Second Life is indeed a technology that is used to digitally allow people to imagine, create and experience what they want. It is also a tool used for social networking and collaboration in the eyes of numerous individuals that use it solely for this purpose. Second Life was developed in 2003 by Linden Lab and it appears to be the biggest online community to hit the internet. Of course questions have been raised on whether this 3-D technology will displace other technologies and be considered at “disruptive technology”. There is not a ton of research on this topic; therefore I have the knowledge gained from articles and videos on disruptive technology and Second Life to form my own conclusion and answers to the questions above.
“Second Life is a disruptive technology on the level of the personal computer and the Internet” (Nuthall, 2008). I am not too sure if I agree with SL being a disruptive technology on the level of the personal computer, but I do believe that it could be a disruptive technology on the level of the Internet. Second Life is a virtual world, it is a revolution that will prove as that of the Internet. It has changed how some educational institutions operate, how business do business over the Internet, and it does have the same functions as the Internet. The internet is used for the same reasons that the Second Life is used for, the only difference is that is that it is virtual. I have not tried Second Life myself, therefore I cannot conclude whether it operates more effectively than the Internet; however I am certain that it will take a while, if not decades before it makes the Internet obsolete, but anything is possible with several new innovations.
As stated above, it will indeed take several years if not decades before Smart Life takes over the world, therefore it is hard to predict how long Second Life has before it is replaced. In my opinion, it has not replaced too much of anything just yet looking at the lack of research that has been done it and several people that do not have a clue of what it is, or have a clue but fear and avoid using it. It has and will continue to encounter resistance. You have 230,000 users that sign up weekly to Second Life; these are the people that thrive on this new technology; however you have many people that will resist it simply because it is a new technology, virtual, 3-D technology.
From my readings, there are several social benefits of Second Life. It offers space where students can have the experience of being in a group and a community, even if they are not physically present (Nuthall, 2008). SL has shown people what it means to “live” and “interact” and it gives them unlimited freedom to create, have fun, and do business. In my industry, the educational setting, many educators on the K-12 level have not yet jumped on this 3-D bandwagon, however college institutions have and they have had positive feedback on using it in their industry,
References
Nuthall, K. (2008). US: A Disruptive Technology Arrives. University World News .
Other Useful Sources
Second Life: Do You Need One?
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2007/06/28/Second-Life-Do-You-Need-One-Part-1.aspx?Page=2
Second Life and Education
http://paws.wcu.edu/jlebaron/LMSTF/Gollub-2nd.Life.pdf
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