Socially|Mundane

Landsend Korobase has written on her blog "Land’s Intersection" a stunning article that perhaps should be required reading on the one-month, six-month and annual anniversary of every Second Life user's first 'rez-day'.

We've all seen it. We've all experienced it. We've all likely created it and we certainly don't like it: 'drama'. Take into account the article I pointed you to yesterday. The one about how social technology is actually ruining our communication and social skills as humans.

Now, apply what you have gleemed from that article, put it into effect, then read Landsend's article and put 1 and 1 together. As for the first, I have been espousing this since my very first Second Life 'drama' experience within a few weeks of my first entry into the virtual world back in Summer, 2006. In fact, 'drama' is the reason I am on my second account now.

I still can't avoid 'drama' sometimes no matter how hard I try. My activities in SL tend to drop me into the middle of drama in the sense that it always is hovering around me like buzzards circle a dying cow in the desert. Of course, one or two always venture to take a dive in to check the status of their target.

In my case, I am the 'figure of authority' so sooner or later, one of the 'drama-queens' will bring me into the fray in an effort to get me to see their side of whatever trivial issue-made-into-a-mountain they are participants of.

Unfortunately for most, I have have training and have practiced as a professional moderator in real life and have many times shown with fact (after a full, patient investigation of things) how they themselves are in the wrong.

Of course, most often the fault can be shared by all parties. The reason? Miscommunication. Miscommunication that is derived on a txt-only method of communicating. No vocal inflection, facial expression, body language... none of it.

I have broken this quote into smaller paragraphs from its original written form for ease of reading here:

Landsend Korobase says: "Play is important for humans, we use it to relax and unwind, we find ways to play that make us laugh and maybe challenge us, but the point of play is that it is enjoyable. If you chose to partake in a form of play which ended up with you effectively cheating on your partner, or sitting in tears every time you did it, or making you feel suicidal, then any sane person would tell you to stop the activity and find some other way to play.

"I have known people in Second Life who do those things and end up in those positions and even hate themselves for it, and yet they log in again and again. Just stop logging in damnit - find some way to play that doesn’t harm you - if you can’t play Second Life without ending up worse than where you started, then get another hobby.

"If a friend loved playing hopscotch but every time they played it they scrapped their knees and ended up screaming at their fellow players, wouldn’t you tell them to stop playing the game?"

What Landsend says here is profound and huge. The entire article is seriously worth a serious read, seriously.

I've never known of her blog "Land’s Intersection", tagged as "Landsend Korobase’s Second Life Blog" - I like her writing style and I especially like those blogs that look at serious issues as well as the diatribe. I think I'll have to plop her into my NetNewsWire subscriptions manager.

As for the article Landsend writes: Sometimes, truth hurts.

It really does.

via Land’s Intersection