it is or not, without a doubt this is affecting peoples' lives.
--By Karmin Jones
(Karmin.Jones@gmail.com)
Escape Temptation and be a kid again in Rachelville
Second Life wasn't always full of sexual content and wandering naked avatars. Some innocence still exists, if you dig deep enough to find it.
A posted bulletin at the library on Info Island allows transportation to “Rachelville,” which originally was a website.
Rachelville on Second Life is full of vibrant colors, flowers and even an anthology of children’s literature. However, the original Rachelville existed through pictures drawn by a little girl from her hospital bed as a distraction from her acute myelogenous leukemia.
Rachelville remains a memorial for Rachel Sowers of Topeka, Kansas, who is pictured on the location. She died at the age of seven on May 17, 2000, from cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
It’s not as easy to find sites like Rachelville amongst the strip clubs and erotic photo studios in Second Life; even a search of the word “children” resulted in several mature sites -- eliminated only by deselecting the “mature” option. Some other children’s locations included malls, foster homes and adoption areas. Rachel’s parents, Bill and Diana Sowers, left this advice -- “Remember that within each of us is a child like Rachel with gifts to share, stories to tell, songs to sing . . . worlds to create."
It seems as though the minds on Second Life have imagined far more than a little girl could even fathom. The gifts being shared on Second Life, for little extra money, are a different kind of “package.”
--By Maggie Biunno
(Maggie.Biunno@gmail.com)
It’s all Business in this Fantasy World
Second life, a virtual meeting spot, differentiates itself from other similar networks like MySpace and Facebook because it offers a way for the user to create a whole new persona, in a type of fantasy world. People are obviously embracing this, as Second Life currently has an estimated millions of registered users.
Businesses are seeing this as a huge communication vehicle that can help them meet many of their target audiences at once, as well as untapped ones. All varieties of advertising are used on this site.
Swedish officials recently opened up an embassy in the place user’s call "in world." Calvin Klein has launched a perfume in a world where there is no smell. Toyota created an island as a promotion for their new “Scion” where users can take the car for a virtual test drive. Before the opening of the movie “300,” Warner Brothers used Second Life as a way to endorse the flick. Director Zack Snyder said, “The opportunity to promote the film in Second Life was an interesting and innovative way to market films and talk about films."
Second Life even has its own currency in Linden dollars. Users buy and sell, by using these "Linden Dollars.” They are bought and sold online at a rate of about 300 to one American dollar. Even in a fantasy world, some real-world businessmen have made their own fortunes.
Although Second Life is a dream land, it seems as though the same rules as well as norms still apply in regard to business practices. Money steers this world as much as the real world. This space is a huge opportunity for businesses to promote their products at a low cost to a huge amount of people.
By Kara Meekins
(kmeekins28@gmail.com)
Second Life: Better than your Average Video Game?
Second Life seems to be the new video game of 2007. The site involves many of the same aspects, but yet creators have constructed this for groups of all ages with various purposes. But how does it differ from your typical video game?
Second Life allows its players to travel to different sections of the world, totally live and interactive -- with the ability to chat -and are able to see and interact with characters all over the world that have logged on to the site. The disadvantage that comes along with the ability to chat is that you must have Internet access in order to use it.
The site also offers places not completely suitable for children. Perhaps if Second Life was a little more restrictive in terms of what members were allowed to upload on the site, more members could easily enjoy it.
I, for one, would probably not be a continuing user of the game due to its high influx of “mature” sites. So is Second Life really better than your actual video game? No, I think not. Video games have game ratings. Internet based games, don’t.
--By Michelle Sobhraj
(m.sobhraj@gmail.com)
Virtual Reality in the Corporate World
Beet.tv.com captured some of public relations expert Steve Rubel's, thoughts
In a piece on Beet.tv.com on Aug. 1, 2006, Steve Rubel, a public relations and Web 2.0 expert and blogger, said Second Life has a high profile, but has a small user base.
Realistically speaking, Second Life is becoming increasingly popular with the media. Second Life, with over 360,000 avatars created, is often blown out of proportion in terms of its popularity. The service is fairly new and has not fully caught on in the public relations world. Text 100 International has become an early participant in seeking real-world commerce from Second Life.
According to Radley Moss, director of media inquiries (Radleym@text100.com ) Text 100 will work with clients to illustrate the benefits of Second Life in their businesses by facilitating virtual press conferences or new ways of demonstrating products to employees or customers. The Second Life office will also provide benefits to the Text 100 staff, such as allowing them to view training sessions within the virtual world.
--By Katelin Quest
(kquest1@gmail.com)
Lag Issues and Slow Loading Makes Me Prefer My First Life
Due to a few technical issues, my adventures into Second Life, a virtual meeting space/chat room was bizarre at best. Most of the time, upon signing in, I appeared in an area naked, as my clothing just failed to load. Given a few minutes, most of the time, my clothes would find their way back onto virtual me. Some days I was not so lucky, and I felt like a "virtual streaker" the entire time I was signed on.
That may be frowned upon had I been conducting business in the virtual space. Another issue was the "full server" error I received frequently, where I was unable to walk onto the street a few feet in front of my avatar's feet. Other people seemed to walk freely back and forth, but for some reason, I was stuck walking into an invisible wall. This looked awkward. What if I had to meet someone behind this wall?
Due to intermittent lag in my connection, which appeared on every computer and connection I tested the program on, I was unable to walk forward with any speed. I sort of jumped forward slowly, appearing inches further every second or so. My solution was to fly, which appears to be a skill given to all people in Second Life. My only issue with flying around is that I'm not some sort of superhero, and had I been conducting any sort of business, I would rather walk in like any normal person.
This product seems to have an emphasis on emulating a real-world business situation, and I feel flying may detract from that.
--By Garrett Frey
(garrett.frey@gmail.com)
Second Life: a New Outlet for Sexual Perversion and Cyber Sex?
Second Life is a remarkable website. It gives individuals the ability to lead a virtual life. As a citizen of this resident-created virtual land you have the ability to create property, sell it, buy islands and network with others.
One can express one's self through an avatar that can be morphed into an exact replica of yourself, or the total opposite. There are no restrictions; you can control the color of nail polish on your toes, to the size of your breasts. But is this taking it a step too far? Not only can you control breast size, you can flaunt them too! You have the literal option of taking your clothes off.
My first experience on this site was exhilarating, it was a whole new wave of freedom. Yet, it uncomfortable at the same time.
I was interviewing some individuals from the Netherlands, Germany and even Long Island itself. I wanted to know how people discovered this site, what were their intentions for using this site. A nice guy decided to help me out a bit and teleported me to his little house with an ocean view, a kingsize bed and some champagne for two. Is it possible to feel like you are about to be virtually attacked?
As an avid swimmer, I threw myself off his balcony and into the blue abyss, (Which he directly proceeded to follow me into). When he started trying to figure out my real name, I knew it was my cue to bounce.
As if Casanova wasn't enough for my first virtual encounter, I met another strange individual in the Time Square room. This suave German and I had some language barrier problems. But we all know the virtual language of picking somebody up. Between odd silences he started to flex his muscles for me; I left.
So what it all comes down to is: What are the website’s true intentions? And my verdict is: to each his own. If you are here with business in mind, the possibilities are endless. This virtual community can be a new segment for online polling, you can advertise businesses, network and even sell property. But, if you are here for pleasure this is a whole new level of online dating. People tend to lie about what they look like anyways, now they can create a face to put their fake name to.
--By Juliette Pariente-Cohen
(juliette.parientecohen@gmail.com)
Second Life and Sexual Subcultures
With news organizations like Reuters and USAToday interested in Second Life -- (so much so that Reuters has a reporter in the world -- one would think that this is no ordinary Internet fad. But there is also a great deal of controversy concerning the amount of sexual content in this online universe and the sexual subcultures that it harbors.
Almost anywhere I went in Second Life -- shopping malls, beaches, dance clubs, promotion companies etc., had advertisements that were filled with sexual content. It was only when I did more specific searches that I got away from the general sexual vibe.
This seems to be true for many users. "The sexual content is both pervasive and surprisingly non-extensive. On one hand, it would take like 5 minutes to find a virtual strip club. On the other hand, I've flown about SL for hours and never run into anything even remotely pornographic, and instead found tons of really creative things, said Oliver Blankes (his Second Life name), a SL user.
Iris Ophelia, another SL life user agrees "Second Life only seems like sex and perversion if you give it a passing glance, just like the Internet. If you take the time to understand it, that side is a lot less visible." Still it is present and strong.
One of the most interesting and misunderstood of these sexual groups/fetishes that I ran into is that of the furry fandom. Wikipedia defines the furry fandom as "a subculture distinguished by its enjoyment of anthropomorphic animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphism in the furry fandom include the attribution of human intelligence and facial expressions, speech, bipedalism or walking on two legs, and the wearing of clothes. Members of this subculture are sometimes known as furry fans, furries, or simply furs."
In Second Life a user has the option to be a human or to walk around in different skins, that of animals, dragons etc. If one chooses to be an anthropomorphic animal, they are considered a furry.
Some of the most exclusive areas of sexual activity seem to be that of the furry fandom. There are tons of clubs, beaches, and other places that are specifically for furries only.
While many of these places seem to be the most scandalous and questionable to people, they can be the most open and understanding.
Take for example Rainbow Tiger Island; in fact the rules state that all "open and respectful beings" are welcome:
"This Club is open to all whether you are gay, bi, straight, furry, human, purple, green, your head backwards or, dead. Anyone is welcome here and everyone should respect that. We do all that we can to avoid discrimination. If you feel discriminated against for any reason -- please contact a staff member as soon as possible so we can help you. This club is intended as a safe and sane place for everyone to enjoy good music, dance, shop and socialize."
The staffs on the island are extremely nice and helpful, and it was a pleasant place to hang out for a while. No inappropriate sexual content or actions were thrown my way, something I can't say for places as simple as a regularly listed "beach."
So the worry over sexual content and the furry subculture seems to be only as big as the user allows it to be. "I have spent lots of time on SL. Ran into like one furry ever," said Blankes. "I think it's part of the way SL works."
--By Audra Kincaid
(audra.kincaid@gmail.com)
F-f-f-f-f-frightening?
Second Life is a chance to live in another world and explore other realms of possibilities. Second Life is scary. As a journalist exploring Second Life I realized that most of the people who I talked to, were only interested in one thing . . . meeting me in real life. This is the aspect of Second Life that I found surprising because I figured that if you join a virtual world and can become part of that community, you wouldn't want to meet someone outside of this stratosphere.
However, I realized that just as with everyday chat rooms, some people join second life as a form of online dating. I talked to two men, Harry Bronco, and Thomas Shandy, (their Second Life names). Both were only interested in meeting offline. So I worry about the privacy settings that Second Life offers because it seems that even in a virtual world, these people want to the real thing.
--By Dreux Dougall
(dreux.dougall@gmail.com)
