(Question 7 of 10)
Second Life has had in impact on my real life relationships in two ways. I would have to say that anonymity Second Life provides can foster an environment for self exploration and the opportunity for personal growth that isn’t as easily achieved in the real world. Also the environment of Second Life is based largely on communication be it typed or verbal. As such, I have found that I have become more in touch with who I am and better at expressing myself. This translates into better interaction in real world interpersonal relationships. But at the same time, I have found I tend favor the convenient and immersive interactions with friends in Second Life over telephone conversations or making the effort to go do something with Real Life friends. As a result, I have pulled away from some real life friends and am not as close to them as I once was.
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OMG.. SL has sucked time away from so many tangential relationships.. and I have had to be very aware of the capability to take time away from the ones I consider primary. This place has the potential to make or destroy lives.. which is up to you.
ReplyDeleteI've become an IM and email friend to people I used to be in regular phone contact with (more efficient but less personal in some ways) and thanks to (i think) my ability to pay attention I have found myself in a counselor role in for six in RL and I can't track how many in SL..
And a cool thing is the experience of blogging about SL I've learned some RL skills that I may end up using.