Are You Really Looking?

There have been so many threads about how we view ourselves and others in SL.....about avatars in general...how we create them, perfect them...... so many discussions about self perception....

It got me thinking. A few years bck when I used to go to the gym with a friend of mine...it really wasn't my thing but I went .. I just hated working out among others. I'd rather jog or hike...but whatever. At one point one of the trainers was talking to me and to appeal to my angst he said...."everyone here is so worried about how they look to everyone else, that nobody notices anyone else"

Sometimes....I get the feeling SL is like that in terms of how we literaly 'look' at others. I have a 24" moniter...so not much escapes my attention. I DO look at others all the time... I love zooming and really getting a good look at different characters. It's just neat to do. People do some amazing stuff with their avatars....and then there are others....well ... where you just sort of wish they'd ask for your advice/help. LOL

But....I also change my own look a lot....and I'm really only doing it to appeal to my own sense of creative expession. I'm not worried about others seeing me as someone different all the time.... and honestly, I get the feeling most people don't notice anyway.

So....my question is......honestly... do you really notice/look at others.....or are you pretty much focused on your own avatar most of the time. I'm not passing any judegement here..I just wonder if people watch their avatar the way they would watch a main character in a movie....or if if you ARE the camera....and you zoom all over the place and really notice details of others. Just curious.

I zoom around checking out people all the time - their avatars, their hair, their clothes (especially the women's clothing). I also spend a lot of time zooming around the area that I'm at. Even at the Hangout where I know the place like the back of my hand, I am always zooming the camera around to see what might have changed and to see what is new outside the building.

I could not do SL without that camera zoom function.

I love looking at the various people and the clothing and looks they've chosen to represent themselves in SL. Some are amazing, some are... unusual. I saw a Smurf the other day.

alt zoom is one of the things I use the most. I am always zooming around, looking at people, occasionally taking pics, checking out the place I'm at...I find it fun seeing what people do with their avatars. I'll often compliment someone on whatever it is, not so I can run and get the same thing lol, but because it realy does look good on them.

Saying that, I do spend a lot of time on myself, making myself look good lol. As much as I would love to say it is all for me, I have to admit that even just a small part of me is wanting to look good for others. Its not necessarily trying to 'outdo' the other person though. I do enjoy creating new looks...just for myself, but I do i guess seek approval in some small way...I think many of us do.

Are you kidding? I'm a cam-fu demon. If I even see a pixel of something that might interest me, I alt-click-drag straight to it, even across a whole sim. The people over in Snapzilla are gonna kill me! (^_^)

As for myself, I'm always camming around myself to nitpick the next thing I might decide to fix. I haven't changed my shape in months. I'm running on up to 4 outfits a day. I added a beauty mark to my skin last month. And, of course, there was my eye upgrade this week. (^_^)

SL is such a visual showcase that if you're not looking, you're missing more than half the experience of being here. (^_^)y

i generally don't check people out too hard. i don't want to seem creepy. problem is, a lot of the pose animations and stand animations look a bit pretentious. i found an EMO pose and stand animation and it's really quite stand off-ish. (but the sit poses and walk is cool)

i know this throws ME off a bit sometimes, and being a shy guy in general, makes it hard for me to engage in public areas; so, i generally stay around the island where i live and landscape and build stuff.

being a newbie still, about 3 weeks ago i cam'ed afround to look into my own eyes, and it's really cool to see the subtle eye movement - it gives the avy character.

This may sound unerving but believe me if I am in the same room as you, you can be sure I have cammed you all over! Its how I find the best buys! LOL Once I have cammed you and surrounding others I then start on the area I am in.. the kind of build....

I am a nightmare...but well no one knows so its ok...

Oops they do now!

To tell you the truth the only thing I even look at is my chat windows. Im usually in IM or talking in chat and these windows block my view,lol. I take a few minutes in the morning to get dressed,I look at people when I first meet with them that day and that's about it.If someone points something out I will look as well. Though I don't have fancy graphics either though. I'd probably look more if I could actually enjoy it,lol.

I look at everything, spinning!

Absolutely. I do check out others often. I have become quite the control alt mouse zipping master. I enjoy looking at what others have done with themselves as well....and then I flip my camera back on myself hehe.

One of the freakiest avatars I've ever met was in Sinistyle. Of course this store would be one of the more obvious places to meet a character such as this. Living dead is what I would have guessed him to be. Scary as hell...I mean disturbingly scary! When I zoomed in on this character, I literally stifled a scream! But such a very, very nice person.

I cam everything!

If I'm not talking, I'm camming.

If I'm not camming, I'm talking.


...unless I'm building, and then I see and hear nothing but the prims.

I know mine are. (^_^)

There are times when I pay attention to my AO and my eye shape without glasses and think.... "Crud, this kid is gonna rip you a new one!" (^_^)y

Same here!

So you don't see me pulling faces at you behind your back? Ace!

I'm always looking at everyone around me. To me, the camera is my eyes. No point in having a conversation with someone if I'm not looking at you, seeing what you're doing, etc. Let alone everything else in the surrounding background environment. There's just too much eye candy around to be ignored.

The only time I really look at myself is when I'm trying on things.
Other than that, it's just like RL - but with a pair of eyes that can cam all over the place

Very occasionally I notice myself as the camera swings arounde, but I try not to look to much - or I'll start stressing about those stupid AOs (and only use 1 stand, one walk, one sit, one fall ...... but that silly turn will have to go)

I suppose I check out other quite a bit. Presumably people are proud of their SL appearances, even if they are a purple goblin or a collection of plywood cubes.

I also look at peoples' profiles. Again, they're there to be looked at, just like mine is!

I really look at other's avis!

There are some people who are avid profile readers.

I am a zoom cam in your face "looker".

I mean, I stare you down like I think you stole it! Your bags, your shoes, your eyes, your hair, etc.

i check out other av's... but mostly, if i see someone wearing something i dig, i'll inspect it and jot down the creator so i can go see what other cool things the store has to offer. i definitely appreciate an avatar that has had some thought put into it's appearance, even though i myself tend to be quite modest and simple.

I look at everybody, if I see a name pop up on my mysti-tool, I cam over to see them. When I go into stores or am out exploring, first thing I do when I land is cam around and look at everybody. I like to see how people set up their avatars and I appreciate seeing an avatar that looks like that person put a lot of effort and original thought into it. Same thing with profiles, I read the profile of everyone around me...but I never IM anyone. I see a lot of people who I think would be cool to talk to but my shyness kicks in and I rarely ever initiate a conversation beyond just a "hello" with someone new.

Camming around to see what's what is fun. So is profile-reading. If I've not come across someone before, it's odds-on I've digested their profile within a minute.

I especially enjoy the "hurt my sissy / bro / and you'll have me to deal with sucka, capiche?" variety.

I cam and read profiles like a fiend. I can't help it. The things people do with their avatars are really interesting - there truly are no two alike (at least once we get off of OI and figure out the sliders) and profiles give a good insight into people. Plus, I have to check everything out if I'm just hanging out somewhere.

A really well-done build is a visual treat. It demands that you cam around and explore every detail.

As for looking at myself, I rarely do it. Once when I log on or if a tp just went weird, to make sure I'm squared away, but after that, I just get irritated that I'm blocking up the view with the back of my head.

I've been called a bit snooty in RL because I've walked right by people without even acknowledging them. It's not that I actually saw them and decided not to say hello, it just meant that I was probably thinking about all the things I had to do that day, and not focusing on my present surroundings. I'm a bit like this in SL.

I don't usually cam around and look for avatars in stores, I'm there to find what I want, and get out. I love to look at how sims are laid out, and see what people have built, or created. It's different when I'm with friends, just hanging around. I will then 'check them out', hehe. I like to see what outfit they've come up with, what they enjoy wearing, etc. I need to put a face to who I'm talking to, but when the conversation gets going, I'm more focused on my chat window (and my dictionary, and my translation widget ).

My favourite activity while dancing is to zoom around and look at everyone else (besides chatting, of course).
I mean, you can only look at a bunch of avatars bopping around at a distance so long before you have to take a closer look at Rioko's boots.

Haha, I love those.
I also love the "I hate drama! If you're into drama, stay away from me, and then they start talking about so and so, and what a jerk they are,etc etc etc continued in picks..."

I haven't changed much in my profile in a long time. You kind of forget how many people click to read about you or your interests. I need to do a refresh...