Second Life, for me, is an experience that I thought would be completely unfamiliar. My expectations for Second Life were drawn from stories from the media portraying individuals in real life who created drastically different internet avatars to live their desired lives online. However, in the study “Unintended Outcomes in Second Life: Intercultural Literacy and Cultural Identity in a Virtual World” by William C. Diehl and Esther Prins, a few new and familiar aspects of Second Life were brought to my attention.

“SL is a virtual 3-D online MUVE in which participants create avatars, buy and sell virtual land, start virtual businesses, attend or teach virtual classes, create objects using the in-world tools, and participate in myriad activities limited only by their imagination and building skills” (Diehl and Prins)

This struck a familiar note with me because I used to partake in buying and selling online goods for money in a game called Diablo. I myself did not play this game, but I helped friends purchase online items and flip them for a profit in middle school because I was the only kid with a credit card! While some people will never understand the concept of spending real, physical money, for items that can only be used in an online community, the people that do are truly passionate about the game, or in this case Second Life.

However, what surprised me most was the studies’ interpretation of the benefits SL has for individuals looking to expand their own culture, or discover a new. Diehl and Prins state that SL offers a “… blending of text and audio and varied oral and written communication genres in SL language classes blur the lines between orality and literacy” (Diehl and Prins). This blurring of the lines can help individuals discover a new language, or learn about a new culture, which in my eyes is a truly beneficial aspect of being a member of Second Life.