Virtual World our future?

Last night, on Carte Blanche, they showed the latest “Virtual” trend. The site’s name is second life and basically that is exactly what it is. It is your chance to create a second life for yourself, where you can be whatever you always wanted to be. They even had a stay at home mom, who opened a strip club on the web.

According to the creators of second life: “Second life was launched in 2003 and has since grown to become the virtual world leader—owning 90 percent of the market—with a profitable, stable, and growing business. Eighteen million people have registered in Second Life from over 150 countries and this virtual world work solution has already been chosen by hundreds of enterprises, governments, and educational institutions. In 2006, it has grown to include more than 250 organizations from around the world that offer strategy, design, building, and marketing services to organizations interested in creating a customized virtual work environment. We recently launched the Gold Program that is the first of its kind in the industry. The program designated 31 firms that consistently have high levels of client satisfaction, a proven track record for developing successful projects in Second Life, and a demonstrated expertise working with real world companies.” (secondlife.com: 2009) http://work.secondlife.com/whyslwork/whatis/

What is the really creepy part is that this is adults, working people, who “play” around on this site, and as mentioned they speak of this as being the being the future of business, where you do not need to literally get on a plane for a meeting, but meet each other on second life.

Does this mean that in the near future people are going to sit in their homes, living a virtual life, spending and making money this way? Comfortable, but scary if you think about this. The internet is taking over our lives. Instead of using every spare moment to play around on the internet, I think people should go outside, smell the fresh air for a change, go on a hiking trip and get back to basics. This will make for a healthier, more stress free future for all. But then again, that is just my opinion.