When you meet some other resident, talk a bit, stroll some nice sim, have usual SL fun… that person (and it goes vice versa all the time) do not have a clue of the background you are acting and talking from. And it is hard position as you probably know. That is the reason why SL (or any avatarized 3D environment) is better than early instant messenger. Avatars (whether they are 80×80 pixels gifs or 3D mashes that moves in virtual environment) gives us something we can deal with for the start. There is a representation of the other person, something we try to use as a base for the communication. If I think of some of my SL friends: now, when we “know” each other it is ok to communicate through IMs while being on two different sims. It is like talking on the phone with someone you already know. But it is much harder to phone with someone you never met in person.
The part we are not aware of, and we usually don’t want to be aware is that, in that process of making our own picture of somebody while getting to know him or her, we use stereotypes and prejudices. And we use it in both ways. If you want to be the funny person of the forum you will probably use some cartoon character. If you want to be taken seriously you will use adequate image for that environment. If you want to be very personal or to be identified as a real-life person you will use your own image. But, all that becomes much more complicated in 3D and all the possibilities that SL gives us. Too many people were surprised by racist words when showed in dark-tanned skin for the first time. We all know that if you wear female avatar with breast size over 60 you will probably got bombarded with IMs.
I won’t say the same thing doesn’t happen in RL because it does. The clothes we wear, the way we walk or act, the makeup we wear, it affects our conversations and social connections. Our color of skin, even hair, our height and what not, it all counts. But, two things are very different. The political correctness and the (im)possibility to change some things. In RL, we don’t show our prejudices so often. Sometimes it is against the law, or it is out of customs, at least it is bad manners to do it. In SL, we have only customs inherited from RL, but we also have anonymity on our side. Beside that, in SL, if you want to be different height, color or whatever, just pull the slider. And then, all the people wants to play. Which is not a bad idea. Some will use it for bad, most of the residents use it for good.
But we don’t have a clue who we just met. Is it male or female, how old, where from…. And all those questions and variables now, when we are used to get any data quickly and with (what we think that is) reliability. No way we can handle that anonymity. It is not that we don’t trust the other person, it is that we don’t have anything to trust or not.
By attempt to involve as much RL data we try to protect ourselves not from the griefers and criminals. We try to protect us from the hard feeling that we don’t have a clue who is on the other side. We try not to get in that heavy position of not having the basic knowledge which enables us to communicate with less degree of misunderstanding. We are trying not to confess that we are dealing with “second from the truth”, with illusion. It won’t help to say that we are dealing with same kind of illusions in RL too.
During our “real lives” we learned to deal with out prejudices. Whether we admit it or not, we are using them to make our lives and communication easier. But, will verification systems make our life easier in that sense? Will submitting our RL data give other residents a clue who we are, how we see the world around us? Will it be easier to approach us and to talk to us? I doubt. There is nothing in verified data than you can’t give with your profile and 1st life page. As the matter of fact you can choose better what represents both avatarized and “real” you and present that than it can some bureaucratic checking of your RL name and age. You can do that with your avatar and SL personality too. It is just matter of time for us to get to know how to rely on the data we provide voluntarily and in more creative way by the means of second life.
Very good questions that you’re raising here, and I do agree that an avatar — the way we dress, our ‘virtual’ body language (or lack of it!), the choice of colours — all this conveys much more visual feedback to anyone who looks at us for the first time to pick up clues on who we are.
After all, the same happens in RL — we don’t ask people for their ID cards when they talk to us the first time and say: “Hi, my name is Paul” and we take it for granted; we might get more about their personal data if we establish more friendly terms with a neighbour, but it’s pretty unusual for a complete stranger to start spewing up all the gory details of their personal lives five minutes after you’ve met them (some do, but they have some sort of social misadaptation of some sort!)
Interesting, though, your comment that prejudices, behind a mask of pseudonimity, can come to the surface much faster. But also reaction to stereotypes; I’ve tested that (not thoroughly — it would be a nice research study, though), and there is certainly a huge difference on how you’re addressed based on what clothes you wear and what shape your avatar is. I’ve got a little-used “sexy avatar” stashed on an old alt, and it’s fascinating to see how all guys hit me almost instantly when I do nothing else but sit down and cross my legs; my usual avatar as “Gwyn” is more like the sweet & casual style, which combined with being a loudmouth and pretending to be clever (something I usually can get away with :) ) is usually a turn-off for most people — who then just “want to be friends” and nothing else. Show them some leg and a blonde hairstyle, and act sexy and flirty, and the reaction is totally different, which is amusing (or insulting — depending on the PoW).
This is something that I definitely haven’t studied a lot — but I guess it would make for a very interesting research subject. The other thing is more obvious. Just get a group of new users in their newbie clothes in an area, and place an old veteran with the latest fashions and styles in the middle of it. The “old veteran” doesn’t even have to talk — they will get IMed pretty quickly, just because they “stand out of the crowd”. It’s fascinating to watch this happening all the time at the Help Island…
That always fascinated me, how people react on sexy looking avatars. While nice looking body is sexually appealing (though not guaranteeing good sex), nice avatar is in no way related to good cybersex experience. At least, not for anybody who use reason. And SL sex can be boring like worst nightmare. As a friend said few days ago, good SL lover is good with words. But, what first impression gives somebody who is “good with words”? Accordingly, for business, what is the first impression of somebody who is reliable and have other qualities that matters in that field?
As for “veteran” standing with noobies… my observations said that ppl tends to catch with avatars that look close by age. Noobs are talking to noobs, vets with vets (help centers are excluded from this, the one who look older probably have the answers). This make sense, perception of the world changes with time, different questions arises, different things are fun. But, even there avatar is not a good clue. Just look Philip Linden, his avatar is like he is five days old. :)