Second Life not as intriguing as real life

Upon exploring the world of second life, I feel like I am warping through tabloids and dark alleys where some sort of virus is out to get me. With all the downloading and searching for objects, second life lacks a purpose. Where in most MMORPGs there is a quest or mission, second life simply exists. There is no incentive to search about in second life, beyond that of your own curiosity. Today, for instance I found several avatar dress-ups and want to do more with them but there is so much more work that needs to be put into making the avatar satisfactorily realistic.