The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Second Life is defined as a 3D world where everyone you see is a real person and every place you visit is built by people just like you. (secondlife.com). I find myself often alarmed by Second Life as it relates to both social and educational settings. As a technology, second life can be very addictive to children and young adults who chose to participate in the 3D world which can also be very disruptive.

There are some very distinctive cons that Second life can pose to students in the classroom. One of the most important is that because of the “game like” appearance of Second Life some students may not take the work/lesson seriously. Dr. Thornburg states that a disruptive technology is a new technology with the same functionality but more efficiency and obsoletes than the existing technology.

Currently, I don’t believe Second Life has displaced any current technologies but I don’t think we are far off from its displacement of some social media outlets as well as computer gaming. I don’t see another disruptive technology taking the place of Second Life in the near future. I think it will take at least 10 years before another emerging technology attempts to replace it.

There are many social benefits to Second Life for some people. It would be beneficial for people that a limited physically or that cannot get around. Also, for those that are antisocial or do not mix well with crowds in person can fare much better in a 3D environment. In the hospital setting, Second Life may be beneficial in the hospital setting because of the simulation aspect of it. Being able to practice in a virtual world may be beneficial to both physicians and nurses before going into a major surgery.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Disruptive technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.