Politics in Second Life

There has been a stigma in society that "professionals" are not wasting their time on virtual worlds on online games. However, in this era of technology, I think that is changing drastically. As seen in this article, the UN is now in Second Life! And, it's really interesting to read why the UN has decided to create an "embassy" of sorts in Second Life.

The UN has set up a base in Second Life for Teens in order to spread awareness of global issues and train adolescents to be leaders. Second Life for Teens is accommodating them because the group was set up by the adolescent sector of the UNICEF's online forum. It's amazing. They've planned festivals and meetings all in Second Life so that they can have a larger target audience.

It's really interesting to note how politics have moved from merely in the physical world to the virtual world. For example, Obama's inauguration was re-enacted in Second Life, as were political rallies. However, for an international organization, especially the UN, to move even a small sector into a virtual world allows for endless possibilities. It begs the question of whether the virtual worlds will become spaces for educating instead of merely an escape from "reality."