Feel the city breaking and everybody shaking,
And we’re staying alive, staying alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, staying alive, staying alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, staying alive.
Good Magazine have an article that is rather cheery : Second Life is Staying Alive. The article, penned by Mark Hay, takes a rather sensible, for the most part, look at a little known fact about Second Life, it’s staying alive! Hurrah!
The article deserves credit for the good use of Second Life images for a start. The headline photo features Draxtor Despres, Jo Yardley and the one and only Superflufee (AKA Flufee McFluff)!
The article touches upon a point that is oft missed by people when they wonder why platforms stay alive long past what one would consider their sell by date, the power of communities. The article by Mark Hay does not miss this point :
In truth, Second Life remains quite alive, clocking a million active users per month as of 2013 and up to 13,000 new users ever day. The site may actually have a larger, more stable population as of today than it did at its 2006-to-2008 peak of popularity and respectability. Yet we don’t hear about this continued vibrancy in Second Life, mainly because it’s no longer thought of as a space for general populations to enhance their lives. Instead it has generated a second life of its own as a uniquely attractive hub for globally dispersed subcultures to join together. These groups can create whole worlds that unite them, transcending role-playing and turning their ideologies into a comprehensive society.
Those communities are of course, not to everyone’s taste in Second Life and they are an odd mix, as the article points out :
This allowed the early, rapid development of groups and sub-groups ranging from activists and educators to more alternative and niche identities. As of the end of 2014, some of the most active subcultures on Second Life appear to be: cyberpunks, elves, furries, goreans, steampunks, Star Wars enthusiasts, satanists, wiccans, and various fetish groups.
However the common denominator is that they are all groups of people who find fellow like minded people from all over the world to build their virtual 3D space, hopes, ambitions and dreams with and that’s a very powerful tool.
Continue reading “Well You Can Tell By The Way I Use My Walk I’m From Second Life, With Time To Talk”
