The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Second Life is a disruptive force in the world of today because it has created a way out for people who prefer not to socialize personally. “Virtual worlds obliterate time and space boundaries imposed by the physical world, enabling us to do what would be impossible — or nearly impossible — in our real environments” (   ). In my industry, building contacts and support people is necessary for incoming professional teachers. Teachers need all the help and guidance they can get when starting their career. When I started as a teacher, I was placed in the classroom and was told to teach. Mind you, I had not had any prior teaching experience and the most I was told to do was to sit in someone’s class for one or two times to get an idea of what is expected. Being able to build a support group by seeing people face to face would really help out an upcoming teacher.

The technology or innovation Second Life replaced was actual face to face conferencing. No longer do we need to be in the same place, country or even time zone. It has created a vast new way of meeting and greeting people through avatars.  The article states “"Virtual worlds and virtual reality will play an increasingly significant role in our personal and professional lives," says the report.  "In a virtual world, people can navigate a conference or other live event through a 3-D experience that enables them to interact with others via avatars"(CSC, 2011). This is basically what Second Life is allowing many people to do from the comfort of their homes.  

Second Life probably have a few more years before technology gets even better and a new form of technology to replace it. I believe virtual worlds will become better in which people will be able to see actual real faces in the virtual world rather than make believe avatars that do not look real. The implications of this in my industry will probably be for classes to be held in this format. We currently have virtual schools, but I am not sure if they have a virtual classroom like Second Life. If it does not currently exist, it won’t be long before it happens. Taking field trips without leaving the classroom is another way this technology could make a big impact in my industry.

Computer Science Corporation. (2011). CSC Digital Disruptions: Technology innovations powering the 21^st century. Retrieved on April 29, 2011 from http://www.csc.com/features/stories/12409-digital_disruptions_technology_innovations_powering_21st_century_business

Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.