Virtual Addiction

Addicted to SL?

Commit your rl money making efforts to being a content creator in SL.

Your addiction will be over within 3 months.

I've seen this before myself, and to me the concept of online intimacy just seems so contrived and silly. Yeah, I have friends in SL that I have never met irl, but I've never had an inclination or desire to be romantically involved with someone online. On reason is that whatever it is I am missing that I somehow think I can find online is most likely an illusion derived from me projecting the fulfillment of my desires on the person I would be 'in a relationship with'.

A human being amongst other things is a communication machine that in person communicates vast amounts of information through body language alone is nearly impossible to consciously recognize. To demonstrate the sheer complexity of information we can transfer with almost little effort, just think of all the instances when a friend, mate or colleague has merely given you momentary eye contact and you understand exactly what he/she is thinking. Expression, body language and physical gestures in a way compromise most of are rl interaction in very profound ways. It's reading between the lines so to speak.

Now keeping that in mind and considering how that relates to online intimacy, you can already see that a great deal of interaction is stifled, just in the realm of communication alone. To me this would indicate that much of the perceived intimacy someone feels for another or even each other is in part do to interjection and self fulfillment in a really artificial way. In this case the level of intimacy is derived from reading between the lines in the way you want to write them and in turn is often an illusion of ones own making. Though really this would be just one aspect of what can constitute an addiction to SL or any virtual environment.

I have long said there is too little or no support for the addicted residents of SL, why is this? the answer is that as with most destructive addictions those addicted are in denial. Read the 1st life profile page of the serious SL'ers, they all contain the same crap, an outdated RL pic and the quote "Yes I have one thanks".

In general chat these people have will openly say how much time and money they spend inworld, but the minute you remark that this must have an impact on their RL, all of a sudden remarkably it turns out that they have an amazing fun filled, action packed rewarding life, now LL and ourselves know different, these people easily spend 6 hours a night inworld, neglecting all else.

Fortunately over the next few years SL will dwindle away as people gradually migrate to facebook and other communication sites that meet their needs without presenting them with the temptation of buying a tropical island, becomming a prostitute, marrying someone, having prim babies and adopting lol.

Addiction.....whether to a substance, or a game.....is addiction.

I think the definition is the same, regardless. But....there seems to be a very blurred line when it comes to SL or other types of gaming. One of our close friends has a son who had a very very strong obsession with WOW a few years ago. His mom was getting concerned....then she got downright pissed off.....then, the kid just sorta grew up and walked away on his own, realizing it was taking him away from 'life'. So.....often times people can can get temporarily swept up in something......and it becomes seriously habit forming.....but maybe not necessarily a full blow addiction.

When I first got into SL I was so utterly fascinated with it....and because I had the time...I spent many long hours just exploring and learning. It did get to a point tho....where I really had to step back and shake it off, so to speak. lol But it wasn't an addiction.... when I wasn't able to access it.......I really didn't care. I had other stuff going on.

Cigarettes, are an addiction. They don't take me away from other important stuff.....but going without, is NOT easy or fun. It's a craving.....and not having one makes me edgy and after a while I will begin to focus only on the idea that I really want/need to have a cig soon.


Actually.....I should revise this cause I quit smoking 2 weeks ago. But I still feel the craving. Unlike SL....I really don't miss it when I'm focused on 'life'. When I DO have the time for SL....then yeah, I thoroughly enjoy my projects and explorations. I do think that anyone who is predisposed to addictive behavior is always at the risk of something they get involved in.....do....ingest, smoke or otherwise partake in.....becoming a trigger....we just don't always know what it will be. So much depends on the persons current emotional state, and other factors in their life at the time. I don't think it's fair to judge anyone or make quick assumptions about addiction....but I do think human beings are pretty fragile and we gotta look out for each other.