Culture maven and USC think tank director Johanna Blakley continues her interview on virtual fashion with New World Notes' Iris Ophelia. (Part one is here, and Johanna's insights on Second Life fashion here.) Iris talks about cultural influences on Second Life fashion (such as Mad Men, as she demonstrates at right with her Joan Holloway avatar) and makes this intriguing analogy:
JB: Can you talk a little bit about why people are so willing to spend money on clothes in SL and what people are getting out of that investment?IO: I liken it to renting a movie. You know you aren’t buying it to keep, because Second Life won’t be around forever, but you pay and get your enjoyment out of it while you can. I think of Second Life shopping as more of an entertainment expense in that sense. It also explains why most people are hesitant to buy any Linden Dollars when they first join. Why rent the movie if you can just buy it for a little more money, or in this case shop for physical goods instead? After a certain point, most SL users find their particular answer to that question...
Read the rest here. I'm biased to agree with Iris, but I think that's a keen perception of spending patterns in Second Life (or for that matter, any other virtual world with fashion.) What's your take?
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