Virtual Environment “Second Life” Essay

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Definition and origin

Rosedale (2007), defines Second life as “A means of communication where people interact in a computer simulated environment in three dimensional spaces.” The three dimensional space ranges from environments that are imaginary to environments close to real life scenes. Some of the homes that have been developed include providers like CISCO and Pontiac. In Second Life, people are represented as avatars that they themselves create. These avatars also range from objects that are virtually created to others that are nearly real. The development of second life borrows a lot from inventions in computer video games and online playing games. According to Wagner (2007), “Second life was developed by Linden lab and was first launched in mid 2003. Interactions that take place in form of avatars include the users who are referred to as the residents and programmed objects developed by the client referred to as the viewers.” Second life is characterized with use of Linden language and Linden currency which facilitate interaction of subjects in their environment. Terms and conditions section gives rights to users to protect their innovations in simple digital format.

Developments that led to Second Life

The most important factor that led to development of Second Life is the formation of Linden Lab by Rosedale in 1999 with a purpose of making computer software that would allow people manage an imaginary world. Initially, they managed to make ‘The Rig’ for commercial purposes which had characters carrying computer monitors on their shoulders. The project was developed further to a software application that enabled people play games and interact online in a three dimensional environment. It is as a result of these developments that Second Life was created in which the user is centered compared to the other applications. According to Rosedale, his vision to create an online virtual environment is backdated to the early years of his University education at University of California, San Diego.

Effects of Second Life

According to some researchers, most people acquire behaviors that they get as a result of online interactions. Some develop a sense of insecurity or confidence depending on the nature of interactions with the avatars. People are likely to behave in a manner to reflect the experiences they got from the interactions in the Second Life. According to Bailenson, “(90 seconds spent chatting with avatars online is enough to elicit behavioral changes in the real world.” From the arguments above, participating in activities in second life greatly impacts an individuals’ life because it makes them feel slightly different from a real life situation. Some people display characteristics of being confident, being handsome or beautiful and even free in real life as a result of free interactions with avatars. There are mixed reactions in the manner in which this affects an individuals’ character with some viewing it as an opportunity to shape behavior positively while some think it impacts negatively to behavior.

Ethical Issues

There are several ethical issues that have arisen as a result of use of Second life. Most of these ethical issues are emerging as a result of users acquiring behaviors that result from interactions with the virtual world. When engaging in virtual activities, there is no fear of consequences as a result participating in illegal activities such as spamming and acquiring multiple identities. As a result, ethical issues are arising because people are engaging in these activities in real life. According to Wagner (2007) other ethical issues that continue being violated are, “Invasion of privacy, professional ethics and privacy and further engagement in activities such as unauthorized use of computer information.”

References

Rosedale, P. (2007). “Philip Rosedale Answers Your Second Life Questions”. The New York Times.

Wagner, J. (2007). The Making of Second Life, New York, NY: Collins.

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