Iain Tait had this clip from YouTube on his blog that gives an overview about Second Life…

(This video was apparently put together by “the first PR agency in Second Life,” which makes sense for them to put out a video promoting both their agency and their presence in Second Life.)

I don’t know… it all feels so… “virtual” to me. I mean, look at the people. Perfect hair (check out the dude with the mohawk), perfect bodies… it all seems to just be a way to escape from the things that we have to deal with in our “real” lives. I have real problems with this. Instead of investing time into making your “virtual self” what you want to be, how about investing some time into making your “real self” what you want to be? Then there’s the whole idea of “allowing people to interact with brands and products.” What? How am I going to engage realistically with a new car, or a new hotel (Starwood has launched their Aloft brand as one of the first hotels in Second Life), a new set of shoes, or a new drink virtually?

How is virtual reality going to embrace emotions? How is virtual reality going to be a substitute for real communication, real interaction, and real feelings? What I found particularly absurd was the virtual boardroom showing a PowerPoint presentation. No offense, but if I do have to live in virtual reality, I’m at least going to get rid of all the stuff that I wouldn’t want to deal with in actual reality.

I think I’ll stick to First Life for now. And go get some better hair products.