Real life vs. Online Experiences

Silas Wilson

Ginny Otazo

Callie Ross

Blue and red video

What is the online experience?

Amy Jo Kim, online community architect, has suggested that there are two ways we participate in online communities: "the kind where you're yourself and the kind where you are playing out a fantasy role.

“The fantasy communities that are about escaping from who you are and pretending to be someone else. So much about augmenting reality is more about shaping your life.”

Why do people join online communities?

Sense of belonging (Groups)

Access to information Escape from the real world Socialize Work together business

setting, community, or comparable issues

Have topical conversations Friendships

Dating Living out fantasies Information (collecting &

giving) Learning Entertainment Boredom

Add video why people join

Why do people choose not to join online communities?

Don’t have time Felt they didn’t need

the internet medium to socialize

Not knowledgeable of new media

Prefer sensual aspects of face to face socialization vs. cold distant online interaction

Career doesn’t rely upon new media

Fear of judgment False information

(credibility issues) Too busy Fear of predators Privacy issues

Add video why didn’t join

Effects of online experiences in offline lives

Become reliant upon the internet, almost as if you cannot function without it. This is common when using it to work together in the business setting.

When socializing with people who are not emerged in the fantasy community might not have much in common.

May blur the lines between online reality and offline reality. (Columbine + World of Warcraft)

Loss of social proficiency Piracy becoming acceptable

(Loss of moral judgment) Neglect of the real world

Differences and Similarities

Consequences Death Dating The virtual fantasy

aspect of online (physical impossibilities)

Role playing

Dating The overall idea of

socialization Incorporation of the real

life (gambling, bill payment, information, etc.)

Grouping

The “Great Debate” “Virtual worlds are such

distinct places that real–life law shouldn’t apply; what happens in virtual worlds doesn’t affect the real world in ways that justify legal intervention.” (Grimmelmann)

Laws & Borders: Virtual worlds are separate places; and Real–life governments shouldn’t regulate what happens in separate places; ergo Real–life government shouldn’t regulate what happens in virtual worlds. (Grimmelmann)

Advocates of regulation by real governments challenge both premises: The first premise is that virtual worlds really are separate places Yes, they seem to have spatial identity, say the skeptics. But virtual worlds also run on real computers, and those computers are in the real world somewhere. (Grimmelmann)