Second Life and MUD Discussion

vOur class discussion today involving debates concerning Second Life and MUDs, particularly the relation they provide between virtual life and real life. I, personally, believe that what happens on the internet is in no way a reflection of my real life, particularly concerning my involvement in Second Life. However, I do understand that their are those who consider their time spent on these sites valid and satisfying. Although there is much to be learned and gained from the internet and time on these specific sites, I feel that those who seclude themselves from actual society are missing essential aspects of life: interaction with real life people. This is an important skill, especially when entering a profession. It was brought up by members of the class people who hold high rankings in this interactive sites are typically CEOs of huge companies. However, they do not constitute the entire population of those using these sites. How about those young adults who spend a majority of their time on the internet, interacting through cyberspace? They will not develop the personal communication skills useful for real life. CEOs who participate in these sites have already developed these skills, so they fortunately have nothing to lose in that aspect, perhaps they lose precious free time.

Perhaps my opinion is biased because I am not interested in such interactive sites, other than facebook, and therefore I do not understand the immense connection to them. However, I feel it is unhealthy to spend numerous hours virtually disguising yourself and virtually interacting with others through cyberspace. A majority of the time, I do not take what goes on in cyberspace seriously. What is serious is what I do in real life and how i portray myself in real life. Yet, I understand why an immense number of people see the internet as an outlet, or a way to liberate themselves from the social anxiety they may feel in actual society. I guess this is a two way street and to each is to own.