why is everyone afk

[GUNHaMMER5000]

i swear everywhere i go, there are massive groups of people afk. wtf is the point of being online?

[Rolig Loon]

We must be visiting different parts of SL.  I don't see many AFK residents as I travel around.  The only exception is in newbie areas where, as always, there are stranded newbies who have wandered off in RL to eat lunch or whatever and haven't bothered to log out.

[Darren Scorpio]

Sometimes people are not AFK but they prefer not to talk on local. I personally don't look at local chat when I'm at a public place, I simply don't like all the spam. So while it may appear that I am AFK I am not. If someone sends me an IM I will reply.