Virtual Vanity: Sex shopping and reputation in Second Life

Slide 1: virtual vanity: sex, shopping and reputation in Second Life Open Classroom Conference Stockholm 2007 Dr Steven Warburton, King’s College London and Prism(lab) http://prismlab.wordpress.com

Slide 2: … or are they any ethical issues in teaching via Second Life?

Slide 3: what are educators interested in? • learners and addiction (20 posts) • ageplay (41 posts) • appearance and body image (31 posts) • identity (120 posts) • shopping (28 posts) • rape in cyberspace (22 posts) • copying RL in SL (42 posts) • technical difficulties (100+ posts) • teaching issues (250+ posts) Source: drawn from the SLED list archives over a 6 month period

Slide 4: time spent in-world ** • sleeping (2) • study time (2) • the search for something interesting to read or do • this is a depressing question from the NMC SL survey 2007

Slide 5: addiction • “Having set up an island and been poking around SL for a while, I find I am becoming somewhat addicted. What particularly worries me, though is that we are considering actively encouraging students into SL and while we want to provide them with stimulating and engaging activities, I am worried that many will also become addicts - to the detriment of their studies!” Source: SLED list archives

Slide 6: avatars, appearance and identity

Slide 7: looking the part, acting the part “You know I resisted writing this for the longest time but after two educators flew into our island yesterday with their transparent anatomically correct attachments I figured that many people don't know the following: When an SL user is looking at your avatar, if they hold down the option(alt) key, they can see all of your invisible as in attached but transparent attachments. I know it may be inconvenient to put these on and take them off depending on the setting but it is equally upsetting to see someone's transparent bits and pieces flying at me while I am trying to help. Thanks I just ate lunch.” From: SLED list archives 2007

Slide 8: identity confusion • “Alts used in various roleplaying environments, mainly. Funny name combinations that pop up that I decide I MUST have. Escape valve for when I need to escape my 'real' identity in SL.” • “I started an alt account so I could explore without having to be nicey-nice librarian to everyone I meet, and also to explore SL as the opposite of my RL gender (my main av's name is to [sic] feminine to try this with her).” Quotes from NMC survey 2007 on the use of multiple (or alternative avatars)

Slide 9: authentic learners? • what is the effect of identity play and performativity on learning? • in learning do we care if our learners are inauthentic?

Slide 10: immersion, empathy and affect • “Twice I have been attacked. First by a smoke bomb then I was netted. Both of these events bothered me a great deal.” • “On my first say in SL a naked man avatar chased me around with a penis.” Quotes from NMC Survey 2007 on bad experiences in Second Life

Slide 11: empathic learning • if there is an emotional engagement or link to our avatars then … • simulations work well? • but can we really say SL allows us to “experiment without consequences”? • the depth and level of this empathic (or emotional) reaction rests also with prior knowledge and experience?”?

Slide 12: the quality of the learning experience

Slide 13: quality of the learning experience as an ethical issue? • responsibility • accountability • our choice of technology • access, control and experience

Slide 14: a competency framework for Second Life Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Walking Inventory Moving Objects Building Flying Pie Controls Creating Scripting Objects Landing Camera Controls Video/ Editing Objects Sitting Movement Machinima Controls Shopping Teleport Using the Map Textures Appearance Notecard Prims Friendship Opening Boxes Search Chat vs IM vs Shout from: http://www.cxknowledge.com/SL_Levels.html

Slide 15: familiarity and repetition

Slide 16: controlling the learning space, containing communication

Slide 17: cognitive overload

Slide 18: hidden dangers? • “The truth is we cant really force any student to use something if they believe they will be corrupted or something else by the environment.” From: SLED list archives 2007

Slide 19: digging under the shallow surface of Second Life: subcultures and hidden worlds

Slide 20: digital identity

Slide 21: managing digital identity

Slide 22: digital reputation • our avatars form one more aspect of our digital identity • new digital literacies need to include an understanding of digital reputation management

Slide 23: Second Life and value systems

Slide 24: the SL business model • the dominant rhetoric of Linden Labs and SL is one of freedom and dreams based on creation, ownership (limited), buying and selling but • Stephen Downes raises some interesting questions*: – Ownership: “Digital rights we should own! And should be ours! And held by us!” – Scaleability (what if Linden Lab were tasked with producing all the pages of the Internet?) – Interoperability (what does it means – how would it actually work?) – Where is the bottom up shared content? (Second Life is barely more than Web 1.0 never mind Web 3.0) • Stephen asks: “Is this the business model that we have been waiting for in online learning?” *Eduserv Foundation Symposium 2007 http://www.eduserv.org.uk/foundation/symposium/2007

Slide 25: violations of copyright • “Six of Second Life's top brands Eros Designs, RH Designs, Le Cadre Network, Nomine, PixelDolls and DE Designs are filing suit against Thomas Simon (known as avatar Rase Kenzo), and ten other as yet unidentified avatars. The suit was filed in Brooklyn, New York by attorney Frank Taney, a partner with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney who is representing Eros Designs against Volkov Catteneo, for similar copyright violation.” http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/10/27/six-of-the-best-for-copyright-violators http://virtuallyblind.com/2007/10/27/content-creators-sue-rase-kenzo

Slide 26: five ‘observations’ • vanity, identity play and blurring of ‘Real Life’ and Second Life dominates the world of SL • SL runs on a business model antithetical to our educational values at heart SL is a game and as educators try • to control and reinstate power structures the environment diminishes as a space for informal and opportunist learning • the real value in MUVEs in education will be found when ‘Web 2.0’ values are truly embedded in-world • empathy and emotion are key links in the educational process that need to be explored

Slide 27: Dr Steven Warburton e-Learning and ICT Manager School of Law King's College London Strand London WC2R 2LS Research at Prsim(lab) http://prismlab.wordpress.com Personal at Liquid Learning http://warburton.typepad.com Second Life: StevenW Bohm