“It’s possible that Second Life builds like this actually detract from activism by offering participants a fake sense of social engagement,” Josh Levy reflects as his avatar leaves Camp Darfur, a simulated protest site within Second Life replete with graphic photographs, RSS news feeds, and statistics on the genocide being committed in Sudan. “But it’s also possible,” he continues, “that by seeing images we’ve never seen before and engaging with each other in new ways, we can be moved by the unique qualities of Second Life to make a difference in real life.” Levy’s commentary on this is insightful, but in relegating his scope to the world of Second Life he neglects the problems of activism at large.
To consider the effectiveness of activism in Second Life, we first must consider the intent of activism as a whole. I have no particular expertise on this subject, but what strikes me about most projects labeled “activism” is their paradox: their professed goal is to effect a specific change; however, they rarely achieve this in any direct, immediate way. So, why do people continue to trample the Central Park grass shouting and carrying signs? Mostly, I think it’s about community and consciousness. So let’s discuss activism in Second Life from this perspective.
Human beings, as we like to say, are social animals. When I went with some friends to Central Park (in real life-2002) and walked around with thousands of people in protest of the imminent invasion of Iraq, the effect on those in government was not as desired. I’m not sure if we expected it to be as desired. It is the first and last time I’ve ever been to a large, organized protest. I didn’t know much about the situation or the politics involved. Here’s why I went: my friends were going. And, in general it seemed to be about social engagement. People were collecting information, distributing information, looking at photos, and talking to each other.
This model doesn’t seem so much different from the one represented by Camp Darfur in Second Life. One of the challenges of activism is to raise consciousness in people who are otherwise not conscious of a problem. To do this, activists must bring the information to the places people live – the places they like to spend their time. One of our prejudices against Second Life seem to be that it offers an inauthentic reality, but whether we like it or not, a lot of people spend a lot of time there. This makes it a reasonable place to expend energy distributing information. People who care will consume the information; people who don’t care won’t. Just like in the real world.
In this sense, Second Life is a better option than a demonstration in Central Park. A rally is an artificial event, constructed for only one purpose, in place people might not otherwise spend much time (how often, e.g., do you ordinarily visit Central Park?). The Second Life build is integrated into a place where people are already hanging out. Your avatar can just fly on over. As to Ethan Zuckerman, the human rights activist who charges that a better option would be to make a website than a 3-D space, he’s right. But this problem isn’t specific to Second Life. Frankly, marchers on Capitol Hill and in Central Park would be better off making a website or donating money or donating more constructive time than shouting and marching. The same can be said for activist demonstrations across the spectrum. But people need to share information socially.
For example, no one event of the Civil Rights movement was responsible for its success in improving conditions for minorities in America. And, of course, that success is not unqualified. But that’s how these thing work. Information is handed down, social gatherings and small acts of defiance contribute to the collective consciousness, and slowly, change becomes impossible to deny. If that information needs to be handed down in a 3-D space, so be it. That space is a reality of our current world. The point is that, without the information being available in Second Life, many Second Life escapists would not be apprised of conditions in Darfur. The point is that it’s better for the weird multi-colored faerie lady to share information in Second Life than not to share it at all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Michael, I think you're onto something -- in fact many activist have started to look at how to spread information and awareness of causes through play. Why did activism become such a downer, always doomed to fail? they're asking. instead, there are several different artists and collectives looking at ways to make supporting or learning about a cause engaging and even fun, using games and other ways of exploring real and virtual spaces.
ReplyDeleteI guess the question is when does this become uncomfortable? For example, dance party benefits for genocide victims -- at some point I get a little weirded out by the idea that we're supposed to feel we're contributing to someone who's reality is so different and so much less free than our own. But then, another questions is pragmatism. If 1000 people dance for a cause and it makes $5000, that could potentially be significant. (I feel myself rambling...)