Who is the target audience for Second life?

[Marigold Devin]

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Vladi Hazelnut wrote:

I don't know what the target was, but I can tell you the current demographic. Its mostly out of work/disabled people with some sort of emotional or mental instability. Myself included. I am sure there are some normal people that casually log into second life. But the hardcore members that sepnd lots of time in game all have some sort of issue. I have not met anyone yet that didn't sooner or later end up admiting to some sort of social or emotional problem. Not saying it to be mean, just saying that is what I see. And like I said I am inlcuded in that. I suffer from anxiety and depression issues so I use sl to hide from the real world.

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I've certainly met plenty of people with delusion disorder, and fantasists (but it could be argued that fantasists are really the target audience), and a sprinkling of disabled people.

What actually got me started with Second Life was that I read an article about it in a magazine about it, and the emphasis was on creativity and land dealing. I was (and am) caring for my brother after he suffered a stroke, before which he was a very active man, who had just got involved with computers. I thought Second Life would be a good way to wake up his enthusiasm for his computer again, but his disability is not compatible with Second Life.

However, I have also met many people in Second Life who balance it with their real life, with jobs, with families. Their time in Second Life is the time they might have otherwise spent just sitting in front of the television, or in the pub.

I certainly have not met anyone in real life who can be considered totally "normal" - everyone has issues or quirks - OCD, anger management issues, fetish for something, phobias. I don't think Second Life attracts any more weirdos, oddballs, mentally or physically ill people than real life has.  I think we are pretty much a cross-section of the community.

Potatoes, potahtoes. etc.

[Vladi Hazelnut]

How can I know what someone is like before I meet them? Saying that I only meet people with the same problems simply makes no sense since I have no idea who they are before I meet them. I work in sales and customer relations so I meet lots of people on a daily basis. Its not like I gravitate towards any particluar person, they are just random people.

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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Vladi Hazelnut wrote:

How can I know what someone is like before I meet them? Saying that I only meet people with the same problems simply makes no sense since I have no idea who they are before I meet them. I work in sales and customer relations so I meet lots of people on a daily basis. Its not like I gravitate towards any particluar person, they are just random people.

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Even though you have quoted yourself, I'm assuming that your comment was (at least partially, if not totally) directed at me.  

1)  First, I did not say that "knew" someone before you had met them.  (that makes no sense) 

2)  Second, I never said you "only meet people with the same problems".  It was you who said that, I'll quote you here:

 

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Vladi Hazelnut wrote:

 I have not met anyone yet that didn't sooner or later end up admiting to some sort of social or emotional problem

. ... And like I said

I am inlcuded in that. I suffer from anxiety and depression issues

so I use sl to hide from the real world.

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Yet, how is it you have only met people who say they have social or emotional issues....and you include yourself in that group?    I think it's because you self-identify with such, and you are giving off either subtle or obvious clues to other people.  (You certainly had no problem telling a bunch of strangers here in the forum that you "suffer from anxiety and depression issues".) Then what happens is at some point in talking to you, the other people say that they have these issues too.  

I've been in SL longer than you, yet have only had a handful of people, ever, tell me that they have social or emotional issues.   I am usually inworld only after I get home from RL work, and I'm not disabled, nor are the people I meet in SL.  (there may be a small minority of people I've met who have some disability, but it is certainly not the majority)

But, you wrote this: 

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Vladi Hazelnut wrote:

 Its mostly

out of work/disabled people

with some sort of

emotional or mental instability

.

Myself included. 

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So, I think that not only are you projecting, but that you're giving off signals that triggers those who do have issues, to tell you about them.   I seriously doubt that all the people you've met in SL so far, have told you that they have social or emotional issues.  That is statistically improbable. 

 

 

[Void Singer]

:: Squints :: Daria? izzat you? lol

 

truth is, everyone ( who is being honest with themselves or others), has SOMETHING wrong with them. which take no account of how much that actually affects any success they have in life

 

ETA:
on top of projection add a healthy dose of fundamental attribution error