Second Life

Second Life is a free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using free voice and text.  I would consider Second Life as a disruptive technology because it replacing real human interactions through avatars. According to Nuthall, “There is, however, a key difference between virtual world and the standard web – even flashy sites with lots of graphics – and that is they allow the user to insert a representation of themselves into a digitized environment, and interact with the sights and sounds they witness, including other computerized beings”(2008,para 6). I do believe that is still an emerging technology Second Life because it not as popular as Facebook.  One of two things will happen, Second Life will become an emerged technology or someone will develop something similar that will spark the interest of a mass of people. According to Nuthall, “information technology academics especially are exploring how they can use virtual worlds to teach and train students, conduct simulations and role-play, stage discussions and even conduct experiments”(2008,para 4).  I do believe that Second Life can be an excellent tool for role-playing, and conduct simulations for students because the real world environment can be duplicated. The implication with Second Life is that people can portray themselves to be someone their not, which can be dangerous if someone has a bad intent.

Nuthall, K. (2008, January 20). US: A disruptive technology arrives.Http://www.universityworldnews.com/. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20080117162121373