Are you addicted to SL? - Lacy Muircastle reporting...

Image from New World Notes

The other day I was happily profile perving, you know as one does...  I mean how else am I going to weed out interesting tid bits to pass on?

Anyway apologies to the avatar whose profile I stole this from, I omitted to make a note of his name.

It went as follows:

You know you're addicted to SL when:

#10.Checking out at a Grocery store You sign your Avatar's name instead of your own

# 9. You tell your Mom you will TP Over In 5 mins.

# 8. When a friend asks you for directions, you offer to give him a landmark or a TP.

# 7. You jump up into the air, thinking you can fly.

# 6. When someone asks to borrow your notes in class, you tell them they are no-transfer.

# 5. When you walk, and say to yourself, "/ao on"

# 4. You start using the words "Rez"and "Prim"...

# 3. You keep trying to right click things...

# 2. When you look in the mirror and think, "I need to adjust my appearance".

#1.  When you are in getting intimate with someone, you look for pose balls and ask your partner why the menu isn't there?

This is just a bit of fun but it got me thinking, is SL addictive?  In my opinion it is.  

The definition of addiction is:

addiction

noun

the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.

"he committed the offence to finance his drug addiction"

synonyms:

dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation,enslavement;

Think back to when you first joined Second Life.  The learning curve was immense and getting your head around moving, changing your avatar’s appearance and generally acclimatising to the wonderful world of SL was simply mind blowing.  It may have been a challenge, but hey you were up for said challenge weren’t you?  The lure of the mystical virtual world was compelling, you couldn’t wait to log on.  Am I wrong?

You began to find yourself doing stupid things like taking your laptop to bed with you and putting it in the laundry basket in the bathroom?  Right?  What were you going to do? Log on while pretending to be on the loo?  And to what end?  It’s not like it wasn’t going to be there the next day.

What exactly was it that you were addicted to?  The opportunity to connect with people?  Playing Barbie Dolls for big girls and Action Man for big boys? Was it the fear of missing out?  Or was it because you were now the cool popular girl or guy in your circle of friends? Think back to when you were a teenager: how important was it for you to be cool?

The word cool originated back in the 1920’s in jazz clubs where if you were cool, it meant you were someone who knew how to strut your stuff via dancing, the clothes you wore, and the way you talked. It was an acknowledgement that the way you expressed yourself was unique and respected by others. It’s very similar to when a peacock struts its feathers to show off.

In today’s day and age, to be cool or popular is a bit different from how it originally started. Because everyone wants to be cool it’s now more about social acceptance via standing out. There’s still a slight component of being different and unique but because everyone is trying to be different and unique it’s now a form of conformity.

Okay so maybe it’s not being cool that you’re addicted to.  Is it the fact that Second Life allows you to try things you would never do in real life?  You can fly, express you creativity in a myriad of ways, start your own business, you name it, you can do it.

Does it offer sexual freedom?  Does Fifty Shades of Grey tickle your fancy, but it’s never going to happen in RL?  Does SL offer you a safe environment to be as promiscuous as you like in the safety of the anonymity it offers?  Is your real life missing something?  Or do you just want to be beautiful?

At some point you begin asking yourself what are you doing in SL and for most the addiction does wane.  Eventually… And gets replaced with disillusion.  And why disillusion?  That’s easy to answer, residents of SL are operated by RL humans and therefore are inclined to perpetuate the negative traits of said humans due to the aforementioned anonymity.  That’s not to say that the positive traits aren’t in play as well.  Because they are, especially when it comes to raising funds for charity.

It’s difficult to sustain a productive real life whilst fully immersing yourself in your virtual life.  Moderation is required as with most things in life.  Second Life can and does facilitate personal growth.  You just have to learn how to embrace it without letting it consume you.

Join the conversation and let me know why you were or are addicted to Second Life.

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Social Isolation and Second Life – Camury Reporting

Like other computer games, Second Life is a technological tool that has a great popular appeal with entertainment,  participating in educational activities and it is actually helpful in getting people to interact with each others.

Second Life allow thousands of users to coexist while taking part in a social activities  in a virtual space. People from different parts of the world enjoy SL through their own avatar's eyes. The virtual environment allows any kind of interactions between people who are unlikely or unable to do it in real life, in any form such as competition, cooperation or collaboration.

People communicate and establish social contacts and create relationship networks which end up in certain social behaviors.

There are many studies demonstrating that an excessive use of online games lead to  psychological problems. People with psycho-pathological disorders, depression, social anxiety and  chemical substances addictions are more likely to keep improper and abusive behavior in online interactions by forgetting their own real life and isolating themselves socially.

Social isolation is a devastating condition of the human psyche, since the human being is a social being. In some cases, when not caring enough, social isolation can cause illness or even death, because the individual cannot take care of himself . Some people who are socially isolated, are also unable to leave their homes to buy groceries or carrying out a paid activity which guarantees a solid subsistence.

It is a phenomenon often observed among older people with physical problems or low mobility.  But it can also be observed in populations of large cities with other age ranges and social groups. However, there are people who believe that online interactions can help those who are socially isolated and feel that social engagement offered by an online environment can encourage people to make small social contacts in their real lives. 

The question is: Does online social networking gives us the same support and happiness as an offline relationship? Personally, I think not, but virtual communication and online interactions that Second life makes possible, can indeed make some people happier as well as encourage them in their social relationships in real life.

Some people have difficulties when it comes to starting social relationships, they may prefer interactions on their computer instead of a face to face communication.  Anonymity and the absence of non-verbal communication makes contact seem less threatening. Plus, online interactions can be useful as an experience, helping some people feel more confident and secure in their future social relationships in real life.

My own conclusion is that people who keep an offline active social life are less likely to feel lonely, even if they are "addicted" to the Internet. It’s all about how we use the internet.

There is a need to maintain a balance between our real life and the imaginary world to which we dive in every time we log in Second Life. SL is a virtual world with endless possibilities. Not just for social entertainment but also for business.

 Does social engagement offered by an online environment help those who might be socially isolated or does SL make it worse?  Please leave a comment below.

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