Virtual Worlds : a New Kind of Sociability - Evolution, Challenges, Impacts & Applications

Virtual Worlds have had a lot of press lately with the advent of Second Life and consorts last year. But where do they come from, what challenges do they create, what are the impact of social life and above all, what are they used for, where are they going ?

If you have questions about Virtual Worlds, you should find some answers in this article.

Here is an extract :

Internet with its mixture of text, graphics, images and videos, allows users to quickly browse a large volume of information. But the human being is above all a social animal who needs to experience information in the form of live content and presence. Therefore, the Web has grown a social aspect (Web 2.0) enabling users to influence and customize the content. Its natural social evolution: virtual worlds.

Virtual worlds are based on interactivity and communication. They allow users (called “residents”) to interact in real time with other residents using multiple media - regardless of their geographical location - so as to simulate realistic environments and participate in group activities.

Download the full article here : http://www.conceptsl.com/papers/

Don't hesitate to give me your feedback : yohan.launay@conceptsl.com

Thanks
—
Yohan Launay
Technology & Innovation Advisors at ConceptSL, Paris (France)

Tue, May 27, 2008  Permanent link

The next evolution of Internet : the Metaverse. A subtle mixture of real and virtual

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

- Arthur C. Clarke

As a Technology & Innovation Advisor in a French consulting company I have been studying and analyzing the new technologies and new media for quite some time. With my partner (blog on my profile) we have a particular vision of the next evolution of Internet I wanted to share with you. I have gathered it in an article available on my website : http://www.ConceptSL.com/papers/.

Here is an extract :

For some time, we have been talking about Virtual Worlds, 3D on the Internet (Web 3D), Web 2.0 and other social media. But what is the common point of all this? Information. A website is in fact the formatting of content from databases, a chat is an exchange of information between two or more individual, an avatar is a (symbolic) representation of information about an individual (fantasized or not)…

We have always given technological constraints and limitations to the representation of Information. We tend to confine it to one or more dimensions, to a particular interpretation and even sometimes to a certain temporality. Don’t you think Information is rather timeless and without a particular form as the term “in-formation” (no-form) seems to suggest?

We at ConceptSL see the Information as a whole: a fabric of information or ectoplasm, which takes shape depending of the context and to serve particular needs. We consider apart the original “shape” (or “no-shape”) and the final form and its purpose.

Download the full article here : http://www.conceptsl.com/papers/

All feedbacks are more than welcomed : yohan.launay@conceptsl.com

Thanks

—
Yohan Launay
Technology & Innovation Advisor at ConceptSL - Paris, France

Tue, May 27, 2008  Permanent link
Categories: evolution, internet, web3D, 3D, vitual worlds, metaverse, new technologies, new media, technology, media