I read an interesting (and more than a little disturbing) set of articles this morning regarding the impact that social network participants with malicious intent can have on the functionality of the network as a whole.
The Dibbell article describes an act of virtual violence that took place in a popular MOO in the ’90s. Because the environment was entirely text-based, the violence consisted of descriptive acts of violence, but their impact on the individuals involved and the community at large was significant. Yeates wonders about newer implementations of such community environments and how they might deal with similar issues.
Social networks seem to rely heavily upon community enforcement of agreed-upon guidelines. Wikis are wide open to abuse, but the successful ones see such abuse erased rather quickly. Weblog owners constantly struggle between the value of open commenting and the hassle of cleaning up after undesireable entries.
If we are going to enable the use of wide-open virtual environments in the pursuit of educational goals, are there safeguards that need to be established to avoid abuse? Is virtual abuse punishable in the same way “real world” abuse is within an academic environment? Food for thought…
Issues with immersive gaming
Issues with immersive gaming | connect.educause.edu
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