Dutch Report on Second Life: Also Available in English

From Guus van den Brekel a.k.a. Namro Orman in the Netherlands comes word of a Dutch study on Second Life by EPN.

I quote from Namro's blog:

They have done a interesting survey into who is involved in Second Life and came up with some surprising conclusions about what people are looking for in Sl! From the Management summary: "EPN explored the consequences of the fusion of virtual and physical reality in the areas of economics, rights and well-being by researching the new opportunities which this fusion offers our society." Here are some of the most interesting conclusions:

• A considerable portion of those surveyed stated that they spend more than 20 hours a week in the virtual world, Second Life. A large group indicates that more than 30 hours would be the amount of time which they spend there.
• It is striking that those surveyed who spend considerable time in Second Life frequently belong to the creative or IT professions.
• Many of those surveyed who indicated that they spend considerable time in Second Life were women. They are frequently better educated than the men, often at university level.
• The relationship between happiness in real life and in Second Life is strong in the group 30 hours and more except for those who are unhappy in real life. They are happier in Second Life. In the group are several people who are house-bound because of circumstances, illness or a handicap.

Second Life appears to be a large social experiment. Visitors form societies and make their own rules. They find their own ways to maintain their standards and values. There are, just as there are in real life, visitors who enjoy harassing others. Products are sold. Some objects can be copied at will; others are subject to copyright rules. All sorts of social and economic problems which manifest themselves in real life do so in Second Life as well.

You can request a copy of the full report by emailing info@epn.net.

Photo credit:  Guus van den Brekel

December 10, 2006