Mary Panttaja

The research has begun. And where did it lead today? To Second Life—that otherworldly place where people talk, do business, learn, meet to play, listen to music, and create art.

After reading a series of articles on Second Life, I went to sign up only to learn that the first thing I had to do was choose a name that can not be changed. Suddenly, I was stuck. Choose a new name for yourself? this was going to take more than the time usually spend on choosing a login/user name. It seems important. It took 20 minutes of research and thinking to come up with a first name only to discover that I had to choose a last name from a list—okay that was weird, to have to build an identity from a small subset of name choices. Who can you be? Who do you want to be? I focused on how it sounded with the first name, trying to create something that could roll of the tongue.

The decision making process and the pause it caused generated a basic change in my relationship to Second Life; suddenly it was important; it meant something. This engagement was increased when I had to choose an avatar. (Okay, I can change this later.) But suddenly I had to think about the style I want portray. What did I want people to see? And I’m not stuck with any existing genetic or historical baggage. I can look like anything.

Okay, that’s the interesting news—that I was surprised by the engagement created just by signing up. The bad news is that I can’t get in. I’m not yet sure why, but I think it has to do with the speed of my connectivity. I can see the enticing entry scene—but no dice.

So the potential of the experience seems more compelling than I expected, though the technology hasn’t come through for me yet. I expect that it will.

More when I get there.