The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Technology and its tools have impacted the lives of people worldwide. Every so often, a form of technology emerged without direct planning. This technology is often referred to as disruptive in nature. Dr. David Thornburg, in the Laureate 2009 video, said, “New technologies are always susceptible to unanticipated ‘wild cards’ disruptive technologies”. He further reiterated that second life is a disruptive technology to real life. As a disruptive technology, second life functions the same way as the technology it is replacing, but with improved features. This improved features focused on three dimensions or 3D development. An example of Second Life is James Cameron’s 2009 movie, Avatar, which is shown in 3D. AVATAR TRAILER Second life, I believe, replaces virtual reality. Philip Rosedale, in the TED video, said, “Second Life virtual worlds are a lot like the Internet in the early 90s today: everybody is very excited”. He further said, “Just replace the words ‘Second Life’ with the ‘Web’, and ‘virtual reality’ with ‘Internet’. The Internet was in existence before the World Wide Web (WWW), but the two cannot be separated. Second Life is an improvement on virtual reality or virtual world. Like any other emerged technology, whether disruptive or not, Second Life will have its limited existence. It may not be replaced totally, but may be enhanced like it did the concept of virtual reality. With the constant improvement in technology, I think that Second Life may see a ‘wild card’ disrupting its existence maybe in the next 3 – 5 years. What name may be given to that improved virtual world technology is not sure, but it probably may be known as ‘Third Life’. Technology has its benefits, and Second Life is no exception. As a social 3D media, it assists in the improvement of social skills among its participants. As Eryn Grant, a PhD student in Queensland University of Technology’s School of Humanities, said, “Social Life, an online social interface, allows people to interact socially and economically in a 3D virtual space”. She further said, “It is like an extension of who we are as social beings, you go to work, see your family, and log on to either Second Life, Facebook, MySpace and it is just about reaching out even more – who does not want to feel connected after all?” In the field of education, the industry in which I work, Second Life also has its impact. Koffman and Clinger (2007) said, “In an educational context, Second Life has the potential to provide rich and engaging learning experiences for students to include discovery, investigation, and creation” (p. 351). At my workplace, this virtual world tool is not being used, but talks among the English Language Arts department are currently underway. Hopefully, this may result in an introduction to virtual technology, not just in that department, but throughout the school. Reference Avatar Movie Trailer HD 3D. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTkw4Fdtsjo Coffman and Klinger (2007). Utilizing virtual worlds in education: The implications for practice. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 35. Retrieved from http://www.waset.org/journals/waset/v35/v35-64.pdf Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html. Science Daily (2008). Science News: Second life improves real-life social skills. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717210838.htm Thornburg, D. Disruptive Technologies. Laureate Education Inc. (2009).