Discussion yesterday! - Alienation is served!

LnL had a full house once again (thank you to all who attended, you were great!), for yesterday's discussion. The topic chosen was "Second Life - alienation is served!". Being alienation a form of estrangement from reality, the group started by discussing several sides of being in SL as an "irreal" reality and how much of an impact that had on a false sense of accomplishment. Everyone defended that SL was very much a "real" experience thus contributing to a "real" feeling of going through life.

It was asked to the group whether SL could be a sort of "digital self-medication", considering that the image of power, success, happiness most seem to have in SL often does not have a direct correspondence in Real Life (RL). Some agreed that it could be perceived as such, others disagreed and defended that SL was an extension of their RLs. Another issue discussed was the fact that people tend to be more flexible in what their "values" are concerned. There is a certain sense of freedom in SL making people sometimes act in a different way than they would in RL. Finally, the group spent some time talking about alts and how the existance of alts was a part of a certain alienation from one's self. No one seemed to think that alts would contribute to a sense of alienation. On the contrary, those who had alts stated that they use them to test their creations, to be able to work without any interruption and to experiment with the avatar's image. Many stressed the fact that SL instead of being an "alienation path" for them, it actually helped them get to know themselves better.
As a conclusion, everyone agreed that whether Second Life is the source of alienation or a valuable experience that enriches their lives depends on the way people perceive it and act. Alienation is served, true in many ways, but in so many ways involvement is also served!
Join us next time for a new topic! Hope to meet you at LnL's Lounge!