Week 13: Living in Virtual Worlds – When Real is Really Real

Looking at Edward Castronova’s “Synthetic Worlds”, this week’s readings take us into the realm of online/offline convergence. The author describes talking to a room of intellectuals, describing the ever-changing world of online “games”. He speaks of his desire for people to “recognize that this video game thing really isn’t kid stuff anymore.” This statement seems to echo the thoughts of many in mainstream news media who spend obnoxious amounts of time dissecting, reviewing, and discussing the next wave of online gaming. This phenomenon is only further motivated by the recent releases of Sony and X-Box’s new next-gen systems.       

 

            One of X-Box 1’s biggest selling points is its ability to seamlessly integrate your television viewing experience into an interactive web-connected display. This shift from a separate experience for two distinct mediums further accentuates Mr. Castronova’s views on an ever-expanding Synthetic World. While Microsoft is trying to integrate two different experiences, a recent phenomenon embodies the idea of synthetic worlds like no other. Minecraft is a virtual sandbox game that allows users to build 3-dimenstional creations in a virtual environment. The trend of seeing more and more virtual worlds pop up across the internet is not one we will likely see come to an end anytime soon. With the ability for users to take these applications on the go via cell phones, tablets, and laptops, I predict we will only see a more realistic future for these sorts of experiences.

            I’m curious to hear Castronova’s thoughts on Google Glass and its ability to interweave a digital overlay onto our offline world. Does he see this as the ultimate synthetic world? Or perhaps this is an evolutionary step into a new, uncharted futuristic type of interblended digital society.

Week 12: Romance & sex online

            The common theme across this week’s readings was the use of online environments as a means for connecting and fostering relationships both offline and online. One of Second Life, and to be fair most online communities, strongest points is in its ability to allow users to formulate and strategically create an online persona. In Second Life, this persona takes the form of an avatar, a virtual visual materialization of the users own perceived or intentionally different view of themselves. Using the creative freedoms allowed by Second Life as a starting point, the author of Sex Lives in Second Life highlights how users can assert themselves in these worlds as they see fit, removing the embodied constraints of the real world. This creative freedoms has the ability to stir emotions and create distrust amongst users; yet some find the ambiguity of it all liberating, and as such find ways to develop strong, and sometimes romantic bonds amongst each other.

 

            It’s easy to see why users spend such large amounts of time and money getting their avatars just right. One walk through a Second Life store will reveal just how sexually charged a lot of avatars outfits appear. Embodying the idea of creative freedoms, Second Life users are gifted with the ability to explore ideas and lifestyles they would most likely avoid in the real world. Brookey and Cannon look at the use of BDSM devices and the submissive nature of female avatars in their adverts. It seems almost painfully obvious that users would find these devices, outfits, and animations intriguing; looking to get away from the real world, adventurous users would feel compelled to experiment and leverage all of Second Life’s creative freedoms.

 

            This week’s readings helped form the questions and ideas I pursued in our final assignment. When looking at the Furry sub-culture, it’s hard not to see the parallels between online sex described in these readings. Users find ways to ‘scratch the itch’ online, finding like-minded individuals to share in their online tirades. 

Week 11: Online economics & work

Week 11: Online economics & work

 

            In a capitalistic society, nothing is safe, not event virtual worlds. It should come as no surprise that, while given freedoms to go ‘against the grain’; the creators of virtual worlds would follow certain guidelines that we find in our offline environments. One such “necessity” is the inclusion and exploitation of online financial constraints. It’s hard to believe the creators of such online worlds such as Everquest and World of Warcraft could have ever predicted the effect and influence these online worlds would have on their bubble economies. 

 

            “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” This was a popular saying of one of my old economics professors, demonstrating his belief that if you wanted something you had to pay for it. In Castronova’s piece, he focuses on Everquest as his predominant research venue. This choice was made for obvious reasons; it had, at the time of writing, the largest most diverse monetary system in place amongst virtual worlds. After reviewing the statistical data accumulated through his research into Everquests’ economic conditions, its interesting to see the use of barter being used to transfer goods and PP.  The fact that users had to take to eBay and such to facilitate these transactions speaks volumes to the breadth of online transactions taking place.

 

            While consciously aware buyers and sellers make up a large part of online marketplaces, the Dibbell article looks to bring attention to the plight of Chinese ‘gold farmers’ who plunder hours forcibly earning virtual money and experience. Only in such an interconnected world could this be a reality; when did online currency become such a powerful force? Who knows what our future holds in term of online currency; just take a look at the success of BitCoin and I think you’ll be able to get a general idea of the world of tomorrow.  

Week 10: Privacy, Disclosure, & Lying

            I know I’m not the only one to remember those early day of online socializing; moving from A/S/L to message boards, communication was suddenly new and exciting again. Flash forward a few years and suddenly our own government is spying us on, facing cyber attacks from overseas radicals, and combating fraud and identity theft on a daily basis. Man, where did that young innocent Internet of my youth go?

            Today we find an online world littered with everything and anything. Remember that picture of you from high school with the six-pack box on your head? Yep, still online; it’s become common knowledge that what goes online stays online, that however wasn’t always the case. In Nussabaum’s piece, she attempts to find the exact moment when adolescents and young adults began opening up to the public eye. She brings up MTV’s Real World as an example of privacy being removed willingly, all in the name of entertainment. I’m of the belief that, while influential in lowering, Real World was less effective in wanting young people to share but instead made them want to become consumed in the media of others. 

            Technology has made sharing life’s moments simple and easy. It has caused there to be a massive influx in content being created and disseminated across the web. What type of world would we have if not for social media or user-generated content? With all of this information exchanging hands online it was only a matter of time before online privacy took center stage in our lives. With the recent revelations regarding the NSA and its worldwide online spying circuit, you would hope people would realize this was a bigger issue than previously feared. 

Privacy, Lying, and Disclosure

What is privacy?

The world of social media has essentially destroyed the idea of privacy. Users now blast every aspect of their life onto their social network accounts. In her article Emily Nussbaum, outlines the change in perspective that the younger generations now have of the Internet. The first chance is that “they think of themselves as having an audience.” All of their posts are to meant to be seen by their friends and others who may be seeking it. A picture from a night out, post it. A picture of your dinner, share it. A crazy incident from your day, make a status about it. Every aspect of their shared to put on a show for their “followers.” The second thing Nussbaum writes of is that “they have archived their adolescence.” Rather than physical photo albums, the photo albums this generation contains is that on their Facebook page. Every aspect of their lives has been documented and is out their on the web for all to see. The third thing Nussbaum touches upon is that “their skin is thicker than yours.” She writes, “They have no sense of shame. They have no sense of privacy.” This generation seems to have no filter on what they share on the Internet. And if anyone ever has something to say about it, they simply brush it off. Privacy is gone and it can be thanked to the actions of these users. These users are generating a new norm.

            I personally am concerned with the lack of privacy on the Internet. Also, I feel that people to need to learn some limits and realize they need a filter. I feel that many in my generation have not grasped the consequences of what they feel is a harmless post. From the various stories in the media of employees losing their jobs over social media, I am shocked that many have not grasped the concept. I remember back in high school my school had a program called Peer Leadership. In this program, seniors were selected to mentor the underclassmen. Since it was a competitive process, naturally there were many disappointed they did not get in. Unfortunately, a student who had not got in, submitted a photo to administration of a current member partying and participating in underage drinking. The member was removed from the program, simply because of a posted picture on Facebook.

            Privacy is no more on the Internet and it is important to think about what you post. I understand that people want to share their lives with others; it truly is the new norm. However, based on stories and the news and stories witnessed first hand, it makes me want to delete all of my social media accounts. But in the end, it is the norm to have them now and if you don’t you are some what of an outsider. Personally, I am very cautious of what I post. And I have accepted the fact that privacy settings don’t ensure privacy. Privacy no longer exists. It is the norm we have created. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is.

-Stephanie M. (Post from the week I presented)

Living with Virtual Worlds

As a member of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and several other online words I found these articles to be interesting. The questions posed for this week are relevant to everybody living in this digital age: why should we care about online worlds and what do online worlds mean for our society?

In the Andrejevic article there was a point made that resonated with me and reminded me of what I have experienced often while online. “… producers have more information about consumers than ever before, and consumers have less knowledge about and control over how this information is being used” (p. 27). I am a self-proclaimed online shopping addict. I give myself this title and my family, as well as my friends are very aware that shopping online is my drug of choice. Sometimes I’ll just go to online stores and put everything I desire in my cart, while other times I will self indulge and purchase the items. About a year ago, I was on Facebook just looking through my newsfeed and responding to comments when I realized that exactly what I had been shopping for was being advertised to me in a column on Facbook. The advertisement was for a pair of shoes that I had clicked on at a site I frequently go to when online shopping. This was no coincidence, because ever since I have seen numerous advertisements on my Facebook for items that I have clicked on at various online stores. The fact that the Internet has the power to track my online interactions and then specifically advertise to me on another site is something that I find to be both intriguing and invasive.

In the Catronova article there was an analogy that caught my intention immediately. He writes that the Internet is “a synthetic world that grows together with the outer world like two vines on a tree, each one imposing more and more influence on the other’s development year by year” (p. 250). I have noticed that my offline world and my online world are not separate, but instead they are constantly interacting and developing into one world.  The most relevant example of this is our class: Self and Society in Virtual Contexts. I come to class Tuesday and interact with our classroom environment. On Thursday I attend our class online where I find myself interacting with my classmates more than I do in the offline world. On Saturday and Sunday I read articles for this class online, post my thoughts on our WordPress and then we discuss our online posts in our offline Tuesday class. My offline experience and online experience with this class has completely converged, intertwined and imposed on each another.

With the rapid growth of online worlds and the capabilities to intersect the online with the offline I think that we have only begun to understand why we should care about this virtual environment. It is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the positive outcomes and negative consequences that this world will bring forth. Thus far, I know that I’m appreciative for all the abilities, reach, vastness, and swiftness of online, as well as the communities I have built using the Internet. However, I think that the way the Internet is being used is also a bit terrifying. Knowing that my credit card number is out there in cyberspace, that what I am doing is being tracked, and that Google caters to what I have clicked on previously is all a little frightening.

*This picture just shows that our offline and our online our hand in hand, literally. We cannot think that  these two worlds are separate and I think that questions raised this week are important to consider in this new media age.

The Virtual World: How far can it go

It’s 2013; almost everyone in America has a computer, social media is peaking, and lives are simply changing. Everywhere around us we see different mediums of communication. We can surf the web from simply moving our fingertips with phones ranging from the size of our hands to the size of notebooks. If someone were to predict something like this in the 7-s people would have looked at theme as if they were being outlandish and simply borderline insane. That was when computers were the sizes of gyms and now almost everything is a computer. Phones, Ipads tablets, TV’s, gaming consoles, and laptops. We are witnessing the death of the PC. From the 90’s go go tech boom to today’s social media takeover everything is taking place from your fingertips. If you take a strep back this is unreal; I’m personally one generation off from not having electricity. My parents grew up in a third world country where electricity and clean water was a blessing and now not having those things is unfathomable. Nowadays the internet is being used for anything and everything; even spying as mentioned by Andrejevic “Internet entrepreneur Jay Walker has proposed an interactive system for protecting US borders and other soft targets from an attack.” They call this system US  Home-guard  where you can access this system from the internet and see what’s going on. This is crazy to say the least. With all these servers around us what’s to stop the government from already spying on us. The NSA is already watching us online and tapping into our phone calls so I really wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a camera on every block in the USA. With the internet it’s impossible to reach a limit. We are at the pinnacle without a shout of a doubt; but there is no such thing as a limit and barriers are being broken day by day.

I mentioned the negative about the internet but it’s unfair to not mention how many billions of lives it has changed. People not only gain personal enjoyment from the internet but also make a living from it. From all the IT guys in the world, to the day traders using online trading platforms, to every single branch in the government. The internet is everywhere and it’s helping people gain money, build/maintain relationships, gain knowledge, and help see things that they’ve never seen before. This is all mentioned by Castronova. These online worlds have changed lives forever and will continue to do so for years to come.

 

Interconnectivity of the Virtual Web

Internet culture has altered and re-defined many everyday life practices. One of the most commonly referred to instances of this is the way we communicate with each other. And how we communicate shapes our relationships and how we maintain those relationships. Our virtual worlds have become our main focus and so we now try to maintain our real life relationships virtually, if at all possible. Edward Castronova says, “synthetic worlds already seem to impose significant relationship stress.” Most can relate to that one friend, family member, etc. that spends most of their time devoted to their online life. It can really have a negative impact on their off line relationships. We begin to lose that sense of personal sentiment toward each other among many other feelings. Just to sum up everything that has been said by so many before, it can really cause issues with our relationships when we push everything toward our online lives. We try and merge the offline with the online and see that sometimes that they don’t always demonstrate a sense of interconnectivity.

 

This idea of interconnectivity between online and offline makes itself visible in Andrejevic’s idea of iCulture. The example used to explain this is modern day commerce. Today consumers are the producers. We have many opportunities to design and shape the products that we want to purchase. We can now personalize many of the products we want to purchase. Many consumer product designs are outsourced to the consumers to find the next big thing or what will sell. All of this reminds of the Company Quirky. Quirky is an online community similar to Kickstarter. Individuals vote on products invented and designed by everyday people, or as Quirky says it, “Products Invented by Real People.”

 

All of this just points back to a fact of life. Many, if not all, aspects of the world are just coins. There are two sides to everything, a good and bad. The internet is just another representation of that idea. The internet itself is neither good nor bad, it is just a tool. The only things involving the internet that can be defined are our actions. Even then it sometimes isn’t clear until we see the results of those actions. The internet offers numerous possibilities for the modern age. It allows us all to be creators, producers, ourselves, someone else, and nearly anything else.