Journal #6: Personal Interactions

Being somewhat use to Second Life now I still feel limited or controlled. If I were given the opportunity to get a “Second Life” there would be no such thing as money. If there wasn’t such thing as money then individuals I feel would have a better “quality” of life. They would not become so attached to material things like today’s society. In Second Life everyone starts off with nothing. Similar to reality everyone in Second Life has to go out there each inlife day and make money so that you have a house, car, boats, etc. Also after reading I Avatar I realized how some people’s perceptions have been altered. As a citizen of Second Life people realize that their sense of security cannot be compromised in this game because other individuals have no idea who you are. For individuals who wish to be another gender, they are allowed to do that in Second Life

In Second Life the developers created an environment that somehow engages the user to click on things all around them. And by the developers design, Second Life propels users to immerse themselves in this unknown environment, which creates a natural bond between the user and their environment. Now in reality this is somewhat a problem. In reality people cannot walk up to other objects and click on them and see how they react. In reality you have to engage with other people and ask them questions. I think it all comes down to where you are at any given time. Certain environments make individuals more aware or responsive to their surroundings than others. So if someone were to ask me is your environment more or less responsive to you I would then ask them what are the natural forces that are making me interact with my environment.

For instance in Second Life if a character wants to dance they have to look at a globe on the ceiling and right click it to get the option to dace. However, in reality if a person goes to a club and wants to dance they do not look up at a globe and right click and start dancing. In reality the person goes on the dance floor and starts dancing. I could not figure out how other people in Second Life were dancing until I asked another person how to dance. And when she explained to me how to dance I was still a little puzzled. I said to myself why don’t you just walk up to the person similar to how you would in a real club and start dancing with them. However, if you don’t want to dance with the other person then have a conversation first and then start dancing with the person. That way if your not feeling the vibe of the other person you can simply walk away. And this is similar to the way that people act on the dance floor today.

After reading the article I agree with Lynn Hershman when she says, “Therefore perceptions are the drive to action that influences, if not controls, real events. Perceptions therefore become the key to reality.” I believe that perception and interactivity require one another. Users have their own perception of what’s going on in the world today. People also have to interact with the world every day. Today’s society has to interact with their environment, systems, networks, symbols, and media. Subsequently, due to all the information that is being thrown at individuals today it is hard for people to cypher all the symbols and meanings of objects. And depending on their perception of reality, it will help them determine how much control they have over their life. due to the users lack of identity. So in retrospect the question comes up again on how much control do users really have?