This past week we looked at a clip in class dealing with the online virtual world of Second Life. Before this clip I knew that Second Life was an online virtual world where users create avatars to live and perform everyday life things such as eating, sleeping working and socializing. However, in this video we came across a new way Second life is being used. Companies such as IBM are now using Second Life to hold meetings and to hold other corporate functions. These companies suggest that this idea will save them money on travel, allow people to work from home but still have the face to face contact with people in these meetings. After watching this I found that to be interesting, however a bit strange.
After watching this clip I started to think about a movie I recently saw called, "Up in the Air." The film, starring George Clooney( Ryan), is about a corporate consultant who travels from city to city downsizing companies for bosses who are to coward to do so them self. As Clooney's character begins to fire people left and right, you see just how hard some people take their harsh new reality. When his consulting firm tries cutting cost by conducting these layoffs over the internet, Ryan feels that this form of communication is unprofessional and simply wrong. Having fired many people over his career he knows how devastated people get and how they need someone there for them one news like that gets dropped on them.
Like Clooney's character Ryan, I feel that certain web communication is unprofessional and looses a personal feel. If I were to get fired from my real job on Second Life which was originally intended to be just a game, it would make me feel like they were making a mockery of my life. Although new communications are being added in new jobs all the time, there still needs to be some interaction with real people. Holding meetings in a virtual world is simply relying on and using forms of new media to much.
Up In the Air Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7k6FwXJhNk
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I think this movie is a perfect example of how human interactions are still more important than ever. I could not even imagine being fired from my job through a person on a computer screen. Using virtual reality for business transactions seems completely impersonal and inappropriate..
ReplyDeleteAwesome example. I loved the first hour of that movie (the rest was dull). It also gives a good example of how using media alone (texts/emails) can give you a completely wrong impression of someone.
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