Is SL a Welfare State?

Esoteric question: Is SL a welfare state?

Reasons it is:
1. Universal Stipends (welfare) each week
2. "Government" support of popular places (Dwellfare)
3. Event subsidation
4. Provision of Homestead land (512m) to new members at nominal cost

Reasons its not:
1. No social safety net (if you're broke too bad)
2. Creation is not regulated
3. Revenue generated is not taxed and re-distributed
4. No organized central government dictating specific social policy

I'm inclined to believe SL is a mixed welfare state. What are your thoughts on the matter?

~Jaq

I disagree, Shepp. I think it's more of a internet social game thingie than a welfare state.

well, you may get stipends in L$, but then again, you pay monthly fees to be a full member, and even more to own more land.

Naturally fees cover LL's operational costs, but for those users who simply want to be consumers, this also acts as a critical way to convert their RL currency into SL currency without having to go through GOM (which the masses probably won't be comfortable with yet).

...can't look at SL without looking at the RL inputs...

Either way, we are definetly controlled by a central authority.

Sometimes they do good and sometimes they don't.

Walkerman Horus
vist JAVA sim

Given that SL is pure luxury, and the welfare of its citizens (access to necessities, such as health, shelter, food, clothing, etc) is not effected in anyway, I would say no.

Unless you are trying to create a virtual definition for welfare, which would be interesting. But lets start there first.

Yes, I meant it figuratively. A virtual definition for welfare, if you will.

But if you only pony up $9.99 (one time fee) you can still gain the benefit of the Stipend Delta (up to L$500 weekly) and L$50 per week.

This seems to contain elements of welfare, to me at least.

Ok, Jacq.. figuratively, what is a definition of virtual welfare? We know the RL definition, what's the SL definition?

Access to building prims? Ability to script? Own land?

Since you have to pay to own land, then I'm not sure it's a welfare state. If virtual welfare is the ability to fly, then I suppose it is. Though - you do have to pay your 10$.

To me virtual welfare is "monetary" value given (e.g. L$) for no "work" put in (e.g. stipends).

Its not a welfare state when you can buy your way out of poverty. Literaly.



Cat

Hmm, well 50 l$ really can't buy a lot. Is it really something to worry about?

Besides, you do have to pay your 10$ to get that 50 l$. It's not free.

Well, you can make an argument that folks who wander around, socialize, play, but don't create are still doing work. Without all those folks, the world would likely be much smaller and much less attractive for leisure players. So in a sense, the Lindens are paying said players to ratchet along network effects. Creating alone will bring in some folks, some additional folks will be brought in by the ability to see/buy said creations. But creating and shopping only do not bring in massive numbers of folks, though I have no stats on that and could be wrong.

There are a lot of analogies that break down under closer scrutiny. SL can be compared to "the real world" in some regards, but in others, it cannot. For example, the ability to fly freely and rez megayuge objects -- that right there gives us freedom, a sort of deitylike control in some cases, that we do not possess IRL. On the flipside, it's harder to express things, since Gestures aren't as seamless as they could be and typing is a priority. There are similarities here and dissimilarities there, as been pointed out, but one thing I do know is: Second Life is what you make of it, and even with the stipend system, we STILL have cyberbeggars.

I pay a monthly fee for the right to own a certain amount of land and to receive L$2,000 per month. It is a service for my fee. Since the additional stipend is tied to the admittedly flawed rating system, it is a reward for something done. When you kill the rat in EQ, it is not welfare to get plat, it is your spoils! Dwell bonuses work the same way, while flawed, you do have to do something to get it.

If you only pay lifetime, part of the service for the fee is the access to the grid and L$200 a month.

Either way you pay and if you want more, you have to do something. How is this even a question?

It's exactly like the Soviet Union.

"We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."

I'm just surprised I haven't found a bust of Lenin anywhere yet.

Jacqueline

I don't know if you are a creator of items for sale, but without the stipend your income would fall dramatically, no stipend, no sales.

Not everyone has the ability or time to self support themselves by selling items, and some people just use SL as a social place.

Latonia

I saw one of Stalin awhile back. Getting closer, we are.

Very interesting thoughts here. I do see other parallels with RL. Here is another one. As Secondlife expands (land wise) people tend to move farther away from other people and population centers. Over time these centers degrade and decline just as in real life. Places need people to keep them vibrant. 4 people in a mega mall just will not cut it for long.