ATTENTION WORLD:
PUT DOWN THE PHONE.
LOG OUT OF FACEBOOK.
STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.
From the moment we wake up to the moment we wake up in the morning to the second we close our eyes at night, we are never not connected. Whether it is through texting, tweeting, chatting, facebook – we lead our lives in cyberspace. The Internet, social media in particular, has brought the world closer, making it possible for friends to keep in contact all over the world.
Research shows that in the last 50 years the time spent socializing outside of work hours has decreased by over half! We substitute face-to-face social interactions with online communications. Second Life is a game that, in essence, allows you to lead a second life online – even using real money.
Cyber-world is a fast becoming a dangerous addiction, it starts with students checking facebook during and tweeting their every move, but evolves into something far more serious. This new trend has gotten so large that even companies such as Warner Bros and Telus have set up new marketing ploys: they market and sell on Second Life. A phone is useless in this virtual world, but still a popular purchase.
Of course from the point of view of firms, the new opportunities cannot be ignored. It is true that they now have a new platform, a new chance to get their products and services implanted into the consumer mind and bring brand recognition to a whole new level.
The question is: is it ethical for firms for encourage people who are living their lives online, just so they can turn a greater profit?
[for more visit http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=139968 or http://secondlife.com/whatis/?lang=en-US]