Social Networking andVirtual Worlds

11th September - Partnership in Autism Networks

Louis Yung-HoiNew Media Adviser - Contact a Family

louis.yung-hoi@cafamily.org.ukTel: 0207 608 8727

What is social networking?• An increasingly popular way to communicate with a bespoke network of

individuals over the internet.• Social networking websites allow you to easily create a personal or

business page and build a network of contacts (called ‘friends’) around your profile that represents you and your interests.– 22% of adult internet users (aged 16+) and 49% of child internet users (aged 8-

17) have set up their own profile on a social networking site – Ofcom, 2008– Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, LinkedIn, Orkut

• Your profile can then be used to share information and interact with the people among your network through:– Real-time chat/IM, message boards– Uploading and sharing of user-generated content (videos, pictures)– Creating blogs, journals and diaries.– Posting and publicising events.

What are virtual worlds?• Interactive services adopting similar characteristics to social networking

are also increasing in popularity known as virtual worlds.• 3D (sometimes 2D) simulated environments

– Much like a computer game but with a focus on building communities and socialising

– Accessible at all times

• Create a character called an ‘avatar’ to navigate around the world– Customizable looks– Replicate your own look or create a fantasy avatar.

• Use your avatar to interact with your environment– Voice and text chat– Get a job, get married, go clubbing, take a French lesson, just chat with friends– Build a house, sell your trade

Is it that popular?• Second Life (www.secondlife.com)

– currently one of the most popular virtual world services.– has 15 million accounts (as of September 2008)– In January 2008, 28,274,505 hours were spent in-world.– Nielsen Online figures show that Second Life is the third most popular

application in the UK in terms of minutes spent on it (after Facebook and YouTube) with growth of 137% in the past year.

• “By 2011, 80% of all active internet users will be operating in a virtual world…” - The Gartner Group, May 2007– The future of the Internet?– Many new start-up virtual worlds focused on children and gaming

Virtual Worlds

Teenagers Teens/AdultsChildren

Pros, cons and real world effects…

• Socialisation– Engagement in communities

• Experimenting with identity• In-world/Virtual currency

– Fundraising– E-commerce

• Education• Creativity• Minimal setup costs for non-

profit orgs

+ -• In-world dependency/real world

rejection • ‘Griefers’• Hardware requirements

– However, mobile phone accessibility in beta.

– VoIP - Contact friends without logging in.

• Time consumption/Maintenance• Anonymity

?Virtual worlds have enjoyed a fairly short lifespan, so experientially, the long term real world effects are relatively unknown. However, positive results of IRL (in real life) impact are growing…

Impact: Case Studies

• American Cancer Society– Relay for Life, raised $118,000

• Transgender Resource Center• Anshe Chung

– First RL millionaire via SL• Spanish STD/Drug Consulting Room for Teens• US Congress Meeting• Executive Business Education Program

– Indiana University Campus• Global Kids’ SL Curriculum• Division TEACCH

– Virtual reality helps autistic children develop skills

– Receptive to controlled and predictable environment

+ -• ‘Grooming’ ring• Second Life ‘stalker’ on kidnap charges

Privacy and Safety• No virtual world ‘police’

– But you can report abuse against undesired avatars to service provider.

• Closing the doors– Some ‘sims’ (land/space) and buildings are closed communities in

which only approved avatars can access.• Home Secretary’s Taskforce on Online Child Protection and

the Child Exploitation Online Protection (CEOP) Centre– The Taskforce brings together government, law enforcement,

children’s agencies and the internet industry, who are all working to ensure that children can use the internet in safety.