|
|
|
|
 |
SUBCULTURES in SECOND LIFE
by "Merlyn Bailly"
|
The question is:
WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?
|
We are all avatars in SECOND LIFE. Our SL identity is based on the body (avatar) we choose to present to the rest of the population of the metaverse. However, the avatar body is not the only criteria for subcultures in SL: sexual orientation/gender identification, kinky sexual proclivities (eg: those who profess to be "Goreans"), and lifestyles (goth, Mafia wanna-bes, RPG gamerz) and fantasy/sci-fi characters are all well-represented in Second Life. Most subcultures in SL break down into 3 major groups (apart from the general population):
Fantasy avatars are usually humanoid, but may not be -- "little critters" are definitely not humanoid, nor are the robot avatars I've seen. The most outre av I've seen so far had the upper body of a very lovely woman combined melded with a black widow spider body -- only semi-humanoid, I guess. An all-spider av would be altogether nonhumanoid. The vamps, elves, fae, dwarves, Asian neko and other fantasy avatars are most humanoid. Some of the avatars called "furries" are not furry (the various dragon avatars), but are bipedal, at least. Some of the furry avs are quadripedal (the little pony avatars). Anyone in SL can have wings, they're one of the favorite accessories of clubbers, and have absolutely nothing to do with one's subculture group (unless you're an angel or demon, in which case they are probably part of the skin, and cannot be removed, as "accessory" wings can.). Lifestyles can be Goth (for which you need a really pale skin, either by tweaking your SL shape/skin in APPEARANCE mode or by buying a Goth skin), Mafia (which basically is determined by who you "group" with -- many of these residents combine themselves into adoptive "families", and one entire sim is Mafia-themed), Gamerz (heavily male, mostly between 18-40, no matter what their apparent age, they hang out in the damage-enabled sandboxes where various weapons can be used). The sex/gender subculture includes gay men, lesbians, and transsexuals/bisexuals (however that is defined in SL, where the RL person may be male, but the avatar is female, or vice/versa, or is sometimes male and sometimes female). I have only met one male av wearing female clothing, however, and that resident was attempting to look like an ancient Greek sage/philosopher, so a long white gown/toga thing was appropriate for the historical period of his avatar. In some cases, a resident has several "alts" or alternate accounts, with different names, and wildly different personalities. This subculture also includes the BDSM folks, however, including wanna-be GOREANS (referring to the GOR fantasy series of John Norman, whose male characters are pirates and warriors with strong thews and whose women are all delicate sex slaves devoted to the wishes of their lords and masters). Vamps, Goths, furries, and Goreans have their own themed areas in SL in which they hang out, dance, whatever (Mahalai Asylum, seen in the header pic on this page, is a vamp/Goth "theme park"). However, as RPGs are an activity that is not tied to a body shape, everyone can be a Gamer, if they're at all interested in RPGs. (Just remember to duck!) |
Some SL sociologists divide people into CREATORS and USERS, the latter being all those residents who log in only to shop for their avies, dress up for the nightclubs, and chat. They don't own land, they don't build or create anything, all they do is socialize, often at casinos where they sit in camp chairs. Many of these very sociable residents, however, do have jobs in SL, and rent land for homes with the income from their SL jobs. I call this group CLUBBERS . Everyone can go clubbing in SL, but CLUBBERS only socialize, shop, and chat, and only have jobs so they can be CLUBBERS. Being one of those people who have upgraded to a PREMIUM account (primarily so that I could own my own land, having been shafted by several landlords in my first few months in SL), and who has started learning how to build and create, I am currently a former CLUBBER, who owns various skins which I use as costumes to suit my moods. Sometimes I feel goth-y, sometimes vampy. A good friend of mine, Steelwolf Pascal, whose av is a dwarf, gifted me with a dwarf skin, with appropriate chainmail, helmet, and battleaxe; I look kinda cute as a dwarf chick. The screenshot/pic of Merlyn on this page is my standard SL-issue shape/skin combo, with new hair added. My first "bought" skin was something I picked up at a garage sale, and it has very pinkish skin tone, unlike my RL ivory-toned skin and my SL "newbie" skin. Other skins have tans. Due to my computer probs, I've been shopping via SLB alot, and cannot wait to see how I really look in my new shape and my new skin, and all my new clothes. I've got more clothes in SL than I've ever had in my entire life!!! I'm considering buying an Asian skin, largely because I have a great fascination with Asian culture -- I'm sure I must have been Chinese and/or Japanese in some past life. My primary identity is just Merlyn Bailly, resident, landowner, and SL entrepreneur. (When I finally get the thrice-damned "magic box" upgraded, I'll be able to go inworld, change skins, and get pics of all the variants of Merlyn Bailly for this page -- as a Goth, a vamp, a guy, a furry, a dwarf, an alien, and so on...) In SL, however, you can have one "normal" identity, an alt that is gay/lesbian, an alt that is a furry, AND an alt that is a member of a Mafia family (depending on how you sign up for these accounts, of course - if you have "official" alts (for which you are billed by Linden Labs at the regular subscription rate), I believe there is a limit on how many you are allowed. However, if you borrow a friend's credit/debit card to sign up for a BASIC account, Linden Labs will probably not be able to link that account to your primary account, so theoretically, any one resident could have unlimited alts/identities. |
|
|
 |
HOME |
PROFILE |
AVALON GALLERIA |
SITE-SEEING |
SCREENSHOTS |
SL NEWS ITEMS |
ARTICLES |
ARCHIVES |
EMAIL
Second Life, SL, metaverse, virtual worlds, virtual reality, 3D metaverse, avatars, MMPORG
Second Life, SL, metaverse, virtual worlds, virtual reality, 3D metaverse, avatars, MMPORG
Second Life, SL, metaverse, virtual worlds, virtual reality, 3D metaverse, avatars, MMPORG
Second Life, SL, metaverse, virtual worlds, virtual reality, 3D metaverse, avatars, MMPORG
Web Hosting
·
Blog
·
Guestbooks
·
Message Forums
·
Mailing Lists
Easiest Website Builder ever!
·
Build your own toolbar
·
Free Talking Character
·
Email Marketing
powered by 
bravenet.com