- How is Second Life a disruptive technology?
Second Life, or virtual worlds, is a space where individuals can create his/her own world and can interact and communicate. This technology provides individuals the chance to vacate the world in which we live. In my mind, technology is meant to assist us with making our lives easier, however, it is not meant to consume us.
- What technology or innovation did it displace?
The avatar that an individual creates becomes him/her and in essence replaces the individual being. One may say that we are not a technology and we are not an innovation, but I disagree. Our mind is the innovation and yes, the avatar that has been created is only an extension of the person, but it is not us. The avatar is what we want to look like or be.
- How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?
I believe virtual worlds have a lifespan that will be available after my life has expired. Many individuals look for an escape from reality and it is in this world that a person can make him/herself anything they wish to be.
- What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry?
To be fair to those individuals that are users of Second Life, this form of communication does allow a person to present a version of him/her that is more comfortable. For example, take an individual that has been involved in a devastating accident which has caused a change in appearance. This individual may no longer be comfortable going out in public, however, when socializing in a virtual world s/he may be more comfortable.
Conclusion:
Overall, there are positive aspects of using virtual worlds to assist in the education process. For example, in my current Multimedia course, I have been introduced to www.xtranormal.com. This site has allowed me to create presentations using an avatar. It is exciting to be able to present material to students through animation; however, I do not believe it is a replacement for individual instruction.
To View more in Second Life, please select the following link below:
Philip Rosedale on Second Life | Video on TED.com
Do you think it could be possible for a person to get too caught up in a virtual world? You mentioned a person involved in a devastating accident. Do you think it's healthy for a person to live in this make-believe world?
ReplyDeleteI think that our society does have individuals that have had some traumatic experience in life that keep them from wanting to interact within society. Virtual worlds provide an additional method of escape from having to deal with everyday issues and problems.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as a society I think we have addictive personalities. For example, when Twitter first became popular companies were having an issue with keeping some employees focused on their jobs. I think that Twitter has moved beyond this initial stage of addiction and has become a useful tool.
After reading another of our colleagues posts, I think there could be some useful processes for Second Life once it surpasses the addictive stages that we seem to experience as a society.
What are your thoughts?
I dread the possibility of our traditional educational system being replaced by a virtual one. Some things just shouldn't be replaced. I believe the virtual world will be around for many more years too. Hopefully, more research will be conducted and made available on the positive and negative effects of technologies such as Second Life.
ReplyDelete