An article in the Wall Street Journal today reports that some companies, not content with creating virtual “presences”, are now even starting to do job interviews in Second Life.
The more I read about Second Life, the more I wonder what’s wrong. On the one hand, Second Life gets great coverage in the press and seems to have good word of mouth. For example, whenever someone asks about Second Life over at LinkedIn Answers, the responses tend to be very positive. On the other hand, I don’t know a single person in my real life who actually spends any time using Second Life. And my social circle, by and large, is in the consumer category that would be expected to at least try it out – comfortable online, “content creators,” and actively involved in other online communities and activities. Yet — I find Second Life utterly unappealing. And nobody I know talks about it. WoW, of course. LoTRO and CoH, yes. Even games like Star Wars Galaxies and Eve Online get some attention. But not Second Life.
My overall impression of Second Life, in fact, is that the vast majority of people who use it regularly are looking to get kinky in one form or another, or are there because they’re trying to make a buck off it one way or another. Now, I could be completely wrong. If I am, I’d love to hear it. But right now, it seems like there’s this significant dichotomy between what I’m reading and what I’m experiencing. Maybe it’s just me. But maybe Second Life really is a lot more hype than actual trend.
You tell me.