Second life is an internet based virtual world, of which has had much media acknowledgement. International attention has arisen through the news media and has encouraged a lot of debate throughout the world between 2006 and 2007. Viewers of this program are referred to as ‘residents’ in the social networking world and ‘residents’ explore, socialize as well as participate in general group activities with other residents. Second life was created by Phillip Rosendale and he has made huge profits from the world starting with only 4 residents in 2004 and he now has over 4 million residents in 2007. Second life headquarters is based in San Francisco and is recognised as linden labs.
Second life has offered many business opportunities for growing companies as well as existing commercial companies. Sony and Calvin Klein have experienced profit increases of over half a billion a year simply based upon the second life programme.
It has also made alot of people lazy, allowed people to change the person who they think they are and encouraged people to become manipulative, self obsessed and materialistic vegatables. My major concern is that the residents of this programme are living a lie whilst becoming obsessed with the synthetic world and spending to much time living in a world that is merely an illusion.
Users other than the largley commercial companies and creators, can make a sizable living from sitting on second life all day. Making money of course is a positive side of the virtual world but I am not in any length of agreement with how health and psychological state could be effected by this new use of the internet.