I have been watching that show I-Caught on ABC a bit recently. Though the anchor's tendency to pretend he is clicking links on screen is quite annoying, the show is actually very entertaining. Last week, though they had a segment that was very creepy to me.It was all about this phenomenon called "Second Life." People go online to this site and design their digital alter ego. They can buy land, take pictures, party, meet friends and lovers. It's like a creepy alternate universe. The show featured two people, one an obese man in a wheelchair, and a fairly average woman. Their "avatars" as the digital alter egos are called, resembled them only slightly. Otherwise, they were physically perfect. The two met in Second Life and fell in love. They even had a wedding in the weird cyber-world.
The journalist even interviewed them in Second Life through his own avatar. Rather than living their own lives, the two sit side by side on computers and meet in the virtual universe. Something about this just creeped me out.
That paired with a story I was working on tonight about a self-professed pedophile just has my skin crawling. This guy posted on a site where men profess their love for young girls. I read a few of the posts until my stomach turned. The Internets can be creepy.
--MM
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2 comments:
creepy indeed. In my parallel universe, Mr. Favre and I are happily married....(kidding).
You have to check on Tim Gunn's new show on Bravo - fairly basic/boring makeover type show, but he has this computer program where he puts in the measurements of the gal and picks out flaterring clothes. I need that.
I agree. The whole Second Life Phenominon is bizzare. I can't believe companies are even buying into it. Did you know that you can advertise in Second Life? It's just weird.
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