In this post I want to explore three ways in which Second Life can contribute to your personal growth. These include enriching experiences, role switching, and overcoming social anxieties. This is not to say that these are the only three ways in which Second Life can contribute to your personal growth. It is merely to say that these are the ways that come to mind at the moment.
There are some fairly standard ways in which we enrich ourselves in real life. Most people would say that travel is enriching. Many would say that visiting art galleries and museums is enriching. Some would say that taking classes or doing volunteer work helping people is enriching. All of these things are possible in Second Life and you don't even have to leave your desk to do them. I visited an island recently called Suffugium. It is a cyberpunk rendering of a future world. I have actually been there many times and I am always astonished at the effort that was put into the place to provide an interesting and artistic experience for the visitors. You can walk around this wonderful location and experience the art and the political message. It simulates your thought and your creativity. And, there are hundreds of other similar locations, each one unique, which provide enriching and thought provoking messages and experiences.
The second way in which Second Life can provide you with personal growth is through role switching. We are who we are and we tend to see life from our very own perspective. But, how does the world appear differently to people of the other gender? Do younger or older people see things differently? Are life experiences different for people of a different social class or ethnicity? Do people of a different sexual orientation get treated differently? How can you know the answers to these questions without changing who you are and going out into the world as somebody else? The answer, of course, is that in Second Life you can do just that. And if you do, you will be astonished at how different life presents itself to you. Seeing the world through the eyes of others is good for you. It broadens your perspectives, and helps you become more compassionate, understanding and tolerant. All good stuff.
Finally, many people suffer from social anxieties such as shyness, fear of crowds, or fear of speaking in front people. It is possible to limit the impact of these anxieties through systematic desensitization. For example, you may speak in front of one person, then two, then three and so on. However, this systematic desensitization in real life can still be difficult. Just setting up the scenarios can present logistical problems. And you may still be afraid of blushing or shaking. In a virtual world you can take baby steps to overcoming these anxieties. People do not actually see you, they only see your avatar. So you get a bit of protection. But, even more importantly, people in a virtual world are much more supportive and much less judgmental than they are in the real world. So the barriers are lower.
These are just a few of the ways in which Second Life can help enrich and improve you. Unfortunately, this capability exists today largely as a possibility. And one of the most frustrating things about Second Life is that all these possibilities exist simultaneously with none of them being fully exploited.
Showing posts with label Avatar Identity Construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avatar Identity Construction. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Avatar Identity Construction
When you create an avatar to represent you in Second Life, you do more than just select a little character. You select a vehicle for self expression. You begin by selecting a default avatar and then evolve it over time. This process of avatar evolution is critical in the construction of your avatar's identity. And, to the credit of Linden Labs, they have provided, sometimes in an indirect way, incredible tools to help you in this process of constructing your avatar's identity. You can modify the shape or other characteristics of your avatar. You can create your own shapes off line and import them. You can buy shapes from designers. You can be tall or short, frumpy or proud. You can be sexy or conservative. And, if you don't like what you have chosen you can change, again and again and again.
You can buy accouterments such as hair, jewelry and clothing. You can get tattoos or piercings. In short, you can try all the things in Second Life that you wanted to try in real life but did not have the nerve. This is a wonderful and safe way to explore self expression.
Beyond your looks, you can define your avatar identity through the groups you join or the people you hang out with. You can define yourself by the ways in which you talk to other people. You can write things in your profile to further define yourself. You can leave notes that only you can see in the profiles of other avatars so that you can remember your friends, how you met them and what you think about them.
You can try on differnt roles and identities. Many people have one avatar that serves as a mentor, there to help, and another alt to just hang out and chat. In real life we are often trapped in a role. Perhaps you are a teacher, a manager, or a public servant. You may feel you have an image to protect. Wouldn't you just love to be an annoying pain in the ass some times. Yes, who wouldn't. But, alas, in real life that isn't so easy.
Choosing different avatar identities provides you with two important benefits. First, you can explore who you are. You can 'try on' different identities to see how they feel. You might find that you are really not who you think you are. Second, you can see how other people experience the world. Try creating avatars of a different race, gender or social class. You will be surprised at how different the experience is.
In this way, you can think of Second Life as a 'self editor'. And, as a 'self editor' Second Life is par excellence. If you can imagine a self you can create it. And if you can create it, you can experience life through it. Yes, people become very attached to their avatars and they do begin to experience life through them. Not only does a person create and evolve the avatar. Over time, through the experiences of the avatar, the person begins to create and evolve who they really are. And it is the potential that Second Life offers for personal growth and development that is one of its most impressive capabilities. Next time we will look at Second Life as a vehicle for personal growth.
You can buy accouterments such as hair, jewelry and clothing. You can get tattoos or piercings. In short, you can try all the things in Second Life that you wanted to try in real life but did not have the nerve. This is a wonderful and safe way to explore self expression.
Beyond your looks, you can define your avatar identity through the groups you join or the people you hang out with. You can define yourself by the ways in which you talk to other people. You can write things in your profile to further define yourself. You can leave notes that only you can see in the profiles of other avatars so that you can remember your friends, how you met them and what you think about them.
You can try on differnt roles and identities. Many people have one avatar that serves as a mentor, there to help, and another alt to just hang out and chat. In real life we are often trapped in a role. Perhaps you are a teacher, a manager, or a public servant. You may feel you have an image to protect. Wouldn't you just love to be an annoying pain in the ass some times. Yes, who wouldn't. But, alas, in real life that isn't so easy.
Choosing different avatar identities provides you with two important benefits. First, you can explore who you are. You can 'try on' different identities to see how they feel. You might find that you are really not who you think you are. Second, you can see how other people experience the world. Try creating avatars of a different race, gender or social class. You will be surprised at how different the experience is.
In this way, you can think of Second Life as a 'self editor'. And, as a 'self editor' Second Life is par excellence. If you can imagine a self you can create it. And if you can create it, you can experience life through it. Yes, people become very attached to their avatars and they do begin to experience life through them. Not only does a person create and evolve the avatar. Over time, through the experiences of the avatar, the person begins to create and evolve who they really are. And it is the potential that Second Life offers for personal growth and development that is one of its most impressive capabilities. Next time we will look at Second Life as a vehicle for personal growth.
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