Assignment 9:Michael Triche

As mentioned in the reading and by Professor McLoed, Second Life emulates pieces of the real world but allows users to be whatever they want to be at that moment. This could be a bug as she mentioned or someone dressed as one of the characters in the Matrix. Second Life allows users to have a sense of presence or "Place". By putting themselves in the virtual world as whoever they want to be at that moment they feel as if they are actually there and able to be their real selves that they have to sometimes restrain from being in the real world.

Some benefits that McCloed stated and that were stated in the book included enhancing various abilities or confidences that go from online to offline. This can include being more assertive, out-spoken, or friendlier. Other benefits were allowing people to get out of their own element and into a world where they were virtually free and could build their own physical structures. Other benefits as she mentioned for those who were employees at Linden labs were being like deities who were worshiped when entering Second Life. Other benefits were that if you wanted to get out of a situation it was pretty easy, either you could pretend to be experiencing lag or you could say someone was requesting you to teleport to their location. in real world this is not possible since you are physically there and can not just disappear. Other benefits as explained by Professor McLoed and as seen in the book is the support for newbies where other avatars are eager to help newbies develop where as in the real world most people are all for themselves.

Some of the drawbacks are the face to face cues that humans give off in real life. Second Life tries to allow some cues that you could make such as body movements but do not pick up all of the personal cues that can be given off especially during deception. The difference between the cues decrease when voice is involved but eye contact and things of that nature can not be recorded through Second Life. It is also harder to do a group activity. Although it may be easier to make something such as a chair, it is hard to get everyone into the same place and interacting together. There could be lag which as seen in the end of class, lead to long waits for some avatars to develop their characteristics and perform tasks such as creating a chair. Collaborating takes more time to be positioned and to create works together. For example it takes longer to write on the walls of a Second Life house than to write on white board.