Coming of Age in Secondlife – Chapter 6
Nov 4th, 2008 by nmsliwa
Chapter six discussed ‘intimacy’, particularly with that of friendship, sexuality, and love. Boellstorff (2008) suggests that “friendships are the foundation of cybersociality” (p.157). Most of my interactions on Second Life have been with people who I have known in my first life, primarily classmates. However, interacting with these people through their avatars online has given me insight into the importance of friendship in an online world.Boellstorff (2008) says, to some “inworld friendships could be more ‘real’ than actual-world friendships” (p.160).
In chapter six Boellstorff also talks about sexual relationships on SecondLife. According to Boellstorff, “many found sex online deeply meaningful” (Boellstorff, 2008, p.160). The only practical experience of sexuality on Second Life which I have personally observed was at a virtual strip club. Even though the strip club was visually accurate, the actions at the strip club felt very unreal to me. Boellstorff (2008) discussed the “sexual practices” which have evolved in Second Life to mirror those in the real world.
Finally, chapter six disscussed the idea of love in Second Life. According to Boellstorff (2008), “Second Life has fostered a form of intimacy that would probably never have otherwise occurred” (p.170); this statement is in reference to two heterosexual men who carried on a lesbian relationship through Second Life. Boellstorff (2008) describes, though observation of avatars on Second Life, the deep feeling and strong connections that many feel online.I find it difficult to believe that people can actually fall in love online, however I suppose that back in the early 20th century when America was involved in wars and communication was only done through letter-writting, many couples continued relationships through this time-extensive medium. I suppose love can permeate any social structure, however, I do not believe I could genuinely fall in love in SecondLife.