Second Life: A Computer Mediated Environment for Communication and E-Business Management

摘要

Second Life is a computer mediated online virtual environment created by its residents or avatars in the form of 3D graphical representation. It is one of the latest innovations in information communication technology and has become a popular platform for communication, performing e-business and conducting numerous social activities and management practices. The real life people in the form of avatar interact with each other through voice, text and instant messaging based on web 2.0 technologies. The objective of this paper is to present communication activities in Second Life and its impact on creation of online business activities and management. The current study is based on analysis of various literatures relating to Second Life social networking, virtual community, virtual reality and e-business. The paper has highlighted the strong and competitive advantages of Second Life among other virtual worlds and the contributions it has made on e-business and real life implication to managers and researchers.