Is Second Life Empty or Just Not Happening?

Numerous articles have appeared recently discussing the question of whether or not Second Life is empty. I know from personal experience that students of mine report rarely encountering other people when they visit Second Life. Since Second Life is largely a social technology, this is a problem. Linden Labs counters these claims with statistics that show the number of hours spent in Second Life along with the amount of money spent is increasing. All these statistics show, however, is how out of touch LL is with everything.

It isn't how many hours or Linden dollars are spent. It isn't how many accounts there are or how many islands have been created. It is the perception of the average person of the Second Life experience. This perception can be first or second hand. Both are important and neither is captured in the statistics.

First hand experience is when someone creates an account, logs into Second Life and does something. If that something is exciting, rewarding, interesting and memorable it is positive and the person will want to return. If it is frustrating, boring, and confusing it is negative and the person will probably not want to return.

Second hand experience is when someone reads something in the newspaper or overhears someone else talking about Second Life. It is the 'buzz' as they say. When there is a lot of buzz, people believe that Second Life is happening. When there is no buzz, people see it as a failed technology.

The statistics only matter to the extend that they reflect the first hand experience and generate second hand experience. So, the problem here is not whether or not Second Life is empty. The problem is whether or not Second Life is happening. In the next couple of posts I will explore this question further in terms of first and second hand experiences.