Second Life Highlights An Issue!

Once again in a conversion with someone who never experienced the virtual world Second Life who thought it was a game not what it has actually become a vibrant and colourful social network. That is a place where people meet socialise some of which would normally not be able to get out of their homes for various reasons.

This further enforced by a Computer Gaming industry which still fails to grasp the simple fact what Second Life has become. Though we should not be surprised by this as both the industry and it’s players tend to be very focus on their games to a point they tend to be socially inept and extremely closed as individuals. Over the past few years gamers have not helped their causes by blatant discrimination against female players as it is still a male dominated industry and hobby.

But what this highlights is a real issue with some who socialise on the internet which can be directly attributed to this gamers attitude towards games in general in so much they have become detracted from people in general and seam to have lost the ability to associate people with images and words with the real people behind them.

This has rubbed off on general users of social networks and the such who have followed the gamers along the same path. The upshot of which people think it is acceptable to verbally bully, abuse even say anything they want even if it is criminal as they have this strange disassociation that they are somehow anonymous and safe on the internet.

But one thing all have forgotten and those of us who have the perception already know you cannot hide behind words or an avatar on the internet as your words and actions there can have the same effect and land you in as much trouble, even legally, much as face to face encounters of people.

The internet does not protect you or gives you the right to treat people badly or with disrespect.

It is a simple fact much as face to face interactions when dealing with people on the internet you are dealing with a real person who has real feeling and issues. Just because the interactions are via words, Avatar even within a game it is no different than dealing with them face to face.

In conclusion when you are interacting people on the internet you are still interacting with a REAL PERSON and you cannot hide behind the internet as you will be still have to face results of your bad behaviour there.

What I find so sad even after 20 years of the internet some people still cannot get this simple concept!

As a final note there are gamers and employees within Game Industry who do get this concept but they form a quiet majority who seam almost afraid to speak out for some reason!

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

Please Note: If you are interested in my home page just follow the link to Experiment No. 3.

So Many Lonely People!

If the modern world is such good, exciting place full of technologies which allow us to communicate even easier from our computers, just why are there so many lonely people in this modern world of ours and why are so many people looking backwards to so called go old days and not forwards?


Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal journal of mine just follow the link to Acta Spiritu Amisso.

Please Note: I also have a small personal social network which is invitation only just follow the link to Luther’s Chosen Few.

A Case of Lack of Thought and Understanding!

What I found close to the mark the company I am working on asking those of use who work for them to write on any social web site as if I am still have my uniform and badge on, that is be careful what I say as it my reflect badly on the company.

Sort of struck me as a direct attack on my right of freedom of speech, I suspect they worded it wrong but it was a good example in itself you have to think before you write something as such remarks have got companies in deep water before. Hence much like companies I put a disclaimer on my blogs to cover myself as after all if it is good enough for a company it good enough for the individual.

What it did show in it wording a lack of real understanding of what Social Media actually is even those who work in management of a big company which claims to be one of the bigger computer retailers. After all why should they be any different to normal users who still have a difficulty understanding the basic concept of a social web site in so much all posts can be public and read by all!


Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal journal of mine just follow the link to Acta Spiritu Amisso.

Please Note: I also have a small personal social network which is invitation only just follow the link to Luther’s Chosen Few.

Armchair Revolutionaries and Invisible New World!

What I about to say here may be very obvious to some people but it has to be said to make the point again as some people still do not get it!

It has always struck me just how a large majority of people around me totally miss the fact that the Internet is both very public and social place to a point they only see the world directly around them, even on the internet itself, and they simply to not perceive anything beyond it.

This can be excused for those of us who were born before the advent of the Internet as our only access to the World outside of our immediate environment was through Newspapers, Television and Books. Our world then was smaller compared to now so in our case it can be very understandable people like myself can get lost or mystified by the new modern larger world.

But what is even less understandable why some of those who were born after the advent of the Internet have this same small world attitude in so much they see little beyond their own little world and singularly fail to understand the true nature of the internet. This could be due to their upbringing, or culture though I suspect it is more of the modern self centred attitude which has been encouraged globally in the Western Culture since the 1980s.

The upshot of this we have a large majority of people who use the internet from high level Government Officials to low level Workers who simply do not understand the internet is both public and extremely powerful tool for change socially. Then there are those who only see the Internet in terms of just a commercial entity something purely to make money and nothing else.

But luckily there are those few who see what the Internet for what it is a place where peoples, cultures and nations can meet, and exchange ideas, knowledge, understanding or simply talk to each other. Some have found this by themselves exploring and trying what is a available on the Internet while others have found the power of the Internet through adversity. These people quickly learn just how small the internet makes the world and it’s true power to bring people together in a way that nothing else in history has been able to.

These people through on-line games, social web sites and even virtual worlds meet new friends, learn new skills, expand their understanding of the world and even build new virtual global communities. They build a brave New World over the Internet which is largely ignored or ridiculed by those people outside of it as unimportant be that in Government, Business or even in the General Public all over the world.

There are those outside of these people both within Governments, Businesses and individuals who are starting to catch on what is happening, though very slowly, then it is only those Governments who want to suppress their people freedom, those Businesses who and see it as an opportunity to make more money even at the expense of others and sadly among the individuals those who see it as opportunity for criminal activity.

My personal view of all this it is an amazing opportunity for everyone in so much anyone from the comfort of their homes they can talk to anyone in the world who has internet connection, explore new virtual worlds and more importunity build new much needed communities both local and global replacing those destroyed by our modern world.

The internet itself is an opportunity in waiting to build brave new world rather than what most people perceive as a destroyer of communities, cultures and the such. My personal view is it is the responsibility of those of us who see this to inform or try to educate those who don’t even if they do not listen.

I know what I have said here has already been said by others but I think it is so important it has to said by myself and others in the hope someone listens.

Finally I find it totally fascinating that from my chair though my laptop I can talk to the whole world via the Internet, though lost in myriads of other voices, so potentially I can be an Armchair Revolutionary and change the world!

Just really think about that power!


Please Note: If want to view my Second Life Journal then go to the Journal of a Spectral Traveller.

Please Note: If want to view a Second Life Wikipedia then go to the Encyclopedia Umbra Machina.