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In-World Interview

Page history last edited by Joe Essid 15 years, 10 months ago

 

 

You have my permission Bridget, and for whatever support you need moving forward. Your pic atached :)
best<
Terran

 

 

 

 

For this interview, Terran teleported me to his starship, or as he describes it, " warp drive ship in steamship punk design."  It was very quiet and secluded, so we would not be interrupted.  I tried sitting down on the black sofa, but, from lack of experience, I accidently laid down; it was quite entertaining.  The room was very cozy, and it was a great environment to carry out my interview with Terran about the sociological aspects of Second Life. 

 

Meg Kaestner: Hi Terran!  If you don't remember, I am one of Iggys students and we actually have a project due this week...we are supposed to interview someone in Second Life about anything we choose.  I am very interested in the sociological aspect of virtual worlds like Second Life and I was wondering if you would mind if I interview you if you have a few minutes right now

 

 Terran Timeless: no problem where are you

  

 Meg Kaestner: I am in Milky 9 right now but I can teleport if you would like

 

 Terran Timeless: I'm at a live music gig, might be distracting a moment

  

 Meg Kaestner: sorry didn't mean to interrupt

  

 Terran Timeless: no, its fine, was just listening while working on the other mac:)

  

 Terran Timeless: welcome to my starship (refer to photos at bottom of page)

 

Meg Kaestner: thanks! this is really cool what is it

 

 Terran Timeless: this is a warp drive ship in steamship punk design :)

  

 Meg Kaestner: haha I like it did you build it

  

 Terran Timeless: lol, i wish

  

 Terran Timeless: erm, did you mean to do that?

  

 Terran Timeless: lol 

 

 Meg Kaestner: haha no I thought I was sitting 

 

 Terran Timeless: np

  

 Terran Timeless: do you have questions?

  

 Meg Kaestner: ha yes I do would you like me to sit instead of lay ha 

 

 Terran Timeless: go to another couch

  

 Terran Timeless: or here

  

 Meg Kaestner: okay sorry obviously I am not the best at this but is this fine

  

 Terran Timeless: :)

  

 Terran Timeless: nor i

  

Terran Timeless: voice or text, Meg?

 

 Meg Kaestner: text would probably be best

  

 Terran Timeless: k

  

 Meg Kaestner: alright..... so when Professor Essid first had my class join Second Life, I am not going to lie, I thought it was a bit crazy.  I never heard of virtual worlds before and I      was very apprehensive about what a virtual world was 

 

 Terran Timeless: Meg, I'm canning some chard irl, so if I am absent for a moment, nw,k? 

 

 Terran Timeless: Meg, you live in a virtual world!

  

 Terran Timeless: are u ok with the concept now?

  

 Meg Kaestner: k thats fine.. ha yes I am now fine with it and really enjoy it but one of my first thoughts was why do people join virtual worlds...so my first question to you would be why did you decide to join Second Life? 

 

 Terran Timeless: to research the potential for VWs for education

  

 Terran Timeless: for my Masters Project

  

 Terran Timeless: in particular 

 

 Terran Timeless: how does a sense of presence and place influence student engagement in learning 

 

 Meg Kaestner: very cool I actually just wrote a small blog...nothing compared to what you are researching I am sure ha...about the educational benefits of Second Life

  

 Terran Timeless: i would like to read that...i read lots of blog posts in order to figure this out

 

 Meg Kaestner: what are some of your key findings so far...if you don't mind me asking...i understand if you cannot disclose this

  

 Terran Timeless: :), I'm done

  

 Terran Timeless: s ok 

 

 Terran Timeless: I have a nice cool job with my university 

 

 Terran Timeless: key findings

  

 Terran Timeless: hmm

  

 Terran Timeless: sense of place...is now called "social presence"

 

 Terran Timeless: and there is now a Center for the Study of Social Presence

 

 Meg Kaestner: so by social presence do you mean the social experience a person encounters in a virtual world as opposed to the real world

  

 Terran Timeless: i can give you the founders info later

  

  Terran Timeless: perhaps what i mean is not opposed 

 

 Terran Timeless: but similar 

 

 Terran Timeless: u are there, i am here, i see you in 3D, i believe you are there 

 

 Terran Timeless: i trust that you are not intentionally deceiving me

 

 Terran Timeless: so if we continue to talk in a space i am co-present with you

  

 Meg Kaestner: hmm interesting so you see SL as a comparable educational tool to real life education

  

 Terran Timeless: from a student affairs perspective, and that's what i do

  

 Terran Timeless: nothing can replace the F2F experience but we all do not have that privilege learning at a distance

  

 Meg Kaestner: what is the F2F experience

  

 Terran Timeless: face-to-face

  

 Meg Kaestner: ha sorry

  

 Terran Timeless: :)

 

 Terran Timeless: we value the time we have with each other in class with the instructor in the hallway with our peers on the campus commons experience certainly      wasnt mine so...is it possible to have the experience of community....without being in proximity?

  

 Terran Timeless: virtual community is a hot topic, has been for a decade

  

Meg Kaestner: do you feel that this virutal community will affect students especially if they start interacting with others in this virtual community at a young age?

  

  Terran Timeless: as they already are. reputable sources predict that by 2011, 80% of people under 55 will have a virtual identity, an avatar

  

 Terran Timeless: do you text?

  

 Meg Kaestner: yes most definitely ha

  

 Terran Timeless: have lots of friends? 

 

 Meg Kaestner: ha yes I guess i would say so

  

 Terran Timeless: are any of these people you do not see every week or so?

  

 Meg Kaestner: yes some of them

  

 Terran Timeless: then you have a dense social network, with some of that being virtual 

 

 Terran Timeless: i did not grow up that way!

  

 Meg Kaestner: what do you mean you did not grow up that way

 

 Terran Timeless: I am not traditional  

 

 Meg Kaestner: meaning?

 

 Terran Timeless: i'm 51 years old i could never imagine knowing people i did not see

  

 Meg Kaestner: o ha k now I understand

  

 Terran Timeless: am i real?

 

  Meg Kaestner: yes ??

  

 Terran Timeless: yes, some dude is typing on his mac

  

 Meg Kaestner: that dude being you??

  

 Terran Timeless: i hope so, unless there is some evil genius...

  

 Terran Timeless: lol

 

Meg Kaestner: and I do  not know you so what I am wondering is how that will affect my relationships down the road and how I interact and engage in my real-life community 

 

 Terran Timeless: i am a Buddhist and from the Taoist influence we believe that our reality is socially constructed

 

 Terran Timeless: so, from the ego's point of view an illusion 

 

 Meg Kaestner: wait let me get this straight so you believe that everything you have experienced in your life socially has formed you into the person you are today

 

 Terran Timeless: you and i do not live in the same universe, that's an unfortunate reality everything i've experienced is no longer

  

 Meg Kaestner: what do you mean?

  

 Meg Kaestner: sorry this is all very complex to me

  

 Terran Timeless: the past no longer exists, except in legend and stories, and memories (if I know my mom, and I do) and the future is not promised so the moment, that we build together, is where the rubber meets the road

 

 Terran Timeless: so, if reality is socially constructed, something we agree to see similarly, for convenience then how different are dreams or virtual worlds

  

 Terran Timeless: it's a matter of what we are experiencing in the moment

 

 Terran Timeless: that's all there is.......anyway, I'm sure you want to get away from this train but the idea of "virtual" will be a constant source of               conversation

  

 Terran Timeless: have you made friends in-world?

  

 Meg Kaestner: no this is actually really interesting and something I think I would like to write my final paper on so if you dont mind I would like to get into this a little more to help me understand everything you are saying

  

 Meg Kaestner: its not that I am not a fan of SL but I just do not find time for it

  

 Meg Kaestner: I feel that SL takes away from my time in the real world

 

 Terran Timeless: i understand, if it werent part of the emerging technologies that I get paid to track.....i would spend lots less time

 

 Terran Timeless: sooo Terran is not real?

  

Meg Kaestner: hmm idk what I would say to that because I know you are real but I do not believe Terran reflects the person you really are at least not completely

 

 Terran Timeless: erm ok

  

 Meg Kaestner: alright so now I have a question

 

 Meg Kaestner: do you believe that social control and/or pressure to conform, act the same way among groups in second life as they operate in reality

  

 Meg Kaestner: a little off topic I know sorry

  

 Terran Timeless: btw, Coming of Age in Second Life: Tom Boellstorf, new book, must read, sorry, while i went to find it:)

   

Terran Timeless: i'm a non conformist as far as your question 

  

Terran Timeless: and believe that there is less of that focus of control in a VW 

 

Meg Kaestner: alright but if you had to relate it to others and your experience in SL so far what would you say

 

Meg Kaestner: based on your experiences and interactions so far

 

Terran Timeless: this is a bit of the wild west the unexpected can be expected 

 

 Terran Timeless: some residents are totally gaming some are hacking

 

Terran Timeless: i have met 3 people that are very important to me in SL

 

Terran Timeless: is this where ur going?

 

Meg Kaestner: so do you think some people use SL as a way to escape from their real life struggles and to break away from their day to day conformity in the real world

 

Meg Kaestner: in general

 

Terran Timeless: I have met people in SL, that were completely unable to do the things that they did in-world

 

Terran Timeless: a "helper" that I had, from Help Island, confided in me that she could do NONE of what she could do in SL

 

Terran Timeless: she was quadriplegic in SL she flew

 

Terran Timeless: escape? i imagine so

 

Terran Timeless: the reasons we are here are as many as he motivations to wake up the next day

 

Terran Timeless: irl

 

Terran Timeless: lots of autistics here, disabled of all sorts

 

Terran Timeless: the other reference Second Lives, by Tim Guest 

 

Meg Kaestner: so SL is not a place of conformity at all in your opinion in fact it is a place where people can express themself without worrying about what others have to say

 

 Meg Kaestner: k thanks I will look those two up

   

Terran Timeless: http://tinyurl.com/4mseto

 

Terran Timeless: more of why wer're here :)

 

Meg Kaestner: thanks! This is a very good start…

 

Terran Timeless: the 3D web is the next frontier for education. SL is the best example. Early adopters are there now....in a few years. this sort of interaction will be commonplace.

 

Terran Timeless: terranenvoy@gmail.com

 

Terran Timeless: if you need to follow-up

 

Terran Timeless: take care

 

Meg Kaestner: alright thanks! have a good night

 

This interview taught me a lot about the sociological aspects of Second Life.  For his Masters Project, Terran Timeless studied " how a sense of presence and place influence student engagement in learning."  Terran's findings really offered a lot to the study of the sociological aspects of Second Life.  Terran told me about Second Life having a "sense of place," aka "social presence."  He studied how the social experiences a person encounters in a virtual world are similar to the real world.  Terran goes on to talk about co-presence and how "nothing can replace the F2F experience, but we all do not have that privilege learning at a distance." He asks if it is possible to have/feel a sense of community without being in close proximity.  Terran's studies on the various aspects of Second Life and the influence these aspects have on people are very important as virtual worlds are becoming more popular; in fact, "80% of people under 55 will have a virtual identity, an avatar."  Terran Timeless supports his points very well.  He said that virtual worlds and real life are, after all, not that different.  Its the memories that we create at various moments in our life that matter, not how we come about to have these memories.  Second Life and real life are very different yet very similar. 

 

 

 

 

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Comments (1)

Joe Essid said

at 5:58 pm on Nov 4, 2008

Are these photos of Terran's house? Give a bit of context at the start--where you met, so on.

Be sure to refer to the photos in the text of the interview, and you will want to sum up what you have learned as a result. Good job!

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