Tuesday 14 July 2009

The Ephemeral Nature of Second Life


This is a subject I have been thinking about for some time now and what follows is purely my own opinion based on observations made over the past eighteen months or so of participating in Second Life.

It all began when a favourite sim of mine, the Cetus Gallery District, closed down. Cetus was a place I had discovered as a relative newcomer to Second Life, wandering around, seeing what was what and finding places I liked to visit more than once because they offered something beyond the usual SL “gee whiz” factor. By “gee whiz” I mean places that had all sorts of interesting things to play with or “cool” special effects, but not much more than that. Cetus was a place that had community at its core, with art as the focal point. It was a beautifully designed and well constructed sim and many different events such as concerts, gallery openings and poetry readings took place, giving it life. I felt comfortable going there on my own or with friends, sometimes to listen to the many different musicians who played there or just to relax and view the artworks. My introduction to the art and music scene in SL took place there. It must have been a tremendous amount of work building and organizing everything and Cetus lasted quite a long time by SL standards, having first opened in 2006. However, earlier this year members of the group received a notice from founder Xander Ruttan stating that due to changing real life priorities the sim would have to close if no one could be found to take it over and since then the sim has indeed closed. Unfortunate but understandable.

In the preceding paragraph I used the phrase “long time by SL standards” and I think this is the side of SL with which I am not comfortable or happy. I am sure anyone who has spent any time in Second Life immediately understood what I meant by that phrase and didn’t find it an unusual thing to say. It is true that there is an economic and temporal reality to be found in SL just as in RL so while one may be unhappy when a favourite sim disappears it is easy to comprehend. But it seems that this idea has also become attached to relationships of all sorts. Whatever the kind of relationship – friendship, business or romantic, people for the most part seem to have accepted that these associations are finite and it is naive to expect them to last any substantial amount of time. Of course this is not always so, but it seems to be true in a good proportion of cases. Perhaps it is because Second Life is an intense experience, as if we are all living in dog years; relationships can burn out. People (and I say people and not avatars) can drift into relationships without realizing how strong the feelings can be. Maybe it is because it is not difficult to disappear if you decide you no longer want to be in contact with someone. There is always a new person around the corner with whom you can experiment; it can be easier and more fun to do that rather than “work” at an established relationship. Some people refer to SL as a game, games shouldn’t be work. Games are not “real” as RL is “real”. In some respects SL offers limitless opportunities to try out new things – new characters, new looks, new behaviours, seemingly without the serious consequences you would have in RL. To a certain extent it is because this is a new world and people are acting without an established social infrastructure that is to be found in RL; it is still being created. Even factors such as age, for example, can play a role. People in different age groups may have different expectations of behaviour. And it is hard for people to measure these factors in SL.

When Xander Ruttan informed the group that Cetus was coming to an end he said “our network of friends and business relationships – and fond memories – can endure well beyond Cetus”. That is very true, my experiences of Cetus live on in my heart and mind. That is the beauty, the danger and the power of Second Life, our hearts and minds are touched and irrevocably changed, and that is not ephemeral.

Hibiscus Hastings

9 comments:

  1. What a lovely and touching article. Thank you for sharing your feelings with us.

    -Drax

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  2. Makes me feel a little sad the way things change, I suppose SL allows people to change things on a whim, even down to relationships, luckily there are still people who care about each other and have lasting friendships. You do get attached to things though, and my sadness is our old office in the DMGT building being turned into apartments, that was part of my SL history, luckily I have my photos of those days!

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  3. A very good article but it must be considered that we are all relatively new to the experience of using virtual worlds and interacting with others in this manner. Sims come and go as easily as night follows day and I think the cost of keeping them is often the decisive factor.
    What the future holds for virtual worlds is interesting to speculate. Maybe some sort of universal code of conduct will develop over time, perhaps our expectations will be modified with regard to our online friends.
    Whatever the outcome, it is an exciting time to be in at the ground floor to a concept never before realised and to witness its progress. Boye Jervil

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  4. Hi, nice to see such interesting and thoughtful comments.
    I haven't been over to the DMGT building yet, but I know what you mean, Janey. It was a wonderful and happy time for us and we do have those memories. Funny, isn't it, that buildings in RL get repurposed, and now it is happening in SL.
    Boye, you are right, sims come and go, I am sure it is a matter of economics, again like RL and businesses. Although it makes me sad when one goes, I understand and can accept why it happens. And yes, we are all new to virtual worlds, and they do offer the scope and opportunity to do all sorts of things we cannot do, or at the very least, cannot do as easily in RL. I think eventually some kind of code will develop. A small example of this development can be seen,for instance, when an avatar enters a group of some kind, a meeting or at a club, say. Everyone there says hello by name and the avatar is expected to respond. People need to respect each other and not just go after what they want, no matter what, no matter whom they may hurt. And that is the same in RL. I think it is just a bit easier in SL to ride roughshod over people. But they still get hurt.
    It is an exciting time to be in a virtual world. I enjoy participating in it, even if I am not always happy with certain aspects, and I love to write about it and hear what others have to say. Thank you all for commenting.

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  5. I agree with all that. The best thing about the whole article though was that you were able to use the word "Ephemeral!" That's the first time I've seen it used in print on a blog!

    Well done, Hib!! LOL

    -Drax

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  6. The first time you have seen 'Ephemeral' in print in a blog Drax? it's the first time I've flipping heard of it!! I had to look it up in my dictionary Hib, you two are far too intellectual for me, I hang my head in shame, hehe!!!

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  7. I have to admit I had to go have a rest after coming up with that title. Don't expect to see another one like that for a long time!

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  8. Hibiscus,

    Thank you for your very thoughtful post. When I created Cetus Gallery District in 2006, little did I know that it would be a daily labor of love well into 2009. It was created to be the world's first virtual online urban arts district, with the hopes that people from around the (real) globe would be able to bond in real time around the visual and performing arts. We succeeded beyond our wildest expectations and even won some honors and academic notice. In the process, we found our hearts and lives bound up in a daily administrative grind which - had we known in advance - would have put us off from the endeavour entirely! But gladly, we didn't have a clue. So we threw ourselves headlong into building and running it. And as a result, we founded a community of kindreds from many nations around the world, from Japan to Brazil to Slovakia, Mexico, France, Argentina, Norway, Hungary and the US and Canada -- and many points in between. We were all just looking for a little fun, but discovered something quite profound and life-changing in the process. If that sounds a little hokey, well, I speak from the heart.

    Best to you always - really and virtually - and thank you for keeping Cetus alive in the mind. You were one of the those who intuitively understood its mission from the start. Thanks for all your support and goodwill.

    Xander Ruttan (SL), Founder & Creator
    Cetus Gallery District
    Aaron Collins (RL), California, USA

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