The entire notion of a virtual world is something foreign to me even though my career centers on technology. Actually, I didn't know about Second Life until this class and from the onset deemed it as slightly disturbing due to my Biblical convictions and my interactions with people every day in which I observe their inability to decipher between what is real and what is imaginary. Anyhow, just my thoughts.
Second Life is an example of a disruptive technology due to the fact the development of it emerged from virtually nothing and is viewed as a something uniquely seen as a replication of one’s life. Dr. Thornburg states in his video package that disruptive technologies “suddenly come on the scene and have way of changing our methods of thinking.” This particular technology was not the product of an evolutionary development but a new development to meet the needs and desires of those who seek to live in a virtual world. In my opinion, this is troubling because of the diminished amount of socialization our society receives. Unfortunately, we have all heard of cases when persons are harmed because someone who is really into gaming or some sort of artificial technology has no grasp of reality and how delicate life and life situations really are. In addition to this, many experts were surprised when the data suggested that people’s daily routines and responsibilities were altered due to obsessive behaviors similar to users of applications such as FaceBook, Twitter and Instragram. Experts have also stated that some people admittedly are aware that they spend hours at a time immersing themselves in this virtual world living a life and developing relationships with others that do not match their reality experience.
The sustainability of Second Life is reliant on on the users. From what I have learned about this technology many are interested to a certain degree. As a result, I'm pretty leery of this application and if it will ever truly create integration of the real world in the virtual world.
Overall, I see this as potentially an additional tool that can ramp up social networking for gaming, education and other beneficial tasks. But as mentioned earlier in this blog, the issue that is the most disconcerting is the fact this technology fosters social isolation. If used correctly, I definitely feel some of the unique benefits that Second Life could offer are solid, like the personal avatars and lecture halls/discussions, but I hesitate to fully endorse this technology on the basis of what it can destroy on the social landscape of our society.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Disruptive technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.