I found this article to be very very interesting, I never really looked to much into the term avatar, and the first time I really created was over xbox, and it was in a joking funny way to play with my friends. I never know that this was very serious and so intricate to many people. Avatars for people online basically portray who they are, or in true terms, who they want to be. An avatar can be created and edited from top to bottom, I had no idea about how serious it was! I learned that to many people their avatar is the dream of what they want to be, and how they want themselves to seem in this online world. What I also learned is there is places online that are created as well, cities and towns that allow an avatar to stroll through as if it is real life. I found it very useful to know that with these avatars in these towns, they come to be so realist! You will find in the native 2nd world, that they go by the norms that we in this world do, as it said in the article "avatars use swimming costumes in environments that appear like beaches but not in shops...." So its not like the world is turned completely upside down, I personally thought thats how it would be, I think that its kind of cool that people are allowed to create their own online person and live in a very interesting online world. But with that being said, I still stand behind the fact that people still find the best way of communication through face to face interaction.
-Sorry for the font mix-up!
Is it just me, but when I think of the word “avatar,” I think of that little known Jame’s Camerson movie. It’s a shame it didn’t do well… ;)
ReplyDeleteOkay, really. I think I am just to old to understand the appeal of 2nd world. I have watched some documentaries on the subject, read articles, and even heard it talked about in public…in a historic Hollywood music venue that I would visit on a regular basis. I understand to the 2nd world community, avatars and 2nd life are real and genuine; therefore I would never dismiss the importance of the topic to those individuals. But as for myself, the appeal escapes me. When I think of 2nd life, I think of sitting at home, by one’s self, void of any real tangible relationships…to me that sounds so sad. It truly leaves me with emptiness.