I have to admit, I never could figure out what people meant by "Augmentation" and "Immersion". What I ended up thinking it meant was:

* Augmentation = using SL as a tool for your RL self. In the same way you have an email address or a MySpace page, you'd have an SL account that you publicize as connected to your RL identity.

* Immersion = becoming someone new in SL. Your SL identity exists on its own, maybe even having its own email address or MySpace page, and most people don't even know your RL identity.

I have no idea if that's what other people think Augmentation and Immersion mean. I was just guessing from context, and from experience on what a meaningful distinction might be.

For myself, I'd fall under my Immersion definition. Jacek Antonelli exists as an independent identity from her driver, with her own blog, email address, registered accounts on several sites, etc.

But at the same time, Jacek Antonelli _is_ me. It feels very weird to describe myself in the third person. I guess Jacek is more of a pseudonym than a separate person. I go to some lengths to keep both lives separate, but it's not that I'm replacing my first life with my second (at least, not completely). Escapism? Nah, but maybe "escapist tendencies".

I know several people who would qualify as "Augmentationists" according to my interpretation of the term. Mitch Wagner aka Ziggy Figaro seems to have no qualms that people know the connection between his RL and SL names. At risk of putting words in his mouth, I think he has one identity -- Mitch Wagner -- and "Ziggy Figaro" is merely a user name.

I'm not saying that either way is universally better, only that there are people in both categories (although I personally know more "Immersionists").

So, maybe my interpretation of "Immersion" and "Augmentation" are different from yours, but mine is a meaningful distinction. (I wouldn't call it a debate, any more than I'd call "chocolate vs vanilla" a debate.)

Reply