No Budget, No Boundaries:It's the Real You

Even before reading this website I have never really been interested in avatar-based social networking sites. Maybe it is because I had never really fully experienced them or heard much about them. However, after reading this article I'm pretty positive that I wouldn't really want to spend my time on one of them. I think that the exchange of real world money for virtual possessions is kind of ridiculous. I, personally, cannot imagine paying real money for virtual possessions or services. For some people, it may be a world of escape or a way in which to live their life or express themselves or their style in a way that they are unable to do in the real world but to be honest that is just not something I would spend my time doing. In the article, it was stated that people like to receive kudos for the things that they own. To me, it just seems ridiculous to be that concerned about what other people think or how they see you in society let alone to place material possessions that high up on ones priority list. It is interesting to me that these kind of websites began to really kick off during this time of the recession. It is amazing to me how great the need for material possessions really is along with the need to outlandishly state ones status, money, or power. Another thing that really shocked me was that these websites are doing better than the websites that are targeted and use by teenagers and kids. For children, it is typical to make believe and pretend to live in this fantasy world; children have always done that. But it really amazes me that now there are places for adult to do this too and that they are actually much more lavish and extreme than that of the websites for kids. I guess for some people this is a fun and different way to escape their lives and become someone else or to live in a way in which they cannot in real life. However, you will never find me on one of these websites. I just don't think that it is a valuable use of my time to "living vicariously" through an avatar character. There are so many other things that I can be doing; despite being limited in the real world because of the recession, real life can give you real life experiences, and memories. There is no reason that I would feel the need to find escape in this virtual world; I have my own life and despite not being able to buy the latest designer bag or shoes, I would rather spend my time enjoying my real life instead of creating a virtual one.