e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

Examining the Complexities of Activism in Second Life

May 24th, 2007

To toss you guys a final morsel from last weekend’s PDF unConference, Josh Levy led a great discussion of activism in Second Life, using as a starting point a short documentary he created. The film itself is an excellent introduction to Second Life and its use for education and persuasion — if you’ve never played in this virtual world, the video will give you a sense of what it’s like and why people are drawn to it as a place to spread political messages.

Josh doesn’t shy away from some of the tough issues involved, though — he asks appropriate questions that Second Life evangelists sometimes gloss over. Would time and energy spent in Second Life be better used to make something happen in the real world? More subtly, can the cathartic experience of “visiting” a Second Life exhibition on an issue (Josh goes to a Darfur education display as an example) actually make people FEEL as though they’ve already done something substantive and end up making them less likely to take real-world political action? As I watched the video, I couldn’t deny the beauty of some of the worlds and characters created in Second Life, but I also couldn’t help but notice how empty of people much of it is. If you ask me, the jury’s still out on this tool, but give the film a look and see what you think.

– cpd

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4 Comments Add your own

1. Media, Politics, and Trut&hellip | October 26th, 2007 at 3:26 pm

[...] Second Life is probably the best known of the various games and it has spawned a massive economic industry within it (although the benefits are questionable). Before class on Wednesday, please sign up for a Second Life account (basic membership is fine) and download the application before class so we can get started in class. If you’re using the school’s computers, just create your account. Read the Wikipedia page carefully so you understand the game (tech subjects like this are where you can trust Wikipedia better than just about any other source). BusinessWeek also had a good cover story on this phenomenon last year (make sure to note and listen to the podcast). If you love this and are interested in journalism, then go ahead and join the reporting staff of the Second Life Herald, the game’s virtual newspaper, or become one of the game’s embedded reporters. Also check out the Second Life Showcase to see some cool things going on in the game and listen to a podcast or two. Confused? Don’t be. Very few people understand how this world works and what its impact could be; that’s especially true of groups with an agenda. [...]
2. MMOGs « Social Medi&hellip | March 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

[...] Second Life is probably the best known of the various games and it has spawned a massive economic industry within it (although the benefits are questionable). Before class on Wednesday, please sign up for a Second Life account (basic membership is fine) and download the application before class so we can get started in class. If you’re using the school’s computers, just create your account. Read the Wikipedia page carefully so you understand the game (tech subjects like this are where you can trust Wikipedia better than just about any other source). BusinessWeek also had a good cover story on this phenomenon last year (make sure to note and listen to the podcast). If you love this and are interested in journalism, then go ahead and join the reporting staff of the Second Life Herald, the game’s virtual newspaper, or become one of the game’s embedded reporters. Also check out the Second Life Showcase to see some cool things going on in the game and listen to a podcast or two. Confused? Don’t be. Very few people understand how this world works and what its impact could be; that’s especially true of groups with an agenda. [...]
3. Livin’ Large in Sec&hellip | March 17th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

[...] This e.politics post really got me thinking about some aspects of online gaming, especially Second Life and World of Warcraft, in which users aren’t in a controlled environment. In the Persuasive Games mentioned above, users are interacting with a fixed game that has a fixed number of possible outcomes. In Second Life, the entire world is up to the whims of the “residents” who create it. So, as a marketer, how effective can you be if your competitor sets up shop next door. Companies are sort of voluntarily putting themselves in an environment they can’t control - other than the fact they can shut down and move out, defeating the entire point of joining Second Life int he first place. Explore posts in the same categories: SCS Spring 2008 [...]
4. MMOGs and Check-in «&hellip | June 24th, 2008 at 9:49 am

[...] Second Life is probably the best known of the various games and it has spawned a massive economic industry within it (although the benefits are questionable). Before class on Wednesday, please sign up for a Second Life account (basic membership is fine) and download the application before class so we can get started in class. If you’re using the school’s computers, just create your account. Read the Wikipedia page carefully so you understand the game (tech subjects like this are where you can trust Wikipedia better than just about any other source). BusinessWeek also had a good cover story on this phenomenon last year (make sure to note and listen to the podcast). If you love this and are interested in journalism, then go ahead and join the reporting staff of the Second Life Herald, the game’s virtual newspaper, or become one of the game’s embedded reporters. Also check out the Second Life Showcase to see some cool things going on in the game and listen to a podcast or two. Confused? Don’t be. Very few people understand how this world works and what its impact could be; that’s especially true of groups with an agenda. [...]

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