Can Second Life House New Forms of Documentary?

What is SL?

• Second Life is an Internet-based 3D virtual world launched in 2003

• SL is analogous to the web. You can create hyperlinks to any other metaworld running on any server worldwide. Your avatar uses hyperlinks to move to other worlds.

• The stated goal of Linden Lab is to create a world like the Metaverse (Stephenson, 1992).

• The term metaverse refers to environments where humans interact (as avatars) with each other (socially and economically) and with software agents in a cyber space, that uses the metaphor of the real world, but without its physical limitations.

Why an interest in SL?

– It is the current phase of evolution of the Web

– It distributes Social Media Cultural Artifacts

– It has the potential to become a dominant new media cultural voice

– How can I affirm that and why does it matter to documentary practices?

What is new media ?New media art standard practice is “to take up the products of the technology industries (...) and apply them to its own diverse ends, in a cultural domain. “ (Whitelaw, 2004)?

Nm is a framework that is technology independent.

Nm is a phase of technological evolution.

When an innovation is used to communicate cultural messages is becomes a medium.

A socio-economy approach can help understand its long term implications as a media.

Cultural Industries Socio Economy Analysis

• Understanding of a society's cultural evolution based on: – Critical discourse analysis – Cultural Industries (Miège, 2000) analysis framework

that observes the emerging models associated with a media innovation:

• Communication models• Creative, Production and Distribution models• Economy models • Industrial Framework ( Production and Distribution models)

• New markets

Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets

Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets

Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets

Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets

Ideology is a system of ideas which is tacite to actors; it represents the interests of a specific social class (Weber, 1930).

Socio-economy tries to apprehend the dominant ideologies of a system.

Ideology Organizations that strive for power will try to influence the ideology of a society to become closer to what they want it to be. Political organizations (governments included) and other groups (e.g. lobbyists) try to influence people by broadcasting their opinions.

Control ?

Any mediated communication system (media)= tacite representation of ideology( Castoriadis, 1987, Moeglin 2001)

Different communication processes give control of value chain to different actors. The ones who have most control over accessto messages or can massified their voice can influence the public's perception of societal evolution and define history

But a new IC technology is not automatically a new media

Cycle of Innovation

Technology?

All current media was once a new media

Photography – in relation to paintingFilm – in relation to theater and photography

nm practices= diverse contexts that all celebrate experimenting with innovations

Currently Experiential Media are emerging new media

Physical Computing, Virtual Worlds such as SL, Artificial Intelligence

Cycle of innovation – Experimental Phase

Creative Experimentation• PHASE 1: Remediation

Designers from other media come to a new platform

• Research Tool For Another MediaI.e. Photography to Painting

• Distribution For Another Media• Film : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sundance%20Channel/72/66/31• Museums: Abyss Museum

• Remediation processMachinima: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxVDVggLqsA

• Archival medium Photography: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hotgates/38/198/48

• Exhibition: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hotgates/126/123/51

Creative Experimentations

• Phase 2: Emerging Forms• Hyperformalism: Dan Coyote

Code as visual arthttp://slurl.com/secondlife/uvvy/85/209/26

• Reactive Art: Art galleryCode as visual and behavioural art

• SL InternshipAlternate spacial designs

• Physical-virtual HybridsAlternative interfaces

Economic Experiments

• Documentary Film• Piano bar 

Can Second Life House New Forms of Documentary?

Yes!But are these new forms viable in the long term?

Cycle of Innovation - media

Second Life is a hybrid system

Blend of multiple industrial frameworks of

Mass multimedia Mass social media Synthetic Media

• Simulation • Gaming

Mass Multimedia (Early Net)• Public gets access to information

– One way communication – static content, – one way publishing of content – no any real interaction between users

Values information as financial commodity

• Market : media objects, products, sold per unit

Early Net Production Model Traditional media industry and economy model

transposed to a network system

Production: Building home pages, Specialized production tools Using a production team paid by a single employer

Designers team control experience of users Institutional Financing structure controls: production of content access and distribution of content (client-server type of traffic)

Social Media (Mature Net)

• Databases and XML allow for n-way communication between humans  

• Characterized by– social networking, – blogging, tagging, – user generated content and video.

• Ability to mash up data feeds and databases to cross reference information from multiple sources

Change in values: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Flickr, Del.icio.us, blogs , Wikipedia,

• Influencing Broadcasting

Mature Net Production Models Production:

Users build their own blogs production and distribution tools are now the same Individual write their own content Participatory design: the community designs the experience Each individual can produce content

Financing structure is redefined: Communities

Control of over access to content: Via storage of data

Individuals finance structure that controls: production of content access and distribution of content

Synthetic Media Visualization of relationships n-way communication

between machines  between humans between machines and

humans

Characterized by shift from asynchronous data

stream to synchronous data algorithms based narratives Co-creation of narratives by

Algorythms or humansControl: mapping of data.

Data Visualization as Documentary

Emergence of practices based on data flow

Dream Addict We feel fine

simulation capture social and information activities

sl a moves to 3D visualization (weather station)

Mass Gaming

Uses experience as narrative tool Paris Riot Docks disputes 911 survivors

Incorporates Ai Physical Computing

3D I Hybrid Economy System

Source: http://wadatripp.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/3di-as-a-platform-for-entrepreneurial-capitalism/

Institution Economy (Early Net and gaming)

• Traditional Corporate Model and Cultural Industries Models (Miege, Tremblay, 2001)

• Production Capital• Product sold for profit

Source: Ross Dawson, http://www.rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2007/07/in_the_leadup_t.html

Open Source Economy (Mature Net and Simulation)

Service economy (Moeglin, 2004)

Compassionate Entrepreneur (Smith, 1759) and the freelancer model ( Gensollen, 2007) and Actant networks (Latour, 1990).

• Peer to Peer economy:• Indy Film ebay, filmbay

Reputation Capital, referant capital

3D Internet

• Innovation Model that uses all previous models

• Hybrid system: Eutrepreneurs work THROUGH corporations (Schumpeter, 1942) that find her/him via social networks.

• Knowledge and Social Capital

Cycle of Innovation – Traditional Markets

Cycle of Innovation – Open Source Markets

Different Market Model

• Investment & Pre-Marketing:– Grants and internships

• Marketing– Early Net: advertising– Mature Net: word of mouth– 3DI: both

Marketing as Extension of Mass Broadcast Media

• Second Life on Television• Csi• The Office • Law & Order: SVU.

Open Source Platform

The following innovations: Android Plaform Photosynth Motion capture

Make SL a LIVE and reactive documentation archival platform