I have a friend in Second Life (SL) whom I am very close to. He has been part of SL since its early days but took a break from it for four years. Recently, he returned after this hiatus. Throughout this entire time, I’ve known him, and even when he wasn’t active in SL, we kept in touch via Facebook and other means. When he decided to rejoin this peculiar virtual world, he quickly reached out to me, expressing his frustration. His initial question was straightforward: “What the hell is wrong with people here?” He explained that he had explored various regions in SL to see what had changed since its early days. What struck him the most was the behavior and interactions among people. As a gay individual, he specifically visited “gay-friendly areas,” and he was taken aback by the attitudes displayed by some of the gay community members in Second Life. Now, I acknowledge that similar dynamics likely exist in the “straight world,” but my personal experience is limited to what I’v...
