A Second Life Think Tank?

By Nicole Williams
Published on Monday, October 01, 2007
ARTICLES

In the quest for technologies that aid communication in a mobile office, I recently tested Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com/), a 3D web-based "world." There, one can do almost anything possible in the real world - buy real estate, trade stocks, drink in a bar or sit in a virtual room and have a meeting.

Second Life is a rich and complex online society with opportunities for education, interaction and the marketing of ideas. Perhaps the time is right for someone to create "Think Tank Island," the first Second Life free market research center, with discussion salons and simulations.

Second Life is used for teaching and training. Some universities have virtual campuses and conduct classes, either with a live professor animating an avatar (virtual humanoid shape), or with a programmed simulation that the student must complete. The Independence Institute's five-week course, "Free People, Free Markets: The Foundations of Liberty," would fit well on Second Life.

With hundreds of thousands of users, only some 30,000 are active. Thus, it is still inexpensive to acquire virtual real estate in a good location. This is also true on other 3D virtual worlds.

Nonprofits are already on Second Life looking for financial and volunteer support for their Real Life endeavors, such as creating sustainable electricity sources. A free market think tank, it seems, could create value in becoming part of the 3D webolution, while advancing the principles of liberty.

The demographics of Second Life participants should be of interest to think tanks. According to self-reported data by Second Life users in February 2007, almost 40 percent of the people who use the service are 25 to 34 years old, around a quarter are 35 to 44 and over 10 percent are above 45.

The average Atari-capable person can easily learn to use Second Life. With a little creativity, think tanks across the country can work together to create a virtual island that illustrates today, how their ideas can help the real world prosper.

(Good news! While I wrote this article, my avatar earned L$100, about US$0.33, and my stock portfolio is up about 5 percent. Not a bad day in Second Life.)

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Nicole Williams is the management & technology advisor at SPN. Write her at williams@spn.org.

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