eNetworking 101: The Blog: My avatar looks like she goes to the gym

I did a workshop today on Second Life ("Introduction to Second Life") in Ithaca, NY. Someone asked if people made their avatars look like the way the look in real life. The answer is "yes", some people do. However, for many of us, our avatars look about 20 years younger than what we do in real life, and a bit thinner. One gentleman -- whom I've known for a long time -- remarked that my avatar looks like she goes to the gym! mmm...I prefer to think that she looks like me in my 20s.

From the interaction I had with graduate students last fall in SL, I know that some people do take great pains to make their avatars look exactly like themselves. Other people like to experiment with a totally different look. And while some may not have tried to make their avatars look like themselves, they may have taken names in SL that were meaningful to them. So although we see this as a different world, we do take "our selves" there in many ways.

Experimenting with different looks and genders is something sociology professors may have their students do in SL, in order to see/understand how other people react to them. [We do take our biases and prejudices with us when we're in a virtual world.] For example, what if you made yourself large (tall and wide) and gave yourself blue skin? How would people react to you? Would people see you as threatening? Attractive? Would they talk to you or avoid you?

BTW blue skin in evidently a turn-off. So if you want people to leave you alone, change your skin color in SL to blue.