Since tomorrow is the last day of our class, I felt that it would only be right to save my last blog for a reflection of the class itself and the experiences I have had. At the beginning of the course I was so confused about how everything we were supposed to be doing would somehow relate to our exploration of Second Life and the tools we had to use to log our experiences. However, once I attended more classes and became more familiar with the programs we would be using, the purpose and goal of the class became evident. The readings we were assigned really let us know what we should be looking for in our Second Life communities, this included how the community works and if it serves as a cosmopolitan canopy. Like many of us have already voiced, I was new to the online community and had never been required to be a part of it for any other class. At first I was very skeptical, but after a few trips into Second Life I found out that anything was possible in the virtual world and by using this as an educational tool, I would be learning a new way of communicating with people. Also, in Second Life I learned a new way of observing people and their environment. Not only has this class helped me develop a new found respect for people who reside in virtual communities, but it has really changed my perspective on human interaction in First Life as well.
This past weekend my group has met several times to work on our presentations. While discussing what we needed to include in the showcase of our findings, it became evident that I wasn’t as prepared to put all this information together as I thought I was. First, I lost some of the interviews I had conducted because of technology. I could vaguely remember what the people said but it would have been nice to have direct quotations to use for our presentation. Second, I realized that I needed to be utilizing the screen shot tool and sound clip application in Tagpad. The pictures and sound from the island all enhance an outsider’s perception of the island and how it works. The music is a symbol of the relaxed atmosphere of the island. Also, the pictures we have already taken display the public vs. private areas of the island. For this project, my group decided that it would be best to take all of the suggestions our class came up with and put each one into our class presentation. We are creating a Prezi and including a video clip of all our screen shots and the music playing on the island, striking interview quotes from the people we befriended on the island, our focus of study, and a Wordle. Our hope is that by including all of these tools into our presentation, everyone in the class will be able to get a sense of how the people in the virtual Seychelles community communicate and form a Cosmopolitan Canopy of their own.
The focus area our group decided upon was how the private and public behaviors among the Seychelles residents were connected and what the boundaries of public life consist of. From the surveys I have conducted so far, I have been able to get a general sense of how the community on this island operates.
It was explained to me that some of the people that come here have the intentions of participating in virtual sexual activity. My interviewee stated that for my purpose of gathering more information through surveys, it was better for me to visit during the day instead of at night because there is no moderation in the evening hours.
The fact that people come here for these reasons is like general knowledge and the people on the island do not find these actions offensive as long as these behaviors are conducted in a private area. I asked several people what actions would be considered offensive and I got two similar answers. One said the lack of conformity to society and not acting like you do in First Life. I took both of these to mean that although we create avatars to hide our identities and play different roles outside of First Life, there are still common courtesies that we must give to the other people on the island. If you are rude in First Life, you will not generally be liked by others; the same goes for the island.
This idea of day vs. night stems from the statement about a lack of moderation. Sometimes I go into SL to just observe, during the morning and evening hours. I have found that there are different groups that gather during the day and the evening. Also, the people that gather on the island that are not modestly dressed, tend to appear on the island late at night. This has led me to believe that the majority of promiscuous activity occurs at night rather than during the day. However, I think I need to conduct a few more interviews before I can be certain.
Between Shadow and Light 