Is Second Life the New First Life??

Since joining, I have become an influential artist equipped with a band  of adoring followers, have grown two inches, picked up the ability to fly, and  have increased my bust size by two whole cup sizes- all in the matter of two weeks! No, this is not a testimonial for some steps-to-success course. My newly acquired likable qualities were not gained from a 12 -step program, but rather,  my "virtual" persona attained the above from an Internet program, known to cyber goers as Second Life (SL).  Second Life is self-defined as "a 3-D world created by its Residents and strives to bridge cultures and welcomes diversity in the belief of free expression, compassion, and tolerance as the foundation for community in this world". A person creates his or her own avatar and interacts with other avatars in a simulated society filled with career centers, shopping malls, clubs, restaurants and so much more. The fantastical attributes available practically allow anything to go in this computer-generated alternate world. In the first part of this analysis, I will discuss the medium through which this game is available, followed by the audience in which this game is intended for. 

The Internet provides an attractive medium for Second Life. The computer screen acts as defense to  shield the user from the rest of cyberspace, allowing for anonymous interaction among avatars. In turn, avatar creators feel that they are free to form a new identity, often an idealized identity; what they are not happy with in their real lives will be perfected on his or her avatar. In line with the constructed identity theory, SL proves that identity is malleable through features such as changing the wardrobe or hair color of the avatar. When you first create your avatar, and box pops up that says "don't worry, you can change your avatar later if you want to". It is a place where one can be whomever or whatever he or she wants to be, without any one ever knowing their "real" identity. This lack of inhibition gives way to the game's colorful array of avatars and what actions the avatars carry out, from free sex parties and fetishes to taking the form of a flying lion. In addition to the comforting vail of mystery that the computer screen provides, the unique and liberated identities can be attributed to the fewer ideologies(accepted, and collective ideas concerning social norms) that exist in the game. Since the founders pride themselves' on the game's "free expression and tolerance", the avatars do not feel such sever social pressures to adhere to an accepted ideology as one does in the world outside of the virtual realm.

 However, this is not to say that ideology does not exist in the game. When Kara pointed out that one could manipulate his or her desired skin color but not his or her gender, I found this very intriguing. Gender is culturally constructed as are ideologies, thus, despite the lack of ideology in SL, the dichotomy of male/female is strong enough to prevail in both virtual and real life. Although only the two genders are recognized, according to Brown University Professor Anne Fausto-Sterling, there are five genders that should be observed: 1) Male, 2) female, 3) true hermaphrodites, 4) male pseudohermaphrodite, and 5) female pseudohermaphrodite. I am curious if SL would add a  more extensive gender feature if we, as a culture, accepted the ideology of 5 genders. Other ideologies concerning crime and violence carry over into Second Life. The game allows one to obtain a weapon, for example a gun, however, the program does not provide an option to shoot the gun. Thus, Second Life has avoided the need for virtual jails and policeman. 

Furthermore on the medium, the opening web page for SL is very inviting. You are met with two attractive avatars that entice you to enter their virtual domain. The "Get Started" button is the brightest box on the page, very similar in color to the "publish post" box on this blogger.com medium. Just in case you are still not quite convinced to enter, the "membership is FREE" phrase just below "get started" erases your last glimpse of hesitation and curiosity calls you to click that button. Once I was in this unfamiliar territory, I started my exploration by reading about this "community" in which the creators have marketed ever so intensely. I found it very interesting that every time the word resident was used (a copious amount) it was capitalized. In the real world, this word is not capitalized, but in Second Life, the extra emphasis on resident indicates the importance of the user and empowers the gamer. Also the word itself, resident, is tactful. It has a connotation of being at home and a sense of ownership. The creators of SL want the users to feel at ease and at home in the virtual game. Another interesting aspect of Second Life, as noted by my group member Nikki, is its slogan that appears in a banner across the top of the page, "Your World. Your Imagination". This slogan sums up the purpose and attraction of Second Life perfectly. The use of "your" gives the user a sense of control and power that is often not felt in the real world. The word "world" indicates large parameters, reflecting globalization as this game is available in almost every country around the world. When the two words are paired together, the parameters have narrowed to the point that the gamer has the ability to manipulate and create things that will be present in this "world". The doublet of words also reflects the the user's capability to "fly" across the world to "virtual Italy" and connect with people all over the globe, placing all opportunities in the user's vicinity. "Your Imagination" gives the gamer the idea that he or she can have anything he or she desires. Something that one imagines one's self doing in the real world, one can actually do in Second Life.

The projected audience for Second Life directly affects the medium through which they play through because they are constantly modifying it by constructing building and opening businesses, etc. After watching MTV's TrueLife: "I live Another Life on the Web" and from conducting interviews with residents in Second Life, it is evident that the typical user of SL is someone who is not satisfied with his or her real life and is looking for an escape. Second Life is the perfect place for this person to go in order to be one's idealized self and have a sense of control. One girl on the documentary confessed that"no one knows that I exists, except for people in Second Life". In SL, Amy is a famous rock star and performs in many concerts, yet in real life she has a paralyzing fear of performing. There seemed to be a collective belief amongst Amy and all of the correspondents that my group and I interviewed, "Second Life allows you to truly be yourself, or even better". Interviewees confessed to logging in to SL for hours and hours each day and that it often consumes them. Many have admitted to preferring their SL lives over their real lives and have ultimately started considering their SL relationships and lifestyles as "real life". I think everyone can see the charm in being able to become anyone you desire to be.

Not only does the medium for Second Life share a few ideologies that coincide with the real world, but so does the audience (residents) of the game. There is a currency in SL referred to as the Linden dollar which allows an avatar to purchase clothing, rent a house, buy home decor, basically everything that one buys in the real world. This notion indicates that people, even in this "accepting world", feel it is important to purchase new ensembles and own a car in order to improve his or her status. Most emphasized among avatars, I believe, is the ideology concerning appearance. Not so much in the sense of what is considered "pretty" like in the real world, but more in the sense of personalizing one's self to be unique. When one of my group members first entered SL, an avatar was quick to inform her that she can change her clothes from the default ones that she was wearing. 

With all of this freedom that Second Life provides, it is only certain that someone will eventually abuse the power and take it too far. German news has reported that the German police have been doing an investigation of child pornography being displayed in SL. According to the news reports, a police investigator joined Second Life and paid a small fee (interesting, I wonder if this was in Lindens or German francs or US dollars?) to attend a meeting in SL where both virtual and real(real images and other media can be streamed into SL) child pornography was displayed and traded. In the US there is no punishment for virtual child porn but in Germany its punishable by 3-5 years in prison. To even further the disgust factor, there have also been reports about "age play" groups that revolve around the virtual abuse of children. It is very disturbing to know this is occurring in Second Life, a game that seems innocent enough in the attempts to play out one's fantasy like becoming a rock star or a supermodel. 

People who join Second Life come from many different backgrounds and from all across the world, but there seems to be this common goal between all of the members: the quest to obtain the "idealized you". The appeal of the game comes from the ability to fulfill one's fantasies  and in a real world full of chaos and social pressures to meet certain ideologies, the sense of power and control that Second Life provides its users is addicting and euphoric. When looking closely at the set up of the website, it is obvious that the medium is reinforcing these attractive features through their usage of words and capitalization to make each and every resident feel special ("Your World", "Resident"). In turn, the audience is reinforcing the medium by expanding SL by creating anything he or she wishes. The audience of Second Life is not only supporting the medium, like someone watching a movie, but ultimately, the users of the game are creating it's medium. It is gratifying for a SLifer to see other avatars eating in the restaurant that she created, or avatars renting apartments from a complex that he designed, just as it would be congenial in the real world. With on-line games like Second Life, it is easy to see how the line between the virtual world and the real world can be severely blurred, and increasingly overlapping.