Virtual worlds are social media sites such as Second Life that create a simulated world for the user. In many ways these virtual sites are very much 'real.' Users can create avatars and buy/sell products. People can go to the gym, buy real estate and build developments, in short, it is a life that takes place inside a computer. The article "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You" discusses how there are businesses that make profits selling products in virtual worlds. Stiletto Moody, is a shoe company that designs and sells shoes in the virtual world Second Life. Virtual worlds can be used to promote businesses and create new jobs in the economy. Additionally, Second Life can be used in business training. Businesses can create a simulated scenario in which employees need to resolve a problem. The article "Avatar II: The Hospital" discusses how hospitals can use Second Life to create simulated scenarios to train medical staff on how to treat patients.
Second Life and other virtual worlds do have some cons. People use Second Life as a place to escape the real world. They may not be happy with all scenarios in their lives so they use Second Life as a place to express themselves and develop into what they wish they were. It fosters an environment for people to escape their troubles instead of confronting them.
Something fascinating about Second Life that I wanted to add is that it does promote creativity. People create worlds or scenes in second life that can be very extraterrestrial. A photography professor of mine, Joel Lederer, felt that these environments needed to be documented. He embarked on a project in which he "photographed" (through screen shots) different views of this world in Second Life from different angles. It really showed the creativity of people and how they used Second Life to create fascinating worlds. (His project is titled
"The Metaverse is Beautiful")
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