Second Life's hype is dead (again)
by Tateru Nino 
Feb 24th 2009 at 11:00AM
Filed under: Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds
For now, anyway. Linden Lab's virtual environment Second Life attracts a heck of a lot of hype, which comes and goes in cycles. Hype -- you may recall -- is exaggeration whether positive or negative (not to be mistaken for buzz). Whether it's exaggeration to express unwarranted praise or exaggeration to express unwarranted criticism, it doesn't matter. If it's true, then it cannot (by definition) be hype.
At the moment we seem to be entering an off-cycle, and that can only be a good thing for Second Life. Hype can be used in poetic or artistic ways to reveal underlying truths but that really isn't much done anymore.
Hype causes a lot of the false impressions in the media, especially when it comes to newer or less familiar forms of science and technology where exaggerations are often mistaken for facts and entire stories race off down otherwise irrelevant pathways.
Worse though, is that hype deters customers. Some of them can smell it, and avoid anything that's overhyped, while others obtain false impressions and are turned off when the reality doesn't meet live up to their expectations.
It's a bit like watching a trailer for what looks like the hottest action movie of the year, and then discovering that the trailer contained all 37 seconds of action in what is otherwise a two-hour political drama. It might be an excellent movie, but it isn't what you bought tickets for.
On the whole, Second Life tends to do best when hype is at its lowest ebb. All other things being equal, user retention rates tend to climb, and people who do things for reasons other than early-adoption or fashionable trendiness start to get a look in. It might not draw in as many new users as a story about sex or divorce or infidelity, but the users stay a whole lot longer.
On the whole, we're looking forward to a nice, long, low-hype period for Linden Lab's virtual environment -- but practically speaking it isn't likely to last much longer than six months before Second Life starts to be both praised and demonized once again.
Whether or not we're in a hype-cycle, the most important parts of Second Life never stop. Life goes on for a whole lot of people whether or not it is making the headlines, and that important stuff just isn't going to warrant column inches any more than a whole lot of important stuff that people do every day regardless of the medium in which it takes place.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ZingZang Bommerang said on 11:22AM 2-24-2009
As for hype I saw a news blurb a few days ago on Current TV about SL currency being recession proof.
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Pingles said on 12:02PM 2-24-2009
I really think SL had SO many opportunities to REALLY make SL into something relevant and innovative and instead they relied on users to come up with ways to use it as a tool.
I read an article a few days ago listing all of the companies (including previous financial backers) who have abandoned their presence in SL.
It's really too bad. Perhaps they can still do something with this project.
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MChavez said on 1:32PM 2-24-2009
Your comment fails. Many companies jumped on the hype bandwagon but did not fully realize what they were getting themselves into. To have a presence in SL, one must dedicate a lot of time to it. A company must have something that will A. attract residents to their location and B. keep them coming back. How is it that so many no name clothing designers are well known in SL yet I never seen anyone wear or talk about what's cool at the American Apparel or Adidas locations? SL is not a billboard and requires much more effort than putting up a graphic with smiling people pretending to enjoy said product.
SL began as an MMO world created by it's users. So your swipe at users using SL for their own means is a complete lack of understanding of where SL came from. Without these users, SL would not be where it is today. Where do you get off thinking that SL can and should only be used as a business tool? Do you even know about SL grid? These are business/education based grids totally separate from the SL world. Very viable for businesses who actually see an advantage in having one (like collaborative products and virtual meetings, etc).
Anyway, this whole article screams fail. SL stands on it's own and is supported by it's users. It is probably the most creative (both in practice and potential) environment we have in the world today. SL does not need hype to stay afloat. Increasing user concurrency is proof of this.
Tateru Nino said on 6:43PM 2-24-2009
Got a link to that article? I'm aware of no financial backers at all, who have left.
As for other organizations, the number in SL keeps growing, not shrinking.
Tweed said on 1:11AM 3-10-2009
"I really think SL had SO many opportunities to REALLY make SL into something relevant and innovative and instead they relied on users to come up with ways to use it as a tool.
I read an article a few days ago listing all of the companies (including previous financial backers) who have abandoned their presence in SL.
It's really too bad. Perhaps they can still do something with this project."
I'm at a loss as to what exactly you're talking about Pingles: SL made the absolutely best decision to let the residents determine the content in-world which is why SL is where it is today, i.e. "relevant and innovative", so I'm not sure what you are apparently mourning the loss of? Unless you can cite sources and specifics, your somewhat premature obituary of SL is simply vague negativism. As to companies pulling out of SL, please provide sources and details: it's worth noting that, as with the Internet, simply creating a passive presence in SL isn't enough, a company or organization needs to be proactive and involved there too.
As to hype, the less the better: eventually SL will no longer have novelty value and merge seamlessly into the available options for individual and corporate global interaction and communication.
theshadow99 said on 12:15PM 2-24-2009
As someone in SL off & on for years now, I can say that non-hyped periods are when LL makes the biggest changes... Those changes usually being the reasons for the new hype.... With an all new set of directors at LL now (no original people are still there), anything could happen in the future with SL...
Being user-driven btw is good for SL... LL's decision making has been spotty at best... If LL drove innovation in SL we'd be years behind where we are in content & SL as we know it would probably not exist....
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Bob said on 12:25PM 2-24-2009
Did you pull this crap straight off valleywag? How about a little investigation of your own.
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KT said on 2:41PM 2-24-2009
Your investigation could a little work too.
The last article from Valleywag/Gawker relating to SL was a biased piece primarily about how the platform is supposedly dying and how corporate sponsors are pulling out. This article is talking about hype cycles and how the downturn in a hype cycle may be beneficial to the platform with higher retention rates.
Tateru Nino said on 6:44PM 2-24-2009
Tore the Valleywag a deserved new one elsewhere. We're talking about how strong SL is during hype-free periods.