After logging in to ActiveWorlds I accidentally caught a glimpse of my avatar and was shocked to discover that I was ugly. I wandered around for a while and discovered that there were quite a few people who looked exactly the same and few, if any, of them were communicating. Fellow virgin, cheapskate ActiveWorldonians?
While wandering I pondered Adam's question about the differences between regular IM programs and the 3D environment. It seems to me that a better question would be to find the similarities. They are very different. They both allow a person to communicate however IM doesn't allow a person to get lost in the fantasy of creating a whole new persona complete with name, hairdo and funky clothes. The 3D environment allows a person to be less inhibited, to try new things, behave in ways they wouldn't be comfortable behaving in the physical world without huge consequences. Its a form of escapism. IM programs are great for everyday use. I think they're used in a different way with different purposes to a 3D environment. IM is generally used between people who already know each other as a form of basic communication. It doesn't allow for body language or any form of visual communication.
Apparently its possible to play games, chat with strangers and morph to different worlds. My attention span doesn't allow for all that carry on. Call me old fashioned but I'd still prefer to speak to solid, physical people. I appreciate the attraction of these different worlds for some people but I really don't have enough time to explore them in depth. Maybe in another life!
So, where might this 3D application lead us you ask. Well its an interesting question and honostly I don't know the answer. Perhaps we'll end up with square eyes and permanently attatched to a computer via a portal in our belly button, slowly evolving into computers ourselves.
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