Second Life, or only life?
What happens when an online persona becomes an individual’s only reality? The story of the ‘romance’ between Dave Barmy, the alter ego of David Pollard and Linda Brinkley (aka Modesty McDonnell). Caused quite a stir when it was widely reported late last year. These Second Lifers turned a relationship between their computer generated characters or ‘avatars’ into a real life affair – disappearing into the virtual sunset, wrecking the lives of their real-life partners along the way.
Is this where we’re headed – forsaking real relationships for an online life? It’s been estimated that users spend an average of just over 56 hours in Second Life per month – that’s nearly two hours per day being someone else. Whilst I like some computer games as much as the next person, I draw a line between playing a game as a character and becoming one.
So let’s invest a lot more time cherishing and developing our important personal relationships and a lot less living an artificial life.
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