Week 8 Internet Field Trip

Hello again,

Well i got all excited this week as i thought we might actually be going on a field trip! Afraid not...

This weeks tutorial task was in actual fact, all about 3D worlds and socialising on the Internet.

After checking out http://www.imvu.com and http://www.activeworlds.com i began to realise the differences between IM programs like MSN and other 3D type socialising providers.

Being a huge MSN fan and user, i noticed many qualitative differences when using these alternative 3D environment programs.

Beside the obvious difference that Active World is 3D and MSN isn't, many other aspects also differ.

Firstly, programs like Active World raise the very important theme of text vs visual and the effectiveness of both. This program, while still using text to communicate, uses a myriad of visual aspects which add an extra dimension to the environment. Including so many visual aspects in the program allows users to interact fully with the people they are communicating with in a fun and social environment.

While MSN allows people to communicate only by text, this program not only allows people to chat, but also visit incredible 3D worlds that are built by other users, make new friends and chat with people from all over the globe, play interactive 2D and3D games and finally choose from a vast range of avatar identities and chat with other avatars.

The kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces is different to those of programs like MSN as the visual aspect means people are able to interact in a different type of environment which is new and exciting and more interactive. The 3D aspect therefore, makes a huge difference to the way people communicate.

This sort of application may lead us to a more interactive world where people are able to see first hand, the people they are talking to. In the future, a program like this could easily be adapted from cartoon to real life etc.

Overall, i really enjoyed this task. It was fun to use a new program like this and explore the different communication programs on the internet and the alternative ways we can communicate globally.

Thanks for another week!
Cheers,
Kate