Second life a type of social networking

2009-09-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Second life is basically a type of social networking where one can be whoever they want in this world. Second life is supposedly a game containing an immense number of players. People are using this game for much more then entertainment. Second life allows people to express themselves with out being judged. An example of this would be about the nine adults suffering from cerebral palsy and who has a forum where the can interact with one another through Second life. These nine adults share an avatar in Second life which allows them to be around others. In the real world many would probably have a hard time understanding these people suffering from this disease according to Marie Mahay who works with them. All Mahay has to do is type out what they say in order for them to socialize. As a result these people are easily understood by live2give which is the small island they occupy their time in. Second life however has both its ups and downs. These people do not socialize normally. In the videos about “Growing Up Online” Sara a sixteen year old girl states how she can be the real her online and she knows that’s she wouldn’t be judged. Sara loves the fact that she is able to express herself through the Internet with people who can understand her. However Sara suffers from an eating disorder called anorexia which no one knows about. This teenager is fully expressing herself through social networking by going on anorexic forums, and as a result she is hurting herself b y keeping her secret from her family. Through these forums she learns things about eating less or ways or purging. She realizes however that she is suffering from something. Like the nine people who suffer from cerebral palsy Sara escapes into a world where she can be herself without being judged but she is harming herself by not seeking help from her love ones but instead interacting with others like herself.
Second life can become a big headache when it comes to feuds. An example of this would be when a member of this social networking world uncovers that another member has a nude picture facing her in-world property. As a result she asks him to remove the picture and she also takes the action of asking Linden Lab for assistance who would be the game’s developer. However the company had no resolution of dealing with this issue so at a State of Play conference in New York there were debating on resolutions on how to resolve issues between players. In the end there really was no developing solution into solving issues since they realize everyone’s needs wouldn’t be met. Cyber bullying is an example of issues that can take place online through socializing with others. A middle school student named Ryan Halligan who was just 12 years old had committed suicide as result of cyber bullying. This was all caused by others taunting of being gay on the internet. Along with this taunting he was experiencing with his peers he was interacting with someone who was encouraging him to kill himself. Basically when interacting with others online through social networking one can be harmed mildly or severely.
Second life has many ups and an example of this would be the fact that professors are allowing their students use this online environment to communicate with others in a more fun way. Students can change their body types and build fantastical structures in this world. Also this life allows its members to start in-world businesses by selling things. Senator Barack Obama used social networking to his own advantage with his online site www.my.obama.com which is also known as MyBo. MyBo allowed the Obama team to receive many donations by volunteers and supporters. Also the Obama team provided texting on his site so his volunteers can be updated with what was going in the types of speeches and what he basically stood for. The online site became a media operation as a result. The social networking tools that was provided on the MyBo site benefitted its supporters.

Spersaud

Second life a type of social networking