Second Life as Disruptive Technology

• 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?

Thornburg described disruptive technologies as wild card technologies that seemingly come out of nowhere to make obsolete an existing technology. Using the example of the transistor, Thornburg described how the vacuum tube became obsolete and was replaced by the transistor, stating that the last vestiges of the vacuum tube will be made obsolete by LED and LCD technologies as the cathode ray tube is replaced by flat screen televisions using these newer technologies.

Christensen depicted the nature of successful disruptive technologies like the transistor by showing that the products using transistors did not compete directly with those industries it would eventually obsolete. Instead, transistors created a new market and were cheaper and attractive to people who previously had no access to some technology. Christensen discussed how microcomputer manufactures had attempted to find ways to use transistors, but they were unable to use this new technology while still improving the quality of their products to meet the needs of their best customers. The transistor was in effect disruptive not because it seemingly came out of nowhere; instead, it was these new uses and markets that eventually overwhelmed the microcomputer market.

With Thornburg’s concept of the wild card and Christensen’s depiction of newness of a technology overwhelming an existing market, it becomes clear that Second Life is indeed a disruptive technology. Second Life is a creative interactive social virtual world. And, while I do not think that it has yet to truly replace an existing technology, it certainly provides intriguing opportunities for the use of technology.

In Rosedale’s discussion of Second Life at TED, he made the point that programmers and internet gamers are not particularly enamored of Second Life because of the relatively weak quality of its graphics as compared to online games. Virtual world games like World of Warcraft, EverQuest, and EVE Online have economies, avatars, and similar social characteristics, but unlike these games, Second Life is not a game and adds the ability to generate personalized environments and incorporating unique applications within this virtual world space.

Rosedale described the flatness of the internet, hypertext link to hypertext link; Second Life has influenced a more interactive internet experience with interactive video and multimedia. In the world of educational technology, I have seen educators use Second Life to create virtual crime scenes for students, interactive museums depicting events of historical significance like the Holocaust, and synchronous seminars for students and educators around the world. While online courses might not be housed within a Second Life world, they are more likely to simulate an immersive virtual world experience because of Second Life’s example and success.

And again, while I do not think that Second Life has replaced an existing technology, I also do not believe that it will be wholly adopted by many educators, it will certainly influence the way that curriculum is designed in online curriculums and companies develop and market their products on the internet. Instead of presenting material in a flat hypertext to hypertext fashion, companies are modifying the presentation of their products and services simulating a more virtual and immersive model for examining their products.

References:

Christensen, C. (2002). The innovation economy: How technology is transforming existing industries and creating new ones [Video]. Retrieved May 1, 2011 from http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/108.

Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Thornburg, D. (n.d.). Disruptive technologies. Retrieved May 1, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4930730&Survey=1&47=5513753&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1