Second Life isn’t really social

Remember Second Life? Yep, the parallel virtual world which was once the frontier of digital marketing for switched-on brands – not to mention the frontier of digital adultery for switched-on cheaters – is an internet-ancient six years old. Techcrunch have just reported on the ongoing popularity of the platform, asserting that it is still the most-used MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), with one million users logging in over the past 30 days. This deck is a good reminder why.

However, the old notion of ‘synthetic virtual worlds’ like Second Life as a vision of the future reminds me of just how big an evolution our social technology has undergone. To me, Second Life is a game far more than a social platform (and a rather clunky, resource-heavy one at that). Yes, there are opportunities for education and discovery, but the avatars encourage a sort of wish-fulfilment anonymity which makes social interaction there feel notoriously inauthentic. And the Linden Dollar virtual currency cements SecondLife as a flash-based simulacrum of the commercial marketplace. It means that most brand activity is based on flogging stuff, rather than any attempt to listen, enter into dialogue, or offer inspiring social experiences.

The currency of social media is passion, independence, originality and authentic social connectivity. It’s a world that actually dissolves the commercial hierarchy between brand and consumer, as we now have something that they want too – our voice. Yes, there are still some cool brand initiatives going on in Second Life, such as NOAA’s virtual tsunami, and it can be a great way in particular to reach out to the gaming community, but most brand activity there is about simply raising visibility than increasing emotional engagement. Frankly, the world of social media is one I much prefer.

Brought into the world on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 and filed under Uncategorized.