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| Not THE beach but a pretty little spot just the same. Fairweather Beach. |
It's a debate that's been heard on the grid since at least 2006, when I first created my account. How much personal information is too much in a virtual world?
I've heard strong opinions on both sides. Some share every aspect of their first life, including their photos, information about their children, pets, spouses, etc., while others are more guarded, sharing only very basic facts.
I think most people fall somewhere in between.
When I was still a doe eyed newbie, I had a friend (a Scottish biker who swore he was in Hell's Angels,) who started a group for people who looked like their avatar. To join, you had to be vetted by the owners after submitting a photo. They'd commissioned someone to create skins based on the photo (which you paid a hefty price for,) and it was all very strict.
I didn't join.
Okay, full disclosure: I was dating the Scottish guy and the co-owner of this group was a friend of mine. They ended up together and I went full drama queen when I found out, throwing a text based screaming fit on the shores of the beach when I spotted her. I think the beach was called Amore.
I was younger then and prone to fits of drama.
But anyway, back on topic.
In the beginning, I was fiercely protective of my personal information, mainly because of my professional life. I enjoy the freedom my anonymity gives me as I wander around the grid. It works both ways. When I meet someone and they begin sharing pictures, it's really cringey to me. It makes me want to run away screaming "LALALALALALALA" with my fingers in my ears.
Seriously, I don't want to know.
I have noticed that some who are okay with freely sharing also wear it like a badge of honor. They state they have nothing to hide, don't believe in keeping secrets, you get the idea. And that's cool, if that's your thing, but I kind of feel like they're missing the whole point of Second Life. To me it's the chance to experience a life that's different from your reality.
Second Life can be different things to different people and we can coexist peacefully.
But if you send me your "first life" photo, don't expect to get one in return.
How much first life do you want in your Second Life? Are you guarded with personal information? Let me know below!
We'll talk again soon. Ya'll have a great weekend!
1 comment:
Terrific post, Mahala! I agree with you on all this. The first thing, which you basically said is, "You do you," there's room for everyone to make their own choices on this. Whatever works for them... works for them!
Having said that, I do kind of feel like you, a bit cringy, when someone sends me their FL photo. It's not exactly a "bad" thing, it's just that I don't really go there. For me, and again, "different strokes for different folks," I feel like the Virtual World is really good at Virtual stuff, and the Physical World is really good at Physical stuff.
If I want to talk to friends on three different continents, or throw rubber frogs at them, the Virtual World wins! If I want to fly, the Virtual World wins. If I want to have sex or play basketball, the Physical World wins.
Give that, if I'm not in SL for FL dating -- and I realize some people are, but I'm not -- then what do I care about your FL? What matters is who you are, how you are, and how we interact, in this magical virtual world of ours. If we're not planning to meetup in FL for sex or basketball, what do the particulars of your FL matter? It's just how we can experience SL.
I do think that you can never hide your true self. You don't have to tell me anything about your FL, nor I tell you anything about mine, and we will still "reveal" a lot about who we are by how we exist in SL. Not so much physical details like age or weight or style of dress, but emotional details like how we respond to things and our world views and ideologies.
Thanks for the thoughtful post, Mahala! Have a nice weekend!
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