Final Reflections

 

     I came across an article today on CNN.com that presented new research about how emotions are spread in social networks. The research concludes that a "chain reaction" of sorts can spread happiness "among people up to three degrees removed from one another." Now that social networks are permeating more aspects of our lives, it is fitting that this research is being done to figure out how these networks operate.

     When I first logged in to Second Life, I was very hesitant to believe that virtual worlds were the way of the future. I've taken away from this class, however, a greater appreciation of how the development of technology is redefining how humans communicate. This has far reaching effects, ranging from how romance seekers will find a companion to how business will be conducted in the 21st century. Now that I have been exposed to these technological developments, I will be more open and better prepared to adjust when new mediums of communication are introduced in the future.

 

My contribution to Group 2's Build It! project.

 

Final Research Project: 

Love in Second Life

 

 

December

Introduction to Final Project

 

I was unaware of the prevalence of dating and romance in virtual worlds before starting my own Second Life. I knew matchmaking websites were extremely popular, but I speculated that virtual relationships catered to a crowd that was more comfortable communicating predominantly online rather than in person. After seeing how avatars operated in social environments, I wanted to know how and why virtual romances worked. The limited means communication avatars have access to, such as instant messaging and voice chatting, seemed too superficial to stimulate authentic feelings of love and attachment. I found out, however, that people really do fall in “love” with other avatars through the faculties of their own imagination.

 

My project will focus on the paradoxical nature of virtual, romantic relationships and will explain how they are easier to start and maintain than real life romances. I will first discuss how the Internet stimulates both emotions and the imagination. The paper will explain how a sense of attachment is derived despite the physical detachment and ultimate anonymity of the relationship. It will also include how online relationships allow for fantasy, intimacy, introspection, and which creates self-confidence and a sense of self-worth for people who may not otherwise hold such perceptions. In doing so, I will explore the types of people seek virtual romance and figure out, in-depth, why they do so. I have to further research this aspect but I believe these people use programs like Second Life as a social alternative to the real life dating scene and an outlet from their stressful first lives.

 

Working Works Cited

 

Ed. Barak, Azy. Psychological Aspects of Cyberspace: theory, research, applications. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

 

Aharon, Ben-Ze’ev. Love Online Emotions on the Internet. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

 

Meadows, Mark Stephens. I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life. Berkley: New Riders, 2008.

 

Rosen, Larry D. Me, MySpace, and I: parenting the net generation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

 

Gwinnell, Esther. Online Seductions: falling in love with strangers on the Internet. New York: Kodansha America, 1998.

 

Machalinski, Anne, Aili McConnon, Christie Nicholson. “The Digital Lover: Dating and Mating in Second Life.“ The Science of Sex. 1-4.

 

Barnes, Susan B. Online Connections: Internet interpersonal relationships. Cresskill: Hampton Press, 2001.

 

White, Brian A. Second Life: a guide to your online world. Indianapolis: Que Publishing, 2008.

 

November 19

 

I enjoyed reading Meadows’ insights in to how money changes the dynamics of Second Life. I agree with him that the exchange of currency provides incentives to build and create which enriches the program, but it also got me thinking about how it comes at the expense of the utopian ideal that I want out of virtual worlds. He acknowledges that status, measured by money, ownership, and experience, plays a role. If status were inconsequential, personal interests and inter-avatar communication would drive progress. At the same time, I believe virtual worlds would be less popular if money had no place. The majority of people who use Second Life are not looking for an equal playing field. They would prefer a world in which they could invest their time and effort to yield success that surpasses that of their first life.

 

Meadows sentence, “These systems will learn how to mimic the way avatars operate,” caught my attention. He acknowledges that we are on the eve of realizing that societal-crumbling, science fiction theme we’ve all seen before; the indistinguishability of robots from humans. If I were a deeply involved resident of Second Life, I would be very uncomfortable with this notion. I think it would serve to isolate avatars because they would be weary of inauthentic emotional ties with other avatars. It would hurt business and would compromise the companionship residents feel in Second Life.

 

My only thought on Meadows chapter “The Children of the Strange Migration” is that the difficulties posed by traffic jams will be avoided, paradoxically, as virtual worlds become more mainstream. Different, more specialized servers will create various programs and worlds that will host residents.

 

November 13

Wikipedia Smack Down (updated)

 

The fact that my addition to the J.R. Moehringer entry has not been altered or deleted is just as much a testament to the obscurity of the article as it is to the accuracy of my update. If an editor truly wanted to clean this article up, he or she would delete the sentence that precedes my addition. It reads: "It (the memoir) entails his childhood through his early twenties." This information is implied in the phrasing of my additional sentence. Key phrases, such as "coming of age experiences" and "sanctuary from his chaotic family life," are more descriptive ways to offer the same information. The only time I could see my addition being altered is if Moehringer grows in popularity and his Wikipedia entry becomes more comprehensive and detailed.

 

November 5

 

 

I'd call these two pictures here the proverbial tip of the iceberg. I've found that Second Life can get pretty nasty. A lot of money exchanges hands in Second Life for sexual favors, objects, shows, etc. The creepiest parts about these adult islands are the public nature of them and the floating "action" orbs that, when clicked on, animate sexual activity. I think that by walking around and observing these places, I'll be better prepared to do my research. The shock of it all won't divert my attention when I read about it in books and articles.

 

 

November 1

 

Race and Gender Switch Project

 

October 29

 

Final Project Idea: Second Life romantic relationships.  I noticed how much time and money residents of Second Life spent on the appearance of their avatars, as well as the disproportionate number of attractive avatars relative to real world people. I was also surprised to see how much flirting and dating was going on in Second Life. The social scenes at bars and clubs seemed reasonable, but the prevelance of sexual material seemed to be taken too far. I first need to suspend my belief that I think virtual romances (to the extent of having a sexual partner) is weird and unhealthy before I research this topic.

                      

Sources:

 

1) Ed. Barak, Azy. Psychological Aspects of Cyberspace: theory, research, applications. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

 

Barak researches the social dynamics and emerging trends of cyberspace, including the elements of sexual content and romance.

 

 

2) Aharon, Ben-Ze’ev. Love Online: emotions on the Internet. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

 

This author examines in depth the paradoxical nature of online relationships in regards to intimacy, attachment, distance etc. He also offers insight in to the future of online, romantic relationships.

 

 

3) Meadows, Mark Stephens. I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life. Berkley: New Riders, 2008.

 

Meadows recounts his Second Life experiences in regards to the cultural phenomena he observes in Second Life. He writes about his emotional responses to avatars and Second Life objects.

 

 

4) Rosen, Larry D. Me, MySpace, and I: parenting the net generation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

 

Although this book is a “parent’s guide” to monitoring children’s online activity, it provides general information about the role of social networking in modern society.

 

October 27

 

I agree with Tan that Second Life can be boring at times because it lacks an over-arching story, path, and conclusion. It doesn’t hold my attention like Madden ’09 or Call of Duty do because it lacks a competitive nature. Even experienced and traveled residents of Second Life never win or lose, per se. Also, the gratification is more immediate when I beat my roommate in Madden than when I , for example, make Linden dollars or meet new avatars. I think there is a generational gap when it comes to gaming. Young adults play video games to hang out and have some competitive fun, whereas older generations are more interested in open-ended games through which they can network and explore.

 

October 22

 

In-World Interview with Tesa Sandello

In-World Interview with Christopher Kiama

 

October 21

 

A source used by Baron:

 

Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. 1979. The Printing Press as an Agent of Change. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

 

     Elizabeth L. Einstein’s The Printing Press as an Agent of Change analyzes how the invention of the printing press revolutionized learning and laid the foundation for social change. She argues that the accessibility of scholarship paved the way for social change such as the Reformation and Copernican Revolution. 

     Baron uses Einstein’s book on the printing press to provide another example of how new technologies remain exclusive until the mass production and general acceptance of the technology is achieved.

 

October 16

 

Baron's major claim:  The introduction of new forms of writing go through four stages of development.

 

Seemingly unrelated examples:

 

A) "The New York Times will download the Sunday crossword, time me as I fill in the answers from my keyboard, even score my results. They’ll worry later about how to get me to pay for this service."

 

The paragraph this sentence can be found in is about how computers have been "touted [as] the gateway to literacy" and how politicians seek to utilize computer technology. Baron drops this example at the end of the paragraph to show how text has been advantageously digitized. His reference to The New York Times suggests that a profit motive is pushing the digitization of writing. This does not jive with the flow of the paragraph because the preceding sentences are about politicians who want to utilize computers to eradicate illiteracy. Baron, however, makes this example work when he explains how people envision future uses for computers. He references The New York Times again later to illustrate how things, such as an electronic version of The NY Times, are enhanced by computers through the presentation and accessibility of text in various fonts, colors, formats, etc.

 

B) "American pencils, though cheaper than imports, remained inferior."

 

The inclusion of this information appeared to be superfluous on Baron's part. The main idea is that the spread of pencils and other forms of writing is hindered by popular reluctance and inaccessibility. The relative pricing of pencils, though relevant, is not a fundamental part of his claim. Baron later makes use of this sentence when he draws parallels to the spread of computers with respect to their affordability.

  

  

Wikipedia Smack Down

 

The Wikipedia entry on author J.R. Moehringer was in the works when I first came across it. The synopsis for his 2005 memoir The Tender Bar read as follows: "It entails his childhood through his early twenties." This statement offers no valuable insight in to the content of the book. I knew I could expand on this statement solely from having read the book , but I found an academic source to substantiate my explanation. I read an article from the American Journal of Community Psychology that discusses Moehringer's memoir.

 

I supplemented the Wikipedia entry with this information: "Moehringer's memoir recounts his coming of age experiences at the local bar, Dickens, which served as a sanctuary from his chaotic family life."

 

October 2

 

Marketing Analysis Project

 

October 1

 

"Donnatello groovin' at the spork party." The large spork next to the guitarist is mine.

 

Chris and I met up at the spork party at the Burning Life festival. Donnatello is pictured here on stage with a spork-rock band that played music while other spork enthusiasts danced around the gazebo. It was a strange sight to see avatars dancing with a spork in hand (the sporks were often bigger than the avatars holding them). This was the most uncomfortable I have been in Second Life. I was witnessed a cult-like worshiping of such an unspectacular object. Anyhow, I approached an avatar and asked if she could spare me a spork. She gladly copied the spork from her inventory and before I knew it, I was apart of probably the greatest virtual spork celebration in the history sporks.

 

September 30

 

"Donnatello experiences Burning Life"

 

Today I visited SL's Burning Life. The island is covered with artwork in many forms. Everything, from the fountains to the 3D MetApheM exhibit, has artistic elements to it. Many of the builders lingered around and were very friendly. An avatar named Talbear Platypus and I had an interesting conversation. I told him that Philip Rosedale was currently giving a talk at this time. He told me that he had no interest in talking to famous people in SL because there are too many different people and perspectives in SL to get caught up with the business aspect of it. He further explained himself by telling me that "Being Donnatello Parx is not a full-time job" and because of this, I am more free to explore and express myself. I thought this pretty insightful. He abruptly cut off the conversation right then when he heard that a meteorite was going strike the Burning Life in Babel and that it was going to explode at 5 PM. I had no idea that there were meteorites in SL...

 

...until later that day when I was in Tokyo.

"Donnatello observing the fiery assualt on Tokyo."

 

September 26

 

 

Things seems to be a little out of place here... If one were to take this photo at face value, they would see a beautiful Greek theatre marred by a dirty trashcan. The landscape of the theatre has a classical beauty that juxtaposes the unsightliness of the modern garbage can. The contradictory qualities of these two objects would not be unusual in Second Life. On IBM's virtual island, for example, one could find a traditionally Japanese building next to a large sandbox. People don't have to conform to a dominant culture in Second Life which allows for a diverse and sometimes confusing environment.

 

September 25

 

The rought draft of my marketing analysis assignment.

 

September 23

 

"You can't spell pirate without irate"

 

In the spirit of "Talk-Like-a-Pirate" day, Donnatello explored the Pirate's Bay where he found this here ole' ship docked in a SL cove. A SL message informed him that he was not allowed on this private property, but in his pirate frame-of-mind, he naturally held complete disregard for all rules and regulations. There didn't appear to be anyone on this barren island who could enforce the rules anyhow. Donnatello was given free reign to climb aboard and search the ship for golden treasures. The boat, like the island, was empty. He did, however secure his place in pirate history with this picture. 

 

September 16

 

"Donnatello explores Svarga"

 

The trip to Svarga marked the beginning of my travels in SL. I had no problem teleporting to Svarga, but I was really thrown off by the lag time when I got there, wherein the surrounding structures took time to load. For a brief moment I was stumbling through inscrutable, gray matter before I got my bearings and encountered two avatars standing beneath what appeared to be a grand entrance. They pointed me in the direction of the "large golden tower" seen in the backdrop of the picture above. Donnatello ponders something magnificent as he gazes off in to the sunset.

 

September 11

 

1 Letter, 3 Ways

 

September 9

 

          My Avatar and I were meant for each other. He embodies the alternative, redheaded punk rocker I’ve always wanted be. There is certainly some element of me in my Avatar (namely the red hair), but his distinctly alternative and trendy appearance is more fantasy than accurate representation. His name, Donnatello Parx, is indicative of his intellectual and curious nature. Every corner of the Second Life world falls under Donnatello’s realm of inquiry. Look for him to create and inspire!

         Donnatello’s appearance is quite gruesome and gangly at the moment. I took liberty in playing “creator” when I first entered Second Life and he is physically deformed as a result. But Ladies beware! What he lacks in aesthetic qualities, he more than makes up for in charm and sophistication. This young, eligible bachelor will be on the prowl in Second Life. I hope all of you, at some point, will be able to meet Donnatello Parx.

  

September 3

 

Governor Sarah Palin delivered a much anticipated speech last night at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Her politics, for the most part, have taken the back seat since her nomination last week because of several personal revelations. Most notably, her teenage daughter's pregnancy. Americans could finally switch their tabloid craving attention from irrelevant swirling rumors to practical matters, such as, Palin's policies and qualifications.

 

I knew before watching the convention that Gov. Palin was staunchly conservative, but what puzzled me were the ringing endorsements of her by the likes of (Giuliani, Romney, etc.) on the grounds of here superior executive experience. I thought, "well, what executive experience does she have and why hadn't I heard of her before?" So I did my own research...

 

Palin served two terms, from 1992-1996, on the Wasilla city council. In 1996, she challenged the incumbent mayor and was subsequently elected as the mayor of Wasilla, a position she held for 6 years. This sounds (and to some degree is) executive experience. The population of Wasilla, however, is only 6,715 which is reflected by the size of the city hall building pictured below. The Wasilla City Hall building is three luminous, red letters away from being the local pharmacy.

 

We can all agree that qualifying this as executive experience is dicey, but she is currently serving as the Governor of Alaska (only 20 months). This must be what Republicans mean by executive experience; that she has governed the largest state in our country. What I came across in my comprehensive wikipedia research did not surprise me, but it really put things in perspective. The population of Alaska is 683,478, or about 1/4 of the population of Brooklyn. Let's not get too excited.

 

I want to see Republicans present a better argument for why Governor Palin is qualified to be second-in-line, because right now, they are far from convincing.

 

September 2

 

The invention of the Heely shoe has revolutionized transportation. Heely sneakers give the owner the option to walk or roll to their destination. Efficiency, often times, increases when the Heelier alternates between walking and rolling, depending upon the terrain. Supermarket floors make the ride as smooth a baby's bottom.

 

I always wondered what they were called. No descriptive adverbs or adjectives here--good job, even if it makes the writing rather flat.

 

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