My first encounter with Second Life was really considering it something of a novelty. I've been involved in virtual worlds since I was three - video game worlds, to be precise. So after traversing medieval landscapes, post-apocalyptic Earth, and the deep depths of space, my initial reaction when I logged into Second Life for the first time two years ago was "Huh, neat." I made great use of the flying mechanic and I had the most fun with it. I visited some public areas, namely digital seaside resorts and nightclubs. Then I shrugged, logged out, and uninstalled Second Life from my laptop, considering it an interesting diversion for programmers.
Second Life has obviously become so much more than that. In a way, Second Life represents - arguably better than the mega popular World of Warcraft - what digital worlds are capable of. They act as open hubs for corporate, political and social interests of all kinds. Not only that, people are developing careers out of making E-objects in Second Life - I read an interesting article where students are making thousands of dollars a month computing lines of code into objects that can then be sold to people in Second Life. There have even been stories of weddings conducted over this immense program.
The path to technological singularity? That's an open question. For now, Second Life stands as a striking example - albeit one of the most underrated - of what E-technology is capable of.
Socialnomics? Pfft! That's old news.
16 years ago
