In this article, there featured a study conducted at the Pennsylvania State University. This study included the participation of twenty-nine individuals who were Second Life users. Second Life, a 3-D virtual online environment, is considered a site that deepens intercultural literacy which refers to the comprehension, views, language, and identity that is crucial for effective intercultural interaction. The researchers argue that Second Life users participate in what they call an “Activity System” in which residents “engage is myriad activities (e.g. language classes) which provide structured environments that generate both intended and unattended outcomes.” Through their research, they have found that participation in Second Life has in fact enhanced user’s intercultural literacy.
Some of the research that went into this study included analyzing how the use of multiple languages, cross-cultural encounters and friends, awareness of insider cultural perspectives, and openness toward new viewpoints are contributing factors to the enhancement of user intercultural literary. In Second Life, users are also given the option to transform and shift their appearance. As many individuals tend to base their individual’s facial characteristics and features to resemble their cultural identity (a positive identity), they pave the way for cross-cultural exchanges (though it is not a guaranteed intercultural literacy).
Other factors that lead to this deeper awareness includes the fascination that Second Life users had with each other. For example, in the study, researchers talked about their finding that users had a natural fascination with what is different with other users. Comments that they gathered included openness towards greeting other users on Second Life that ultimately influenced users to feel comfortable in opening up, communicating, and approaching other avatars and learning about their cultural background. Insider perspectives however, were the biggest factor, as users shared how in Second Life, they are able to encounter and learn about other cultures while also sharing their own national identities.
Other ways included through “small talk” among users, and even through the opportunity to enhance second language proficiency. All in all, the researchers found out that participation in Second Life gives users the opportunities in order to gain deeper comprehension into second language proficiency, cross-cultural attitudes and views, and even cross-cultural relationships. Though some Second Life users only knew one language and hence could only communicate in one language, they reported that they were nevertheless able to expand their knowledge about other users and their cultural backgrounds.
In conclusion, what researchers discovered about users and user participation in Second Life is quite interesting. Researchers concluded that participating in this virtual world and interacting with other users lead to an increase in opportunities and an increase in a deeper cross-cultural understanding among users. Furthermore, researchers deduced that these virtual worlds do in fact bring about intercultural communication. At the end of the research, the researchers also ponder another element and wonder whether virtual worlds and environments such as Second Life “solidify First Life national, cultural, and economic boundaries, or whether they will create new cultures that transform First Life in ways we have yet to imagine.”
This article personally was quite interesting as I pondered the idea of intercultural communication when I initially started working with Second Life. This idea came about as I had an inkling that Second Life was commonly used in Asian countries. My friends who are from Indonesia and Korea immediately knew the game I was referring to when I mentioned Second Life. Other clues that lead me to believe that Second Life had the potential to bring about intercultural communication was the fact that its avatars could transform and shift. For example, while exploring the site, I saw that there was an avatar for an Indian human. I thought this was really interesting because it showed me that Second Life is integrating other cultural backgrounds into their system.