I have been on Second Life for 14 years…
I have been on Second Life for 14 years now, and it has its positives and negatives. Sadly there are more negatives. Before we go into the positive and negatives, it is crucial to understand that Second Life at a basic level is a good idea and it was revolutionary for its time. However, it is down to bad apples within the Second Life community who ruin its reputation.
In its early years, it became a safe haven for sexual predators, and this drove many businesses away from the platform and they never returned. This had included media corporations and colleges and universities.
Positives
- Meet great people and if they are the right people, you could make new friends for life.
- Learn languages
- Learn new skills like graphic design, fashion, broadcasting, retail.
- Creating anything your imagination allows
Negatives
- There are a lot of toxic people on Second Life whether they be trolls/ griefers, politically poisonous, racist, homophobic, xenophobic. I have come across conspiracy theorists trying to groom people into their warped views of the world, and more so lately with covid-19.
- Sexual harassment is commonplace no matter what you are doing or where you are. Sometimes, if you refuse someone trying to attract you, they can turn abusive in a heartbeat. Rape is a problem on here too, and I am not sure if it is taken as seriously as it should.
- Unsolicited contact is also very common whether it be friend requests from random people who aren't on the same sim or IMs from people wanting things relating to sexual content.
- Second Life is very driven towards adult content and it is very tiring when you want nothing to do with it. Everything turns into sex at any moment, and it is as if people can't last 2 minutes without it.
- Catfishing is problematic. My best advice is to be wary of who might be behind a female avatar. There is a good chance it is controlled by a real-life male, and they can and will manipulate others for money, gifts, and control. There might also be the talk of real-life encounters with such a person, and they might present a photo that is not really of them. I have come across this before, and 9/10, the person has found a picture of an adult film star, and claim that the person in the photo is who they are.
- Scams are endemic in Second Life and they usually target shoppers within-group IMs with a dodgy link to hijack someone's account. Thankfully, most people are aware of this scam, and as soon as it appears, people will say "DO NOT CLICK THAT!".
- Fraud comes in many forms in Second Life, but I would say the most common will involve false allegations against others.
For best protection...
- Submit payment information to Linden Labs! This process requires you to send a real-life photo ID, and it is the best way to protect yourself against false accusations. It also allows you to sell L$ in exchange to a Paypal account.
December 18, 2021
Unprompted review