Module 4

• How is Second Life a disruptive technology?
• What technology or innovation did it displace?
• How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?
• What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry?

According to this weeks resources, a disruptive technology is a technology that functions much like one that already exists but it may function more effectively and could end up replacing the mature technology (Laureate Education Inc., 2009a). Second life is a disruptive technology because it is basically a game where people play "life." It allows for people to reinvent themselves to be whoever they want to be and to actually live that life virtually. It really blows my mind that people have time to actually participate in this type of game. Second life reminds me a lot of the game Sims but appears to be far more advanced. It is more advanced because of the graphics that it contains, it creates an engaging stimulating environment that can appear to be better than real life. I could see some people becoming so obsessed with this type of game that they loose a sense of reality and believe that this game is their life. It is a fascinating technology but I do not think it is very beneficial to many. I do not think Second Life will be around for very long and it will be replaced with something even more advanced and hopefully more beneficial.