Fetishism

(A Nightclub and Urban Clothing Shopping Mall) After doing several interviews, it became clear that many people resorted to fetishes on Second Life because of the expensive cost of objects and materials. A fetish is a particular man-made object that has power over other objects that may have more useful value than the object of the fetish. Fetishism gives natural value or powers to an object. (Sign advertising the chance to purchase a sex slave) The most apparent and popular fetish appears to be bondage, also known as BDSM.( Bondage, Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism) Second Life has disconnected communities or in the words of Dewey, “publics” that make it easy for people to engage in every fetish imaginable without the difficulties of wasting time looking for it on the internet. Most people aren't likely to spend much money, so roll playing in Second Life gives people a way to fulfill fantasies through the use of an avatar until they have they decide whether they want to save funds to own real equipment one day. In Second Life, approximately $1,000 Linden Dollars can get you an adequate bondage setup, compared to probably a few hundred dollars or even several thousand in Real Life. Furry fetishes and many other fetishes that have visual elements are quite prosperous because of the enormous level of avatar customizations that are available. The ability to attach objects and customize objects to appear to be mechanical or animal-like is almost unimaginable without Second Life. User Generated Content building, scripting, and customizable avatars allows every user to have the possibility to experiment with every fetish imaginable. Interestingly, KDC is one of the main stores to find items pertaining to fetishes. Here a person can find clothing that is a bit more promiscuous. This store has quite a selection of latex clothing, eye-catching high heels and other accessories. Huge interactive displays show all the fetish wear, latex clothing, bondage gear and accessories. A small display will show you the latex colors that a user can choose from. Also, there is a small book containing many different fetishes, as well as advertisements to clubs that engage in fetishes of all types. Shopping takes place by simply deciding what you want and clicking on the image. There is no interaction with employees so there is no need to be ashamed or pretentious about shopping here. The lack of business/consumer interaction helps to further development fetishes, because people are allowed to act on ideas freely without being criticized or looked down upon for doing or buying something immoral or indecent. According to the texts, when there is a lack of communication people tend to indulge in indecent acts because there is no longer any communal structure upholding the culture and values of the society. On Second Life it appears that many of the fetishes eventually lead to another kind of fetish. So a person’s desire to engage in bondage, bestiality, age play or any other kind of fetish usually starts with trying one out and it sparks an interest in simply wanting to try something new. Bondage and bestiality are two types of popular fetish on Second Life that are not quite as bothering as age play. Age play occurs on Second Life when someone creates an avatar that is younger than what they are in Real Life. I recently visited Molly’s Boutique in Second Life. The owner of the Boutique appears to be approximately, a 10 year old girl. However, in this scenario I feel that it is quite reasonable that in a store with clothing for young girls that an avatar appear to be a young girl. On the other hand, it is quite disturbing to find virtual images of young girls that are used for sexual fantasies. Most of these sexual fantasies pertaining to mostly to bestiality and age play, makes me wonder how engaging in these computerized acts affects someone in the Real Life. Most people on Second Life claim that these vulgar acts are catalysts to idea of performing them in Real Life. So many countries have created laws to restrict the use of virtual images of children engaged in sexual acts. Apparently, with Second Life an underground market formed that allowed people to have the opportunity to pay for young sex slaves. Several pictures that I have represent some of the acts that were taking place on Second Life involving avatars that were minors. Since many laws were created regulating the use of virtual pornography; many of the islands have relocated or introduced blockades to allow in only people that they give authority to. So virtual child pornography still exists in Second Life, but it is not as easily found as it once was. One avatar told me that trading virtual and real pictures of minors on Second Life was a norm within some of these communities/publics. But since new laws have been implemented, these communities have been reduced and some even destroyed by government law-making bodies. People within capitalist societies find their material life organized through the means of commodities. According to Karl Marx, in his book “Capital,” people trade their hard work for a special commodity, also known as money. People use this money to purchase other man-made commodities that serve no real importance. The social nature of society is destroyed by the abstraction of commodities. People associate more monetary value to items that are not as useful as objects that are quite useful. Instead of using money wisely, people in SL spend a few Dollars on items that are completely useless in the Real World, because they are virtual images that are intangible. Most importantly people in SL waste their time in order to achieve a false sense of happiness with these artificial commodities. This abstraction is referred to as "fetishism". In Second Life producers and consumers have no direct human contact or conscious agreements to provide for one another. In Second Life we see that purchases are private experiences that consist of artificial material goods that only benefit the buyer and no one else. This shows that there is a lack of community. People on SL seem to be exploited by businesses that are taking advantage of people’s desires to have what they do not have in their Real Life. As a result of commodity fetishism people are unaware of the fact that they are being exploited. They are simply content with the idea that through a virtual world they can have what they want. This commodity fetish has strong capitalist powers that most of those on SL can not avoid.

According to Linden Labs, Second Life is a 3D, virtual world imagined and created by its residents. Wladawsky-Berger is the head of tech-strategy at IBM and Second Life grabbed his attention immediately. He stated in the USA Today that "People like to interact with other people and that people like to interact with their environment in more visceral ways. It's the way our brains work."

By witnessing and viewing advertisement for many activities that occur in SL, this statement appears to be very credible. The problem is that there was never a traditional community. Second Life consists of disconnected islands that give the creator rights to control who enters and leaves. People opted to create on these islands whatever they wanted without regards to other islands or morals because there was never a traditional community to establish a sense of culture. This absence of much culture in Second Life is probably a direct result of abstraction from culture in Real Life. That would explain the ludicrous amount of hours that some people spend in world. In a virtual world where there is not a government, it is crucial for its citizens to communicate effectively across the grid in order to ensure a healthy environment. This obviously does not happen. As a result of the lack of enforcement of rules in Second Life by a government and the disconnection of community and morals, people tend to indulge in fantasies involving animals and minors that are now illegal in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Phillip Rosedale is the founder and CEO of Second Life. He was very impressed with his ability to create nature in the virtual world. "I made trees growing on screen," Rosedale says. "That's when I realized you could simulate nature." According to Wendell Berry many problems tend to occur when we escape from nature in real life. Nature on Second Life is artificial and it is unappreciated. Berry discusses the intimate relationship that farmers have with the land and the spirituality/religion that is involved as well. Second Life does not produce a need for people to seek spirituality or appreciation for nature when in world. This disconnection possibility creates a plethora of problems because people seem to indulge in fantasies that are considered taboo in Real Life.

In John Dewey’s book, The Public and its Problems, Dewey explains how special interests, powerful corporate capital, distracting entertainment, general selfishness, and the lack of public communication make effective public reflection difficult. Dewey did not want the publics to be removed; he wanted the public to regain a sense of self. This appears to related to Second Life indirectly. Instead of destroying these communities/publics with laws, maybe something needed to be implemented to bring everyone together. Dewey’s solution to the problem is to improve communication. Only then, with communication, will the public find itself and become a cohesive group. Dewey's book also blames the distractions of modern society for the reason that the public can not come together in unity. Dewey cites technology as the main reason for disconnection in society. Dewey explains that those distractions are far more prevalent in today's society. This statement is a catalyst to what I am arguing. Second Life causes more harm than good because of the disconnection that it has created among its members.

Second Life is a community that lacks credibility because of its lack of credible interaction. Most interaction in Second Life takes places through typing and not the microphone function that could make it somewhat more personable. However, this typing method of communication automatically disconnects the members from each other and it allows people to do things that are intolerable in our society without being seen. Also, the ability to create an avatar to represent yourself gives these members a sense of security to act on fantasies and activities that they would never do because they are immoral or illegal. Dewey feels that the community is where people should come together to express issues and public concern. He states that “Without such communication the public will remain shadowy and formless…” It is quite apparent in Second Life that most issues that are of concern are pertaining to ways to prevent acts of indecency. Second Life has garnered more negative attention because of the freedom that its users have exploited because of the lack of community and government regulation.

Second Life is Phillip Rosedale’s attempt to create a society that is void of much regulation in which the Residents can govern themselves and be free. This is similar to Naomi Klein’s discussion of post-Katrina in New Orleans. Second Life is simply a blank slate that has capitalist intentions just like our officials had with rebuilding New Orleans. Klein interpreted Joseph Canizaro, the developer of New Orleans, as describing New Orleans as a clean sheet to start over again and take advantage of big opportunities. They go about implementing the plan by further industrializing the city with condos, etc and replacing the community. Klein argues that the problem with rapid capitalist development after a disaster is that it dislocates people from their ‘community’ and their past. Second Life consists of people from different counties that create islands. Because of the diversity and lack of traditional community that would normally enforce common values, Linden Labs is supposedly struggling to find ways to solve its problems with avatars indulging in illegal acts. Instead people are making money off of the members of Second Life, to aid them in their pursuit of happiness through fetishes. Linden Labs is making a large amount of money off of its members, there appears not to be a real concern of controlling activity that goes on in world because of a fear of loss membership and revenue.

Wendell Berry feels that exploitive society does not happen by accident. Berry contends that corrupt communities start because of corrupt people. Berry, Rosedale, and Durden do not feel that organized government is the most efficient way to achieve an efficient society. It is quite obvious that Berry blames the Department of Agriculture for the huge decline in the number of family farms in the U.S. Berry blames the government for destroying a huge culture that once existed and now government interference has caused a disconnection with nature.

(Berry suggests that we return to old tradition American way of living…disconnections lead to morality problems)

Berry discusses the breakdown of the agricultural culture, the spread of modern views of the future instead of reminders to the past, and disconnections from views on sexuality and human relationships. Berry feels that because of modernization, people have been disconnected from all the old traditional values of the past. Berry states that “The land is falling more and more into the hands of speculators and professional people from the cities, who in spite of all the scientific agricultural miracles still have much more money than farmers. Because of big technology and big economics, there is more abandoned land in the country than ever before. Berry states that, “Among the people as a whole, the focus of interest has largely shifted from the household to the automobile; the ideals of workmanship and thrift have been replaced by the goals of leisure, comfort, and entertainment.” He suggests that we must return to the old American way of life.

In Second Life there is no traditional community that people begin in. Instead, people come onto Second Life and eventually they begin acting out fantasies because there is a lack of good communication. There are members of SL, but according to Berry, each member in a traditional community depends on one another and affects one another, thus making it an interdependent relationship. People in SL make decisions that merely benefit and affect themselves. Businesses and Government are responsible for changing the old American way of life according to Berry. Now, people are more disconnected from the land as a result. As time passes, we continue to become more disconnected from the land. The loss of community and devalued hard work are all results of consumer capitalism, which stems from commodity fetishism.

In conclusion, through my involvement with Second Life and identifying the themes in the texts, Second Life is an application that disconnects people from one another. Because of this disconnection, people tend to form fetishes. According to Dewey and Berry, problems tend to occur when people are not connected. Second Life helps people form unhealthy fetishes. These fetishes aid them in abstracting from culture and values. This lack of involvement with a community abstracts people from their normal way of thinking and people tend to form more fetishes. Linden Labs is the capitalist-driven company that is responsible for the disconnections that are present in Second Life. The lack of business/consumer involvement is clearly a notion that shows me that there was never intent to form a personal relationship with the consumers. Instead, the intent was to exploit as many people as possible.