SLife and Times: Fake or Cheating

By Tiddily Winks

    There are many people who come on Second life for many reasons.  Some people think that if a person is having intimate dates on Second Life, then they are cheating on their real life mates.  Other people think that Second Life is just fake. Inquiring minds want to know what you think.  Is SL intimacy outside a marriage fake or cheating? 

    Many people come on Second Life to be intimate with others they have met online.  These people may be in a real life relationship as well.  This is kept secret by some of the people who play intimately on SL but is not kept from the real life mate all the time.  It is something the person needs to choose to do but may hide the fact that what they are doing may be wrong.  This may be done because of a lack of intimacy in his or her real life.  This may be done because of fantasy that a real life relationship does not fill.  Whatever the reason, it is up to the person on Second Life to talk to his or her real-life mate.  It is not something that is necessarily a good thing to hide.   Still some people use SL as stress reliever.  It can be relaxing to come on SL and reduce the stress that real-life causes.  It is also used to live out fantasies that are not possible to live out in real life. 

    Some people do not have contact with others much in the real world due to different reasons.  So the people like this use Second Life to meet people and have a social life.  Because they are not able to for whatever reason they have in real-life, this is a way to meet some great people.  SL is how some people socialize. 

    Some people think that everything on Second Life is fake.  “All of it is if fake and pixels.”  If it is so fake then why do so many people use it for different reasons?  Yes, it is true that most people do not look like that avatars do in real life but SL is a way of getting away for your issues in real-life.  So why would anyone want to look like themselves to come and do someone that is not real?

    No matter what people use Second Life for, there is one important thing to always remember.  No matter what, there is still a real person who is behind the screen that can be hurt by things that are done on SL.  So don’t purposely go around hurting people just because you do not agree with what they do or how they look.  If you are in a real life relationship, do not try to hide Second Life from your significant other.  It may just cause trouble for you later on.

Tiddily Winks

A Question of Uniqueness

I recently had a conversation with a close friend in Second Life about what makes one unique in Second Life. This got me wondering. How do others see the issue. So I posed the following question on Facebook: "How important to you is being unique, and what defines it? Your avatar? Your clothing? Your land and builds? Your occupation? Your personality? Some other quality?"

There were a number of responses:

 Muertos Okawa (muertos.ashbourne): I am who I am. It's kinda nice to know that Second Life offers so many choices that I can truly make my avatar unique and can setup my little corner of the SL world the way I want to.

Gina Gracemount: I think its personality too. We are all unique and I think that's important; in real life and Second Life. Being true to yourself and to others no matter what role you choose to play inworld.

Kazumi Hikaru Kohaku (jamestkirk2323) : I am who I am, but it's how I dress and hold myself. My land is just a part of me, and my Second Life family and friends are the big thing that makes me unique.

Willow Leafstorm (zoelass): I think for me it's the whole enchilada. I am Willow Leafstorm and fairly well recognized in Steelhead. Some people have said it just isn't Willow without the wings. There are a lot of components that set me apart such as owning the Green Fairy Cabaret, being part of Steelhead as one of its Council Members and of course being a DJ for Krypton Radio plays a big part. Clothing has very little to do with it since I am always changing out my outfits for different shows and dances.

Charlotte Williams: Everyone is unique in their own way. I think the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' rings so true in Second Life as everyone finds different looks to be attractive to them. I think even if you had an identical avatar to someone else, like others said, it's your personality that sets you apart, as well as your background, nationality etc. The things that make you unique in real life are what makes you unique in SL.

Beryl Strifeclaw: I like playing characters which is what got me into Second Life, but I've found places to just be me too and that was really nice.  So those two polar opposites are why I'm in SL. 







Bain Finch: I'm with Zoe, "the whole enchilada." I would like to add since my avatar skin that was tweaked for me and a shape reflect the real-life me, that SHOULD make me unique. 









Wesley Regenbogen: Well, my avatar is made like the real life me, so ... Also, I like being a virtual journalist for SL Newser and like to write. Since I have a virtual home near the SL Newser building, I feel at home, virtually, of course, there. By the way, my Second Life name is : Wesley Regenbogen and in real life my name is Wesley Rouwoos, so it all is connected to real life, I guess.




So what do you the readers think? What do you think makes one's identity in Second Life?

Bixyl Shuftan