Open Forum: Have You Ever Learned About Major Real World News While In a Virtual World?

Emerald Wynn was recently at Second Life's Hair Fair, the fashion fundraiser which this year had a candy-land theme, when she received some news that shocked her in both worlds:

[A] friend messaged me with the news that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital, and I was still at Hair Fair when he was pronounced dead. People started shouting the news in open-chat in the candy-covered streets and I was struck by how truly bizarre that moment was -- sharing a shocking moment with virtual people in a virtual world.

Ms. Wynn writes movingly about what the particular news of Jackson's passing meant to her personally; her post also raises a broader point worth talking about. You probably remember in vivid detail the time and place you heard about, say, the terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center; if you're older, you may have similar crystal memories, of where you were when you learned the Berlin Wall fell, or Nixon resigned, or even when JFK was assassinated. Who called you to turn on the television, the bar where you watched the news, and so on. Now, however, the reference point for "where I am" is often a virtual space. Which means the age old statement, "I remember where I first heard the news..." takes on a new, mixed reality meaning. What was the big event that took place when you were an avatar, and did the virtual world setting make a difference to how you remember it?

Images: TMZ and Illclan Studios.

Comments

[Emerald Wynn]

I thought it was extremely surreal. Initially, people were using "shout" to communicate news updates and rumors: he was in a coma, he had passed away, he was still alive, the Los Angeles Times said this, but TMZ said that, it was all a hoax, etc.

Later, the streets were filled with the sounds of people communicating and sharing their grief, again in "shout" . . . I won't forget it. And actually, I'm glad I was there. In real life, I was shocked and alone in my house. My brain was having a hard time processing. I needed to be with people. Second Life made that possible.

I heard we -- the public -- rocked the Internet for a few minutes when everyone jumped on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites at the same time. Technology has made it possible for us to virtually hold someone's hand during weird and scary and, yes, history-making moments. I'm glad.

. . . Wow, I made New World Notes AND Shopping Cart Disco in the same week. WOO HOOOOO! (sorry)

[FlipperPA Peregrine]

The bombings in London on July 7th are the ones that immediately spring to mind; it was nice to get immediately feedback knowing some of my friends who were there were okay. A memorial came together over the course of the day, which was interesting to see.

[Sioban McMahon]

Isn't it interesting how different these "I'll always remember" events can be from person to person? While I really enjoyed Michael Jackson's music, particularly his early 80's albums, finding out that he past away isn't one of life changing events for me. I enjoyed his work, am sorry he died at only 50, and my heart goes out to his family particularly his kids.

It won't, however, rank up there for me with watching the WTC Towers fall on streaming video at my desk at my RL job in the DC area. I remember the moment I realized that there were humans in that falling debris and on the ground right below it. I remember what I was doing when I found out from the TV that a friend was killed in the attacks, too. Seeing a name you know go by on the scrolling text across the bottom of the screen rocks the ground under your feet. That was the day that the US fundimentally changed in ways we are still trying to understand and even recover from. My beloved city of Washington changed, too. The open "people's city" I grew up in is gone in many ways, replaced by barriers, locked doors, and security checks.

The passing of Michael Jackson is tragic, potentially criminal, but it's not in the same ballpark for me as 9/11. I suspect that people in London, Madrid, and elsewhere can relate.

[Kitty Lalonde]

I was in World of Warcraft when someone on the trade channel was offering Michael Jackson tickets for sale. This was at the time when only TMZ was reporting it as a death and it was the first place I learned about it.

[Emerald Wynn]

Oh no, to Sioban's point, I would never ever put the death of Michael Jackson in the same category as 9/11 or the bombings in London. On Sept. 11, I got yanked out of bed by a phone call from a frantic editor and spent the next three days in a newsroom. And yes, it will always be one of the most horrific times in my memory.

I've only been in Second Life for a little more than a year. The Michael Jackson thing was the first time I'd been inworld during a significant news event. It struck me as an interesting phenomenon. But my blog post primarily detailed my conflict of emotions that days. I liked the entertainer, not sure how I felt about the man. Hamlet zeroed in on the interesting angle of the "location." And I do predict that more and more people will no doubt find themselves in virtual arenas at some time or another during future historic moments.

[Martien Pontecorvo]

I was attending an in-world concert when one of the residents of Caledon reported her farm and the nearby town were destroyed by the Victoria bushfires. It was quite the dissonant experience.

[Archie Lukas]

yeppers

BUT -It was American news that meant absolutely nothing to a subject of HRH Queen Elizebeth II

[Olaf Quintessa]

When Princess Diana died, I was in a RL club (Atomic Jam) in Birmingham dancing to techno.

When Michael Jackson died, I was at a club (Bar Badeboo) in SL dancing to techno!

[Sioban McMahon]

Olaf + techno music = curse on famous people?