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Avatars and Second Life: How Are They Really Affecting Our Generation?

Written by admin on April 6th, 2011

In the last couple of years, the digital age has spread considerably, and its influences can be seen almost everywhere. Just as man-operated machines have propagated all over the world, so has virtual interaction. Café meetings, strolls in the park, an hour of board games with friends and even weekend trips have become less common in recent years. Many of today’s generation have become dependent upon using various virtual platforms such as online networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) along with other role-playing game (RPG) networks the world over. People are now investing more time in the virtual world than actively participating in the real or active world.

Moreover, the trend of social networking has encouraged the development of virtual relationships between Internet friends. These people may have never meet in real life but their level of attachment and relationship can already rival those of people who know each other personally. Nonetheless, despite the obvious advantage of meeting many people regardless of global location, there are several concerns regarding the effects of the virtual world, the relationships it forms and the interactions that propagate it. The following sections will provide an insight on both the benefits and negative effects of the second life or, simply put, the virtual world.

Positive Effects

The virtual world is, in effect,  like our second life, thus providing the necessary utilities to live one’s life and connect with others without actually having to physically do so. The virtual world allows someone to stay connected to everyone else while also doing other things. It’s more convenient than having to drive around to hang out or pick up the phone to chat. Simply sending an email to friends, colleagues and other acquaintances or having them join an online conference would suffice in connecting to them.

Further, the virtual world also provides a cheaper means to contact people from other countries. Instead of having to save up to buy airline tickets or pay for telephone bills, simply logging on to a social networking site and chatting with friends can eliminate any obstacles presented by geographical distances. Similarly, there are clear environmental benefits, as virtual communication replaces the need for paper snail-mail. As mentioned earlier, modern computer devices and virtual platforms allow people to multitask in a much easier way. You can easily chat with more than ten friends, send email, shop online and type a report all at the same time. Keeping up to date with people and contacting them regardless of time and location are much easier to do in the virtual world than in real life. It’s easier to talk to each other at 1:00am in the morning through a computer than to meet each other. Further, the virtual world also allows people to find people who share the same interests and intellect as they do.

Negative Effects

However, regardless of the many benefits that the virtual world offers, there is much at risk when it comes to assuming life online. First and foremost, you can never be too sure about the safety and security of the personal information you post online. Further, the risk of “running into a stranger” is higher on the internet because a lot of people can access profiles and information conveniently.

More importantly, there’s a chance that people you connect with online are assuming a completely different character once they are online. People can simply become anyone they choose in the virtual world. Since there is no physical interaction, a person’s online character is based on the kind of information they provide. This information may easily be false. Dependence on the online world for social interaction often causes users to suffer disconnection from the real world. For instance, spending excessive amounts of time playing RPG can lead to lack of productivity and social depression. This isolates the user from interacting face to face with people, which is vital in social development and personal growth. In more ways than one, it is safe to say that people should only participate in the virtual world in a moderate manner.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 7:51 am and is filed under Daily Life, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.