Disruptive technologies come out of nowhere and obsolete existing technologies. Thornburg (n.d.) explains disruptive technologies as being on an evolutionary path, but another technology comes on the scene and obsoletes the prior technology because it has other qualities that make it better. Second Life is a disruptive technology because has found a market in providing free, engaging and innovative ways to allow people to meet and interact in educational, business and social settings. It has had the potential to displace other technologies such as teleconferencing or distance learning technologies. However, even after almost 10 years of existence, I do not believe that Second Life has actually obsoleted those technologies. What it is threatening to displace are real life social relationships.
I suspect that Second Life has not displaced other technologies because it is not as user-friendly as it needs to be to attract new users. It is certainly easy to use for a young, digital native who has spent a great amount of time in the virtual worlds of video gaming. However, a digital immigrant like me will find the experience much more challenging. Although I made a Second Life account a year or so ago, I found the experience to be rather frustrating and so I never investigated it any further. My interest in Second Life has been revived with this assignment and I am reminded of those prior frustrations as I “learn to walk and fly” and explore the virtual world. Here is my avatar, Fiorentina Nicoletti, as she explores St. Peter's Basilica today. She was teleported there from Luxembourg City.
Second Life has been in existence since 2003. Its population is estimated to have reached approximately 15 million by 2008 and 20 million in 2011. This apparent growth in registered users is thought not to represent the actual numbers of concurrent users, which appears to be on the decline from 62, 000 in 2009 and 54,000 in 2010. It appears that Second Life has not sustained its popularity for the masses nor taken on the same mass popularity as social networking has seen with Facebook. While it appears to have a level of success and popularity with a particular crowd and certain institutions, in my opinion, the depth of its impact has not been as disruptive as that of Facebook.
The Forward 150 Timeline states that by 2020 “People will spend a large amount of time in virtual reality worlds.” What I found to be particularly startling is that they predict that the virtual reality may come to mean more to some people than their true reality. I see this as both a blessing and a curse. According to Second Life inventor, Philip Rosedale, there is great appeal in having a second life because it helps participants see the potential of the many things that could be possible as reality in their real lives. For example, someone who might be afraid to try something in real life will have the courage to try and be successful in his virtual life. This gives him the courage to change his real life. I also think of people who are geographically isolated or physically impaired. Involvement in a virtual world allows them to participate in activities in which they could not participate in their first lives. While this can be an enriching experience for some people, it can also be a curse for others who become more involved in their virtual lives than their first lives. My research on Second Life was filled with examples of how Second Life also brought out the dark and evil sides of people, which is not surprising given the anonymity of the environment. A recent film called Life 2.0 investigated this phenomenon.
The social implications of Second Life in education are exciting. While the popularity of this technology might not catch on with the general public, I believe it is a ripe opportunity for educational organizations. We already see the use of distance education and teleconferencing in school organizations. The ability to create virtual classrooms in which a diverse group of people can learn together in an engaging environment that promotes creativity and innovation is promising. Our schools are filled with digital natives who crave more engaging and relevant learning experiences. The digital 3D experiences of video games, the social context of instant messaging and collaboration of Facebook, Skype and Google Docs are part of our students’ lives outside of school. By not using these familiar tools with them in education is like asking our children to take a step back in time. Second Life has the potential to engage students by immersing them in a physical environment that simulates a reality that they would never be exposed to in their regular lives. The ability of students to operate with an avatar has a psychological impact. The learning experience may be far less threatening and have the potential to encourage a greater level of participation for some students who suffer from shyness or lack confidence in front of their peers. Collaboration, creativity, and the ability to differentiate the learning experiences for students could all be embedded into the learning environment for our students as just one more tool to help learning be more engaging and relevant for students.
References
Thornburg (n.d.). Disruptive Technologies. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5260654&Survey=1&47=5568839&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
