Second Life Interview

1. Digital Ethnography:
Corcosima at its Prime-a
Grecia Villa
Username: gracebuggg
By: Grecia Villa (Gracebuggg)
ARE 494/ Mary Stokrocki/ Apr.16,2017

2. Ethnography- a process and product of everyday
documentation of human society. An ethnographer may live among a
group of people and study them. This is the systematic recording
of human cultures that describes their way of living.
Digital Ethnography-describes the process of using
new technologies to do research in a digital space. This
environment may contain social relations, everyday behavior
patterns of a group of people, and intellectual geographies. The
field site may be composed around a network that allows cultures
to gravitate towards each other.
Resource: http://cyborganthropology.com/Digital_Ethnography

3. Stage 1: Data collection is known as internet storage that
starts by formally e-mailing, chatting with friends, going
shopping and selling their products. While doing this on Second
Life, avatars learn about each other, write personal stories,
and build a virtual world. Basic surveys or prequestionnaires
are the easiest to set up online for interaction.
Stage 2: Content Analysis is when data is categorized and its
significance is recorded as patterns or themes. As participants
explore on SL and their data, they can write theoretical notes
to themselves to store in their online inventories. People can
later interpret their results by interpreting their deeper
meanings. This process consists of coding data and putting them
into concepts. Collaborators can store SL screen shots on a
website, wiki, or Flickr® and researchers also can write notes
on SL notecards to store in their inventories.
Stage 3: Comparative Analysis is a process of constant
comparison of our data with cases studies of similar
artists/teachers, related experts, technical models, and
learning theories that relate to acquiring these complex
learning skills. One type is examining different sessions and
participants within a group and a second type is external with
comparisons of outside studies or cyber worlds.

4. Research Questions:
1. What artwork forms and
methods do they use?
2. What does their artwork
mean-Expressions?
3. What are their Art
Preferences?

5. My emotional reaction was feeling at peace, quiet, and tranquil. I did not
see any other avatars as I was walking around this location. The community
sits on bright green land surrounded by a body of water. The town also
includes other buildings isolated from one another by trees. This gallery
fascinated me because of the art hanging all around me while I walked
through Corcosima. The site plan is a tiny town with an open floor plan.
The gallery has a door-less entrance with an abstract patio of broken
pieces and a blue exterior. The tall building has a transparent window roof
top and is surrounded by enormous brick walls that display Voom’s
photographs. In between, you see Voom’s sculptures on the patio either
moving or making a statement somehow.
Context and Atmosphere:
Corcosima Gallery, Second Life, at Chilbo
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chilbo/27/119/127
Minerva’s Ibis
Prim Sculpture
Corcosman Voom

6. Artist:
Corcosman Voom
Corocosman Voom is an older tan
male dressed in a relaxed but
yet professional manner on SL.
I sent out a message on a chat
happening at the Non-Profit
Commons. Voom responded, sent
me a link to teleport to his
destination, and was willing to
be interviewed. He is now
retired in the real world, but
started Second Life 9 years
ago. I chose him because he was
willing to explore his gallery
with me and asked me questions
along the way about my SL
experience.

7. Data Collection
[15:21] Gracebuggg: Why do you make it on
Second Life? What are the benefits in being
involved in this gallery in your opinion?
[15:23] Corcosman Voom: Well, for
instance...... this piece I could never do
in Real Life : )How would I get it to change
colors like that? I'd not have a clue.
[15:25] Corcosman Voom: The photos started
with a weekly contest I am still involved
with......I can take you to that gallery later if you like;(used parcel/ tier/....)
………………………………………
[15:56] Gracebuggg: Nice. What is in front of us?:)
[15:56] Corcosman Voom: More stuff out of my Inventory
[15:57] Gracebuggg: You built these too?
[15:57] Corcosman Voom: The little "wire" sculptures I sort of copied from
pictures on the web
[15:58] Corcosman Voom: The other thing is also just cubes..... scripted to change
color and transparency at random
[15:58] Corcosman Voom: It looks sort of like 1950's modern art painting to me.
[15:59] Corcosman Voom: But it changes all the time : )
[16:00] Gracebuggg: Wow! So you took pictures from web and made it your own? I
absolutely think the cube one reminds me of Joseph Albers! But modernized. Very
cool. May we take a screenshot standing there together?
[16:00] Corcosman Voom: This is all pretty old fashioned these days in Second
Life...... the vogue is for mesh.....the textures look so much better and you can
make smooth curves
[16:03] Corcosman Voom: This is why I joined Second Life.....I was fascinated by
the idea that anyone could build in 3D and the only limit is the imagination

8. Content analysis
What is your
name?
What are the
benefits of SL?
What is title of
artwork?
Why make it?
How?
SL Collaboration? Question:
Have you made
money on SL?
Corocosman
Voom
He claims of being
more outgoing in real
life due to the social
aspect of SL. He meets
many people from all
around the world.
Dance 5/ Kinetic
sculpture that looks
like it’s dancing/
scripted to change
color and move back
and forth in a circle/
SL digitally built
He’s a part of New
Citizens and helps
new and old users. At
LEA (Linden
Endowment of the
Arts), he’s a liaison
between the
committee that runs
the sims and the
artists that build on
them. He is also a
part of the Group that
hosts the Photo hunt
contest.
He used to make a
fair amount of
money on SL. He
made enough to
cover Premium
membership and the
tier costs for this
parcel.
This was my favorite artwork. Voom’s
interpretation made sense to me, and the
expressive colors made a memorable statement .
Its position and scale on the patio gives visitors a
warm welcoming as they enter the gallery.

9. Comparative Analysis
On SL, Corcosman Voom is a
photographer and sculptor.
For his photos, he travels
through this virtual world
and captures scenes that
interest him. He takes
generally realistic
photographs of landscapes and
animals on second life, and
also builds abstract-like
prim sculptures. These are
shown at the Corcosima
Gallery which is the only
gallery he owns. On SL, he is
able to compose a picture
with no processing like
Photoshop. He has entered his
work in contests.
In real life, he used to draw
and do watercolors, but calls
himself strictly amateur. He
enjoys the art on SL that he
claims he couldn’t possibly
build in real life (such as
his sculptures).

10. Voom is a part of the Group that hosts the Photo hunt weekly contest. He stared
doing this shortly after he joined. He also skipped it for a couple of years
but then returned. Voom explained how usually every Wednesday and every other
Monday there is a host who sends everyone to the same location. Contestants get
an hour to take a picture with no outside modifications, and enter it for a
chance to place. He showed me the previous night’s pictures from the Sci-Fi
Convention. Older photos are also up on the side walls. He has placed in the
contest quite a few times and enough to keep him interested.
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA3/54/235/42
Comparative Analysis

11. Comparative Analysis
Research by Mary Stokrocki, Project New Media Literacies (NML), and Joe
Sanchez elaborate on how educators and learners can use media to help with
the process of learning. Stokrocki refers to this media as Second Life,
which is a multi-literacy communication device that allows students to
create avatars and search for art treasures. They may interview SL artists,
chat in meetings at organizations, and document information that may be
useful for their own experimental research. Unlike the others, Stokrocki
drills on the impact Second Life has on teachers, education, and students
through Multi-literacy skills. In the NML project, students are encouraged
to join a virtual community to further understand the new media literacies
and integrate them into their learning environment. Some of the resources
used in NML are the Learning Library and strategies for using the tools,
approaches, and methods of Comparative Media Studies into the English and
Language Arts classroom. Media is evolving, this project encourages a
diverse community to contribute and discuss the challenges of this new
learning culture. As young people reflect on media, they acquire important
skills in teamwork, leadership, problem solving, collaboration, and
brainstorming along the way. What differentiates this from Stokrocki’s
creation are the steps to how to build a learning challenge. Like
Stokrocki, Sanchez claims that avatars may venture off to educational
settings and learn from their peers through digital storytelling. Role
playing, community engagement, and working with teens. These steps are
broken down for people to refer to when guidance is needed. These
researches claim that technology is a part of our present day culture and
can be used aside teachers instead of against them.

12. SL Conclusions
During my experience on Second Life, I’ve explored the processes
environments, and mannerisms of an avatar. After flying, sitting on
buildings, and visiting impeccable destinations, I have found a new
and improved appreciation for this virtual world. At first I was very
impatient, confused, and stuck as to how I was going to learn on my
own. These feelings are similar to a teacher’s first year of teaching,
am I right? With the help of my peers and friendly strangers, I’ve
analyzed and interpreted art work of various forms and cultures. As my
journey comes to an end, I realize how beyond interesting and sort of
‘fun’ it was to explore a new art world. This digital game is a great
example of how people can connect from all over the world.

13. SL References
• http://maps.secondlife.com/seco
ndlife/LEA3/54/235/42
• Resource:
http://cyborganthropology.com/D
igital_Ethnography
• SLURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/seco
ndlife/Chilbo/27/119/127