ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to map Second Life's (SL's) ontological status and to theorize it from an imaginary world angle, looking at key concepts such as virtuality versus actuality, subcreation, narrativity, canonicity, and the existential triad of invention, completeness, and consistency. It offers an evaluation of SL's rise to, and fall from, a globally hyped new media phenomenon vis-a-vis its idiosyncratic design elements and underlying philosophy. The chapter includes a discussion of why, as a massive multi-user online environment, it has not been as enduring as some other, contemporaneous virtual worlds. It then focuses on SL's current status and likely future developments. SL avatars are thus aesthetically idealized stylizations of their human users, and their in-world functions, appearances, and behavioral practices reflect the above-mentioned SL basic needs. Arguably, however, SL's contemporary uses have also become less financially viable for Linden Lab, and it is not surprising that the company is now seeking ways of tapping into new—and old—audiences.
