Second Life. What?

Second Life came to my attention about a month back in my Mass Media and Popular culture class. For those of you who do not know, Second Life is a virtual network where people can sign on for free to live vicariously through avatars in a world parallel to our own. People can socialize, participate in campaigns, trade virtual property, attend classes that are credited by universities, and travel the virtual world.

No, this is not the synopsis for the newest science fiction movie: it is real life. Well, Sort of.

Second Life was launched in 2003 and has attracted institutions, such as our own George Fox University, to buy “platforms” or virtual space and students and professors can sign on to interact via avatars. Students can attend conferences given by experts and visit places all over the virtual world, or “the grid,” as Second Life members call it.

It sounds fantastic, right? Here’s another perspective of this popular virtual network. When a new member signs on to Second Life they can design their avatar. Imagine a woman who has reached her mid life crisis, is 40 pounds heavier than she’d prefer, and is single with no prospects of finding her knight in shining armor. So, she signs on to Second Life and is given an opportunity to shave off those 40 pounds, dye her hair blonde, and give her lips that Angelina Jolie could not compare. Then she could make all of the virtual love she wanted to an array of wildly attractive men.

Yes, Second Life can be used as an academic tool to bring people together (although, I don't know why video chat won't get the job done) but it can also be another way for the disconnect between people to get stronger and harder to overcome.

Kevin Alderman is considered the Second Life “Porn Mogul.” His alter ego is an avatar named “Stroker” and he profits off of selling members “sex beds” and other such “tools” to achieve virtual steamy pleasure. Alderman believes and says, “When someone new comes into Second Life [sex] is probably one of the first things they want to explore.”

Now we’re given another level of moral ambiguity. Is it okay to sleep with someone in Second Life if you’re exclusive to your partner in real life? Alright, so maybe a person doesn't participate in sex in Second Life, but some people pour the same level of emotions into Second Life relationships as they do in their real life relationships, if not more.

So, what happens to real life? The First Life, which is going to be a coined term sooner or later, is no longer as important. Why leave the comfort of your office chair to walk through a beautiful park when your avatar can do it online? And there’s no need to wake up early for Sunday church, your avatar can attend online. Although, this begs the question, how do you take communion? Or how do you involve yourself in the community of church? An avatar certainly can go through the movements but are we going to become so attached to our virtual alter egos that we gain the spiritual importance of communion with out having grape juice touch our lips or getting to invest in relationships at a communal level? I'm sure chat room communities are just as fulfilling, but when my dad broke his hip four years ago, church member brought over some of the best casseroles for us to eat while my parents were focused on getting my dad better. What is your Second Life church friend going to do? FedEx a casserole from across the nation? The point I'm trying to make is, relationships are essential to being human, and they cannot be replaced by fake alter egos that can only be reached through a computer screen.

These are questions and thoughts that undoubtedly will be pondered by greater minds than my own and maybe I am the only one who considers the concept of divulging into a Second Life absolutely absurd. However, here is one last attempt to express my confoundedness with Second Life.

Let’s go back to our 40 year old sexpot. In real life, she cannot afford a pair of Gucci shoes, but in Second Life she can pay a US dollar to buy a virtual pair of Gucci shoes for her avatar. Then, maybe she'll want to buy a Coach bag for her avatar, and then maybe a Christian Dior gown. After a while, she's spent a considerable part of her pay check on out its that are not tangible. Virtual outfits. The guest speaker who taught my class about Second Life cheerfully said, "If you're broke and can't afford these in real life, you're avatar can enjoy them in Second Life!" Yes, I'm sure that will be equally as fulfilling as actually owning a pair of Gucci shoes in real life.