Second Life addiction vs. Facebook addiction

Before I explored Second Life, I had a much harsher opinion about Keiko and her music career. From what I saw on Truelife, Keiko was addicted to playing her music in this weird, on-line cartoon website and she was afraid to play the songs that she wrote in real life. Because I had never even heard of the website, I almost discredited it instantly. After spending time on Second life, I now have much more respect for its’ users and their addictions.

After much contemplation about what to blog on this week, I found an article entitled “10 Sure Fire Signs That You’re Addicted to Second Life.” It is so much easier for me to decide if someone is addicted to this website because I am not. When I was asked to identity my own addiction to Facebook, the addiction concept is somewhat construed. I blame my Facebook usage on boredom and procrastination. I am confident that the Second Life users would say the same thing. They don’t need Second Life, they are not addicted, and they may claim that the websites absence would make no difference in their life. Much like in Alcohol Anonymous steps, admitting that you have a problem just may be the first sign to recovery for these addicts.

I will not discuss all of the ten signs but I must say that a few of them were especially interesting or stood out for me as a person not involved in this online world. The abbreviation for Second Life is SL and many of the users then refer to real life as RL. They talk about how SL users think about right clicking on people in RL to learn more about them. They talk about how they think about getting somewhere faster in RL by clicking up to fly there. They talk about their constant comparison of RL to SL. Is this so bizarre? Have I ever compared something in real life to something on Facebook? Is it easier to get to know someone when their entire life, interests, occupations, and pictures are laid out for me on a screen in front of me? Only if they are honest about it all, right? When put into a perspective like this it’s no wonder that on-line dating is so popular. It seems so much easier and quicker and less nerve racking.

Another one of the signs is if ”you believe that the tall leggy big-breasted blond chick you met last week in SL is actually tall or leggy or big-breasted or blond or a chick.” The difference between Facebook and SL is that in Facebook world, although it may be photoshopped or more flattering that in real life, you at least see a photograph of who you’re talking to. In SL you can make your avatar look however you want. It’s like a super photoshop. I think that addiction to Facebook and Second Life are similar in their form but it is easier to form a more intense addiction quickly to Second Life.

See-ya Scrabulous!

Even though I have never played Scrabble on Facebook, it is one of my favorite board games. Last week, it suddenly disappeared from everyone’s favorite social networking site, Facebook. The game was created by Facebook, entitled Scarbulous and obviously an interpretation of the sixty year old board game. This brings about the blur of ownership rights on the internet. When is it okay to steal, copy, or reproduce in face to face communication? Are those guidelines the same on the internet? What was interesting to me is that the game can still be played on a Scrabulous website but not on Facebook. I know that Facebook did use the application and therefore was sued but why is it allowed to produce revenue for the Scrabulous creator on another website? Is it because it is not bringing in as much money on its’ own? The rules, laws, and even norms are just so gray online sometimes. Facebook has another Scrabble application that was created by Hasbro, the owners of the game but users do not find it as fun.

It is so weird to even think that Facebook began as a regular, basic social network. With an application, bumper sticker, and game for just about every person out there, Facebook has become a huge phenomenon that has exploded in the last few years. The article I read said that a half of a million people logged on to this Scrabulous game every single day. How do people have so much time to play games on a social networking site? Are half of that half million people at work while they log on to play imitation Scrabble? It is so ironic that all of these games and applications are fun and addictive but still aim to communicate with other people in the network. Facebook creators and designers are smart.