Virtual Worlds

Recently, Virtual Worlds have become a hot topic in the online community. This form of social-networking seems to be gaining increased recognition from the entertainment industry, to corporations and even branches of government. The most widely known virtual world  today is Second-Life. In Second-Life you can create an avatar and explore the realms of this 3-d world and even build it. While many view Second-Life as merely a game, there is strong evidence that it has become much more than that.
One of the innovative uses for virtual worlds is holding events and meetings. Virtual meetings save time and costs for the attendees, are easier to organize, and allow more people to "sit in" on them. A great example of putting this form of new media to use is given in the article "Forget C-SPAN: Congress Goes Interactive" by Mike Musgrove. The article discusses how a congressional hearing was held both in real life and virtual life simultaneously, the goal of which was to discuss issues that arise from using virtual platforms like Second-Life, such as child-safety, crime, and possible uses for non-profit organizations. 
Another interesting use of virtual worlds that also fosters creativity is discussed in th NY Times article "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You" by Ruth La Ferla. The article discusses how many budget-conscious people choose virtual shopping over real life shopping, since they basically "get more bang for the buck." In virtual world's like Second-Life almost anyone can afford luxury clothes and vehicles for a very small price, and thus express their personal style more freely. What struck me the most, was the mention of a fashion talk-show held inside the virtual world. This leads to the conclusion that virtual worlds are a great platform to promote and create new fashions, a virtual aspect real-world brands can capitalize on. 
"I've Been To that Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff is about the author's experience in a replica of in virtual Lower East Side Manhattan. The "VLES" was created as part of an MTV project to promote their network brand. While this is a great use for a company like MTV, the article also points to another idea: virtual Worlds can allow us to experience actual places and neighborhoods that we can't travel to in real life. 
Another pro of virtual worlds is the social networking aspect. An example of this is mentioned in Itzkoffs article, when a VLES user tells him during a real-life encounter that there is a greater chance of having a conversation with someone working for a company like IBM, MTV, etc. in a virtual world. 
While these may seem like great pros to using virtual worlds, there are also negative aspects. One being that he line between reality and virtuality gets blurred for many people. Although virtual worlds are certainly more interactive than Facebook, they are still 'virtual' and can not substitute real life interactions entirely. Many people may devote too much time to using virtual worlds and neglecting the actual world. 
Another negative aspect is that virtual resources bare no impact on real life. It doesn't actually matter if you own a house in a virtual world, if you are struggling to keep up with real life expenses. What is worse, many people spend actual hard-earned money on virtual shopping, as opposed to buying a necessity in actual life. 
While it is a tempting idea that the virtual worlds of the future will involve 3-D glasses and simulated perception like many Sci-Fi movies portray, I think it is highly unlikely to become the reality. Virtual worlds are probably best used for meetings that may involve distant travel, as it is an efficient tool for that. However even this can be argued since you do not actually need a virtual world to hold an internet meeting, since a webcam would probably be a better/closer to life option. 
Virtual worlds also seem to be creating a small degree of chaos in real world economics, since virtual things are bought and sold in virtual worlds with real money. If mismanaged this can have a negative impact on the users since one must trade dollars at an exchange rate for virtual dollars, and this exchange is not technically part of the global market. An interesting article I cam across on the web regarding this issue http://www.economist.com/node/7963538?story_id=7963538.