Second Life definitely has a lot to offer as a collaborative tool. Boellstorff discusses the importance of vision, place and landscape to people. Whereas lot of CMC tools sacrifice many aspects of these elements, Second Life does a really good job of preserving them online. In addition Second Life adds a lot more dimension to online communication. Avatars can make gestures and movements and they can signify how comfortable they are with a person by how close they walk up to them. These aspects allow for a lot richer communication than many other media. Boellstorff also mentions how Second Life also allows different types of socializing like building.
I also think Second Life would be especially effective in helping connect people that may not be so easily connected in the real world. For instance, an attractive avatar could help a less confident person feel more comfortable and encourage him to socialize more. Professor McLeod also discussed a woman who would don avatars that related to people she was interviewing (such as a fairy or an animal when applicable). This kind of assimilation could allow people to find common ground easier and connect more effectively. The reading also discusses how people can create a refuge with Second Life and possibly use it to escape from real world stresses. Second life even preserves privacy to an extent by allowing avatars to appear afk, and set busy or away statuses.
However, it is by no means a utopia. I think one major problem with it is that it puts new users (or noobs) at a huge disadvantage. Professor McLeod discussed the existence of a very severe social hierarchy. Lindens get priority over everyone else, and noobs are stuck with less attractive avatars. Boellstorff also discusses how people can even be homeless and how wealth is still clearly a social factor. Therefore, I think Second Life would be a lot less effective in helping people connect when they come from different levels of virtual life expertise since new users are so disadvantaged. I also think that grounding and communication could be somewhat difficult because of the lag issue.
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Great post. I think its incredibly interesting how Second Life can function both as a tool to connect one another, as well as create its own social gaps. My guess is that there are many users in SL who experience a direct role reversal from Real Life, rather than at the top of the social scene they may find themselves solidly in the "Noob" group of SL.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a lot of good points about the positive aspects of Second Life. I agree that it does have a lot to offer as a collaborative tool, such as gestures and building. This can make grounding a lot easier. However, the problem that you mention, and that I have seen a lot of other students mention, is one involving the disadvantage of new users. I am "noob" and I have a hard time learning how to use the software. It actually makes me more shy and unwilling to talk to other avatars in Second Life because I'm afraid they may ask me about something I know nothing about. I think this can hurt grounding and social activities within Second Life.
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