The first chapter of the book Coming of Age in Secondlife mainly focused on explaining how that of a virtual world compares and contrast to that of the real world.  The author explores the Internet site called Secondlife, where he created his avatar, which is “representations of persons in virtual worlds,” Tom Bukowski.  He claims that our reality through secondlife, has actually always been virtual.  He explores the culture that is secondlife, as well as the subcultures that already existin secondlife.  The beginning of chapter 1 mainly focuses on him exploring secondlife and explaining to the readers what it is, what you can do, and how you can do it.  He talks about building his house and exploring his surroundings.  The second part of the chapter goes more in depth about the “virtual worlds.”  How they are an opportunity for social interaction.  He also makes a connection with the term ‘virtual’ and ‘actual.’  He says that sometimes what people see something happening to them or their surroundings in a virtual world, it is just as meaningful to the users as if it happened in their real lives.  The amount of people who spend their social lives online is increasing, and technology needs to follow this movement.

In my opinion, I agree with a lot of things the author says.  Some people in this world are socially challenged or too shy to meet people in person, so they must opt to secondlife to do this.  In secondlife people can be whoever they want and look however they want.  Some people are self-conscience about their appearance, and through secondlife they can change that.  To me however, when I am on secondlife, I look at it as more of a computer game that enables you to interact with people not only through just viewing a written text they send, but by gestures and appearances.  In terms of who I am in real life, I see it as just a fun way to enter a chat room, but would never use it as a means of social interaction.  I prefer to do that in real life.