Mark Bell was the guest speaker in class, and he discussed the economy of Second Life.  Interesting stuff!  I liked the discussion of the prosumer, but thought about some interesting points after the fact.  Namely, what makes the theft not such a big deal?  Understandably they made away with a significant number of Lindens that do not amount to a whole lot in the real world, but realistically, they could have done this a number of times… the potential for their total theft is much higher.  Further, what does it matter that the stolen money is in Lindens?  It is still a lot of money in Second Life, and realistically, some might find this theft incredibly damaging.  Not everyone has another 5 dollars to throw into their accounts.  I felt like the issue was belittled a bit I guess.

Further to that, the idea of prosumer was so interesting.  In the virtual world the prosumer title is something that we can certainly come to terms with… but what about when that title extends to our corporeal lives?  If the foundation of the title is that we produce and consume, couldn’t we be prosumers in the physical world too?  Interesting questions to consider.  And the implications of this term for those who exist as social beings primarily in Second Life.  How interesting!  What does this term mean to them?

Another interesting idea is the way that the commodity takes form and lives in both the real world and in Second Life.

In the real world the product is produced, it is consumed and it is obsolete.

In Second Life the product is produced, it is consumed and it exists forever.  The production and consumption continues forever.

If this is the case, then is online production more worthwhile?  If real world production will eventually not exist anyways, is it better for the producer to create something online?  For the art world, perhaps so.  If the piece is designed for mass consumption it is more cost effective, it has the potential to reach a broader audience and it never dissipates… people can repeatedly and continuously enjoy the work.  Very cool and thought provoking.

This weeks readings were something else for me.  I am so interested in the idea of economy on Second Life, but I think it is because I feel as though I am being wronged.  PAY TAXES!  I am a public servant, a Communications Officer for the Federal Government… I believe in paying taxes.  I might go so far to say that my NDP-ing and my pro-Obama status makes me a little more socialist than the average bear.  Nobody is above taxes, and evading them in any way is … horrible.  Social programs are the foundation of our nation, what justification is there to have this economy that in no way contributes to the real world?  I can’t think of a logical response.

I understand that Second Life is meant to be something compeletely other than the real world.  I wrote about this mentality in my paper.  I get that, it is not beyond me.  I respect that.  The issue here is that people profit from SL and then use that money in the real world.  Crossing a line.  I can’t respect that.  It gets me all fired up, I know it does.  But what are blogs for?!  Maybe some more heated argument to come.  Right now I have to let my dog in.

This blog task asks me to evaluate an argument made by Robbins that relies on the notion that Second Life is the new face of education.  First I will summarize her argument, then I will evaluate its success in argument and whether or not I agree with the content.

Robbins discusses SL and states that it has several benefits, amongst these are Collaboration, Community, Creativity, Authenticity and Engagement.  In greater detail:

Collaboration – in the sense that we can work with others to manifest our virtual experiences – our creativity can work together with that of others to construct our experience and understanding of the world.

Community – in the sense that we have the opportunity to participate in the social sphere offered by SL, we can create and express and we can experience the creative expressions of others – we can visit people from around the world – the community is the draw for many SL users

Creativity – SL acts as an outlet, an opportunity, a canvas on which we can impose our creative processes

Authenticity – our experience is subject to the interpretation of that by others – our creative outlet is a result of the feedback that we receive from other members of the community

Engagement – beyond being a participant we can become actively involved and feel a draw towards this interaction or belonging to the community (in other classes we have learned about the human tendency of longing for belonging)

Considering these elements, I would suggest that Robbins does make a good case for Second Life.  In my opinion, the engagement is central to the argument.  And to make SL engaging a certain amount of excitement/spectacle/interest must be offered.  To develop this the other elements come into play.  For SL to be an engaging space there needs to be a benefit, and in this case the benefit is the ability to share creative expression with a (presumably) like minded community, and if that community exists as a subsection of the greater SL community, it still exists.  Belonging to the community brings the draw to return, having the ability to share opinions, ideas, art, music, etc is what makes the engagement real.  Participating in the process of making that expression authentic gives the user a sense of purpose which results in an engaging experience.  I believe that the engagement is very significant and important.

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In my group work last week I felt that the engaging aspect was lost.  I was in a group of four, three of us were into the assignment, got into SL and were ready to participate, another member, however, was not as interested.  I feel as though this is an excellent example of why the engagement is so important, and how the community plays into this.  My group experience illustrates what is so great about SL, everybody wants to be there and wants to be interested in what is going on.  This is different from RL because in RL people do things because of some obligation, on SL nobody is forcing them to log on, and if they are not engaged they can always log off.  My group decided to do a charity that had a reasonable presence on SL, but none of it was incredibly well executed.  I can think of ways to better promote on SL now that I have had more time to consider it.

So back to the group work, when we were online the three of were well versed in how to get around, what we should be looking for and how to ensure that the experience would be beneficial for the blog work.  We went through SL and the specific space, took account of the work being done by the activist group and really dug into the assignment.  All of that changed upon the arrival of the fourth member, they were not pleased about being online, they didn’t know how to use SL and they were all around a major drag on the situation.  I had not yet encountered this on SL, and it was a major downer.  People on SL want to be there, they want to help, to chat, to discuss, to play and dance and whatever.  The one person that doesn’t want to do that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Overall the task was interesting and fun, it was great to go around with some classmates, but in future I hope that people who sign up for the course have some interest in the content, otherwise they are a MAJOR drag!!!!

Stay tuned… its a comin!

It is something I can totally get into.  Unlike music, the art has a decent opportunity to be represented.  The live music thing, kind of lame, a cop out, do it live if you’re good at it. Performing is half of being a musician.  But the art, it is such an interesting thought.

Some will make arguments that it isn’t art unless it exists in the space it is created, or that the digital environment makes it a representation and not the art itself.  I disagree, I think it is a really cool way to get the word out.  I can see the appeal to artists and appreciate the creative flow that occurs between these artistic spaces.

The art is made in a number of different ways.  In this case, it is scanned into the environment after having been created in the physical world.  But in some cases, the art is created in SL, it is made through coding, etc.  How insane is that?  I mean it raises weird questions like, is MS Word art?  I don’t the answer, but I suppose anything is possible.

I really love this idea, I love the creative outlet that SL provides.  I think it is an excellent way to get your art noticed, I don’t know that it is a way to add integrity to your art, or to make money… but it certainly a good opportunity to have your work seen.

People have many uses for art in SL, it is interesting that sometimes it is in homes, sometimes in an office building – really, similar to the real world.  I think it is very interesting, it is a new brand of pop-art and I am totally into that !

The next gallery I visited was one that is art created in the SL world, namely photography.  I couldn’t take pictures in here, but it was a dynamite location.  I have it saved in my locations so comment if you would like to take a look!!  This artwork is a little sexual (and for that reason it is probably good that I am not taking pictures to post here), but is pretty amazingly composed.  I hadn’t really considered the idea of being a SL photographer in a truly artistic way, but here it is!  I can also see the talent in this because when I take SL pictures I fumble around with my mouse and try really hard to get a good shot.  These pictures are beyond good shots and have incredible framing.  My sister is a photographer and she took a look and said that the composition seemed pretty solid.  Very very cool.

The final art gallery I visited wasn’t necessarily a gallery per say, but was more a celebration of Andy Warhol and all that he did.  I love Warhol pieces, and love that this gallery goes beyond the soup can and that  Marilyn Monroe to showcase some of the most amazing work that he did.  My person favourite (of which I have a print hanging in my real life home) is the Lifesavers Ad that says “please do not lick this page!”… it kills me, it is so ridiculously cool.  So this gallery is a little space that I enjoy existing within.  I met some cool people and am attending a pop art celebration later this week… it is during a class so my attendance is questionable, but if I make it I will certainly post!!!

UPDATE: Class won, no pop art celebration pour moi.  Virtual tears!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/09/second-life-divorce-woman_n_165291.html

Silly John.

Since having started on SL it has been a slow go to really get into the game, and to be honest, days go by and I forget it exists.  I am not wrapped up in the concept, and I am actively working to get there, but I honestly just don’t get it.  Much of the music I listened to was bad.  Not just okay, but bad.  And I didn’t get any where near the feeling I get at a Real Life concert.  Sure it was cheaper, but for the quality, it really should be.  I did not attend any concerts that I needed to pay for, because I only have 1 dollar, and I do not want to put more money onto SL, I do not intend to continue, so it is a tough thing to justify.  

I think my cynicism when it comes to SL is stemming from my real life responsibilities. I don’t see SL as an escape, but more as a waste of precious hours.  With four jobs, a home (and mortgage), a relationship and a full time course load I am finding it super challenging to dedicate time to SL.  I am not the person that sits on the computer for hours on end. I am a get up and do it person, SL is a challenge for me.  I have got a ton of stuff, and I have been spending my time accumulating.  It is fun to have stuff I guess, but I have nothing to show for my time on there, and I do not want to encourage perverse fantasies for monetary gain… not worth it.

Back to the discussion of music, the music is a waste for me as well.  It is poor quality or karaoke, it doesn’t appeal to me to sit in front of my monitor and watch the screen while listening to someone croon about things that mean little to me.  The lack of celebrity makes it difficult for me to get into it.

While I understand this as a creative outlet and can appreciate that some people experience much success as a result of this, I would suspect that the odds are against SL artists… I am not promoting the medium as an excellent resource, that is for sure.  Further, people I  have met on SL think the music scene is a joke, lots of insults are thrown around about the scene and really, most people seem to be there for the sex, or the design.  It is either about programming or sexuality, and I know that is a generalization, but I stand by it.  I don’t like SL that much, I don’t need an avatar to live through to satisfy me, it kind of weirds me out.

http://rampelter.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/virtual-cheating-the-second-life-how-to-guide/

Oh boy.

I didn’t have a hard time coming up with my avatar.  I think at first it was a matter of getting my AV to look a lot like me in RL, but after getting some “body mods” I became an entirely different person on SL.

I do not think that I am myself of SL at all, and it took me a while to get there.  I think I was trying to live through her, but I have come to realize that I am not her at all, she is her own person and I am sort of along for the ride.  I don’t worry so much about what is said, I feel uninhibited.  I like to have conversations, I don’t reveal anything about RL but I am open to talking about SL and all of the things that I do on there.  I am pleased with my progress this week.  I think accepting my AV as someone that is not me, but in stead someone that I have the opportunity to facilitate a social life for is a new way of looking at this.  She is not Allie Gammon, but I do feel sort of injected into her.  It is hard to explain.

I had a lot of discussions with people about how they were getting “into” their AV.  My process was entirely different from theirs.  I don’t seek enlightenment, nor do I ask a million questions to try and decipher the persons RL identity.  I just don’t care.  They don’t know who I am, and why should they.  It is mutual.

My list of possessions is huge, out of control really.  I discovered I have a plane.  So if you need a lift

If you look back a few posts my theoretical discussion is there.  I don’t want to relate it to this yet.  I feel like getting into SL needs to be organic, I am not ready to analyze my progress yet.  I am enjoying what is going on right now, I have friends online and am really learning the law of the land.  Maybe after a few more days immersed in the culture I will be in a better frame of mind to analyze what is going through my head and how I am getting myself to be open to this… in short… to be continued