Ok Sloomer! The Rise and Fall of Second Life Generations

[Garnet Psaltery]

1 hour ago, Erwin Solo said:

As a class of 2005 and a (former) land trader, I always used to consider only 2002 and 2003 accounts to be oldbies, and am pleased to have met several and still enjoy seeing them log in from time to time. 

I still feel like that!

[Scylla Rhiadra]

5 minutes ago, Garnet Psaltery said:

I don't agree with what you mean about my RL generation having drifted or lost their way or something as I suspect my politics are different from yours.

Well, it's certainly true that I am in a great deal more sympathy, ideologically, with the Boomers of the 60s and early 70s, than I am with what they became, or have become. The generation that fought to end the Vietnam War, enact the Equal Rights Amendment, and the civil rights movement eventually became a mainstay of neoliberalism and the new right. You don't have to agree that this is a bad thing to recognize that, at the least, the 30 year old anti-establishment protestors were quite likely voting Bush or Trump.

13 minutes ago, Garnet Psaltery said:

Leaving that aside I did enjoy recalling the visits I had to 4Chan's hangout though I wasn't supposed to say I did.  I found them generally intelligent and funny.

I don't think I'd disagree that 4Chan is/was frequented by intelligent and often funny people. It also helped spawn the Alt Right and the Incel movements. But I wasn't actually implying a judgement of it; I was citing them mainly as a sort of embodiment of a particular articulation of hactivism/online culture that was very important in the pre-social media days of the internet.

[Adam Spark]

I am an oldbie (or as I like to say, older than prim dirt LOL). My account was created on Oct. 26th, 2006. I missed being the millionth account created by almost precisely a week.

I would say your assessment is pretty spot on. I think, and hope, we are entering a new generation now with the growing popularity of Bellissera and Linden Homes, which were, in the beginning, suited only for new residents. It feels, to a degree, like a return to the oldbie generation, which was an era where Residents were far more united as a community than they are today. I've been feeling a near full circle ride (albeit slower a ride than I'd like) back to those days ever since Ebbe took over.

The dream of a 3D web died with Linden Lab's failure to execute it, and I will go to my grave believing in the possibilities of a 3D web, and believing that the death of that dream is what led to the decline of Second Life ever since. 3D web can happen, Second Life proves the concept and I believe it will one day.

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Erwin Solo said:

I am something of an SL Historian and have a number of old artifacts in my inventory including the 2002 First Prim and 2002 @OldJohn Linden statue--both from the pre-SL alpha period. I also have most of the 2003 collectables including the First Dog, the @Alberto Linden Arch (a copy sits at the entrance to the Ivory Tower on Natoma SIM) and several versions of the original Hippo, and all the old Linden Bears. I wish I could get a copy of @Ryan Linden 's old statue. I had a tour system set up to visit it from my Day Boom land, before I sold it.

I think that SLoldbies are really vital to SL precisely because they are, de facto, the custodians of SL history. And that doesn't mean, obviously, just those things that happen in the Rosedale era: the long view is important.

I was speaking to @Eva Knoller about this just recently: it's a little sad and unfortunate that not as many efforts are being made now as was once the case to archive or record the continuing evolution of the platform. (Although I suspect that anyone who spent some serious time going through Inara Pey's blog, or Strawberry Singh's, could probably reconstruct a pretty complete history of at least the more "public" changes.)

[Scylla Rhiadra]

4 minutes ago, Adam Spark said:

I think, and hope, we are entering a new generation now with the growing popularity of Bellissera and Linden Homes, which were, in the beginning, suited only for new residents. It feels, to a degree, like a return to the oldbie generation, which was an era where Residents were far more united as a community than they are today. I've been feeling a near full circle ride (albeit slower a ride than I'd like) back to those days ever since Ebbe took over.

You sound pretty much in accord with Rolig's views on this. I agree -- although, again, I'd like to have a better sense of whether Bellisseria is appealing primarily to older residents who yearn for a now largely vanished SL, or whether it is also perhaps going to be instrumental in engaging new residents, and bringing them onboard with this older view of the platform.

I hope the latter.

[Selene Gregoire]

14 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Well, it's certainly true that I am in a great deal more sympathy, ideologically, with the Boomers of the 60s and early 70s, than I am with what they became, or have become. The generation that fought to end the Vietnam War, enact the Equal Rights Amendment, and the civil rights movement eventually became a mainstay of neoliberalism and the new right. You don't have to agree that this is a bad thing to recognize that, at the least, the 30 year old anti-establishment protestors were quite likely voting Bush or Trump.

The 60s and 70s were my parents, not me, yet according to "official" sources I'm considered a boomer. No, I am not a boomer. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I wasn't even of legal age to vote until 1977. So all the things I get blamed for happened long before I could even vote. That crap needs to stop. I'm not even considered a part of the next so called generation. So those of us born late 50s/early 60s are the ones that fall through the cracks. The whole silent/boomer/millennial/gen x/gen y crap needs to stop. Those terms aren't even based on realistic generation time frames, which ideally should be about 20 years, not 30 or more since most people start having children when in their 20s, not 30s. The gap between my generation and my daughter's is 15 years.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

3 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

The 60s and 70s were my parents, not me, yet according to "official" sources I'm considered a boomer. No, I am not a boomer. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I wasn't even of legal age to vote until 1977. So all the things I get blamed for happened long before I could even vote. That crap needs to stop. I'm not even considered a part of the next so called generation. So those of us born late 50s/early 60s are the ones that fall through the cracks. The whole silent/boomer/millennial/gen x/gen y crap needs to stop. Those terms aren't even based on realistic generation time frames, which ideally should be about 20 years, not 30 or more since most people start having children when in their 20s, not 30s. The gap between my generation and my daughter's is 15 years.

Absolutely. As I said in my OP about my own generational schema, "no individual is trapped in the prison of their generational persona," and there are always going to be "more exceptions to the 'rules' than those who comply in a simplistic manner." 

And, of course, you raise an important point about the arbitrary nature of the way that we (and me, above) parcel these things up: someone born in 1964 is going to have a lot more in common with a so-called "Gen Exer" born 2 or 3 years later, than with someone born in 1950.

All that said, my own schema here is as much in fun as it is serious.

[sirhc DeSantis]

Oh, another set of divisive labels, just what the World needs. Still it is an obvious extention of Market(ing)(Ac)ademia so thats nice.

Will stick to my self pref of NoobEternal if thats OK with everyone. After all, ten years ago I was too young to be a 'boomer' (only marketing could  come up with such an ugly term) but then 'they' moved the goalposts. Selene nailed it.

[Lindal Kidd]

As always, Scylla is funny, entertaining, and thought-provoking!

According to her schema, I'm a SLoldbie.  I'll embrace that, but I have to also say that from my perspective, those who signed up prior to May 2007 are the REAL oldbies (cf. Belinda's comment early on).  I've been told by those graybeards many times that I missed the "real" SL!

In fact, I came on board just in time to see the final days of The SL Mafia, gambling, Mr. Lee's Great Hong Kong, "stock exchanges" like WSE and Ginko Financial, and the fad of dealing drugs for profit (this was a sort of spiritual predecessor of breedables).  I was still pretty new when the big Maturity Rating change came about, along with the forced migration of all Adult content to Zindra.

Scylla divides the generations up primarily by when various technologies were introduced.  That's certainly one way, and maybe it's the way that is most concrete.  I think that there should also be some recognition of the cultural divisions as well, though those are harder to pin down.  Perhaps Scylla's description of the generations' different cultural mindsets is sufficient.

While I can look back and mourn the passing of many wonders, there have been at least as many improvements.  One hopes that will continue, but I also hope that we all, and LL in particular, are aware of the fragility of our virtual world.  Like the real one, small changes made "for the better" can have huge unintended consequences.

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

There's a ton of really old accounts still around. I recently reconnected with people from 2003-2006 in SL. 

 

No one really "leaves".

[Syo Emerald]

3 hours ago, cheesecurd said:

And the serious RP (...) has to die.

Don't worry. If RP in SL is plagued by an increasing % of uncreative, undisciplined, selfabsorbed and unproductive players (like any other place once good to openly roleplay), then RP that can be taken serious is already rare.

[Rolig Loon]

37 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I have to also say that from my perspective, those who signed up prior to May 2007 are the REAL oldbies (cf. Belinda's comment early on).  I've been told by those graybeards many times that I missed the "real" SL!

WooHoo!   I'm an Oldbie!  I came in March 2007.

I'm not truly wedded to a generational identity.  As sirhc and Selene said, those labels are rather arbitrary and often serve to divide us rather than shed much light on who we are. I can't be as vehement about it as either of them, but I share their sense that the labels are fairly pointless. It does make sense, though, to think of SL's history in the framework of eras.  Months before I arrived, flexi was introduced.  Months after I arrived, Voice came to SL.  Technological innovations like those have become mileposts that say something about how our in-world experience has changed over time.  Flexi was an important step toward making objects (and clothing!) that move organically.  Voice suddenly made communication much easier (and arguably more natural) for many residents.  Those innovations changed us and our communities irreversibly, so they are useful markers to remind us of where we see ourselves in the evolutionary development of SL.

[Selene Gregoire]

6 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

often serve to divide us

Divide and conquer.

United, we stand. Divided, we fall. ~Aesop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_we_stand,_divided_we_fall

[Adam Spark]

1 hour ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

You sound pretty much in accord with Rolig's views on this. I agree -- although, again, I'd like to have a better sense of whether Bellisseria is appealing primarily to older residents who yearn for a now largely vanished SL, or whether it is also perhaps going to be instrumental in engaging new residents, and bringing them onboard with this older view of the platform.

I hope the latter.

Hopefully both. I think it could, and I hope it will, re-energize, older residents. I certainly know it has for me. I've never left the platform, it still has a lot for me, but I've found myself less enthused about the product - and thus less vocal outside of Second Life - largely due to the loss of the community culture and the loss of the bold game changing 3D web dreams. I know that I can only speak for myself, at least matter of factly, but I do have a firm belief that the explosion in 2006-2010 was due to word of mouth and an excitement about what SL could become - about the fact that it was way more than anything you could call "a game". This alone would, I believe, engage new residents. It did the first time. Not to mention the positive effect that an energetic and positive userbase can have on new users coming in. Linden Lab has done a lot to reach scores of new users over the last few years. Steam (gamers, don't get me started), Facebook integration, ect. What has it led to? Inflated numbers of bad retention rates, incomplete signups and fixes for said problems that don't get anywhere near the root of the real issues.

Just my opinion. Yes I'm passionate about SL lol. Or at least about what SL could be.

[Syo Emerald]

1 hour ago, Selene Gregoire said:

since most people start having children when in their 20s, not 30s.

...which is also not carved in stone. With decreasing birthrates (and teen pregnancies), rising number of years spent on education, womens advancement into the workforce and less ideal conditions to raise a family, the average age of women giving birth to their first child, pushes into the 30s in some regions.

All those rough generation categories aren't meant to be precise cuts. The edges are blurry and blend in and of course nobody fits the mold 100% and individuals may stray away from it completely. Its just a simplified, yet sometimes handy model to explain differences between age groups in a society, because to some degee they all share common experiances and are shaped by events of their youth. In itself, there is nothing bad about that. Its only bad, when the media takes it and makes click-bait articles about it.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

31 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

It does make sense, though, to think of SL's history in the framework of eras.

I think, in practice, this is really what I've documented. As I noted in the OP, I actually don't have a very clear sense of the "cultural identity" (if there is one) of the generations following on about 2011. And I suspect that if there are differences between those who came in, say. 2007 and those from 2015, it may have more to do with external cultural factors (e.g., social media) than anything actually to be found within SL.

However, using the thread title "OK SLoomer" was just too hard to resist.

[Bree Giffen]

I recall that there was a distinction made between people who joined prior and after 2006 which was when SL was opened to free accounts which created a surge of new people. I came in with the free accounts and am not sure how it was before that. 

[Selene Gregoire]

13 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

...which is also not carved in stone. With decreasing birthrates (and teen pregnancies), rising number of years spent on education, womens advancement into the workforce and less ideal conditions to raise a family, the average age of women giving birth to their first child, pushes into the 30s in some regions.

All those rough generation categories aren't meant to be precise cuts. The edges are blurry and blend in and of course nobody fits the mold 100% and individuals may stray away from it completely. Its just a simplified, yet sometimes handy model to explain differences between age groups in a society, because to some degee they all share common experiances and are shaped by events of their youth. In itself, there is nothing bad about that. Its only bad, when the media takes it and makes click-bait articles about it.

You must have missed the word most in front of the word people. Most still doesn't mean all.

Even that which is "carved in stone" is worn away by wind and rain over time.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, sirhc DeSantis said:

Oh, another set of divisive labels, just what the World needs. Still it is an obvious extention of Market(ing)(Ac)ademia so thats nice.

Will stick to my self pref of NoobEternal if thats OK with everyone. After all, ten years ago I was too young to be a 'boomer' (only marketing could  come up with such an ugly term) but then 'they' moved the goalposts. Selene nailed it.

Oh pish, sirhc, relax.

This seems a tad overwrought and over-serious as responses go, especially given the caveats, qualifiers, and disclaimers at the end of the OP, as well as what I've said in the posts that follow.

This thread was intended at least half in good fun. It is only incidentally intended to further my ultimate goal of (virtual) world domination.

[cheesecurd]

Pic related, the average 2002-2005 user depicted in their natural habitat.

Take note of the crt monitor, landline phone and the fact that they have a room dedicated to just a computer.

[Love Zhaoying]

"Sloomer"? You can do better.

[Lyssa Greymoon]

6 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

1) SLoldbies -- Time Range: 23 June, 2003 (the public opening of Second Life) to 14 March, 2008, the day that Philip Rosedale stepped down as LL CEO.

Virtual life for SLoldbies must have been wild and exciting. Many of the most important features -- the Linden dollar, direct teleports, and Windlight were, for instance, introduced. The creators and coders of this generation lay the groundwork for literally everything that followed. My own sense of the SLoldbies is that they are, as a species, relatively open-minded. And they tend, I think, to subscribe to what now feels like an older version of digital libertarianism. They aren't 4Chan or Something Awful (most of them) -- but that's the culture from which they come. I really value and like SLoldbies: I find them sceptical, but always helpful.  

I joined in late 2007 and felt like I missed being part of the real oldbie generation by about a year. The media hype was done, corporate presences were dead and disappearing. Businesses and schools had just figured out they didn’t know what to do with SL. That first three years was an era completely unlike anything that came later.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Love Zhaoying said:

"Sloomer"? You can do better.

Then HELP ME, Love.

Yeeesh, everyone's a critic!

[Scylla Rhiadra]

3 minutes ago, Lyssa Greymoon said:

I joined in late 2007 and felt like I missed being part of the real oldbie generation by about a year. The media hype was done, corporate presences were dead and disappearing. Businesses and schools had just figured out they didn’t know what to do with SL. That first three years was an era completely unlike anything that came later.

Yeah, you may be right. Rosedale's departure as CEO seems a really logical milestone in terms of the history of the platform itself, but it's undoubtedly not as satisfying as a culture demarcation. I started about 4 months after Rosedale stepped down: it did not feel like the beginning of a "new era" to me. SL, as I experienced it anyway, already felt pretty well well established, and well past the "frontier days." It's likely that you, Lindal, and a few others who've suggested pushing it back a bit are correct.

[Love Zhaoying]

Just now, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Then HELP ME, Love.

Yeeesh, everyone's a critic!

Ok, then. Have you defined the early, middle, and newest generations of SL users? Maybe just assuming the people who won't accept change are "boomers" is ok. If it "walks like a duck", as they say. 
 

On the other hand: millennials ="SLlennials", Gen X = "SLXians", etc.