Iris Rants: Don't Let Fear of SL Content Theft Cause Paranoia Over Alternate Designer Identities!

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Recently a group of experienced SL designers got together to start a new menswear-focused superbrand, Entente,  opening this month. Of course, they've become a hot topic as a result, both because of their teaser images (which are gorgeous) and their choice to release under alts rather than their main accounts. Of course they aren't the first designers to reinvent themselves through anonymity or to see controversy as a result-- fri.day and Paper Couture are two other well-known examples (who were all eventually outed). For some this is innocent curiosity and speculation, but for others there is a sense of entitlement to knowing the "real" names behind these brands.

There are many good reasons to want to know who someone is, but the underlying motive is probably fear over content theft, which sometimes gives way to paranoia and makes us forget what makes SL identity valuable in the first place. Though this is a very real threat, identities are not information that designers owe their clientele, and here's why:

The fact is that no one would think to ask for a designer's real life identity. Second Life lets anyone shed any parts of their life that they don't want reinvent themselves, something that has encouraged an undeniably diverse and vibrant creative community. This ability is sometimes abused, but we take the bad with the good anyway because the security of anonymity lets us live our Second Lives more freely than our first lives, without being pigeonholed or judged based on RL factors. For creators, their main account can become a means for that same judgement and pigeonholing. A goth designer who abruptly makes the switch to casual wear would inevitably get static for it, both from old and new customers, so the decision to reinvent themselves as an alt is a very understandable one.

And really the desire to "out" them is just as understandable.

Everyone knows there's a content theft problem in Second Life, and many thieves frequently reinvent themselves to evade punishment or detection. It's not a new tactic, and it's far from being a unique problem in SL. Educated consumers obviously don't want their money supporting thieves. Furthermore, because of the very personal and direct relationship that most vendors in SL have with their customers, we're very inclined to vote with our wallets. The same way someone doesn't want to give their money to a thief, they likewise don't want to give their money to someone who once called them or someone they heard about a bitch. These are both fair reasons to want to know a creator's identity, but it doesn't change the fact that we have no more right to that information than we have to know their RL identities. Someone could be a thief (or a coworker you know and hate) in real life too, couldn't they?

There are always going to be downsides to anonymity, but we don't get to pick and choose who deserves it and who doesn't. On the bright side, thieves and jerks usually can't help but out themselves eventually, right?

Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

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Comments

[Stephen Venkman]

Well said Iris.

[Pussycat Catnap]

Alt paranoia is just that paranoia.

Alting is not rationally the link to content theft viability.

Its just one more way people have identities.

Some folks feel a need to control those around them, which drives a stalker mentality, which drives a fear of alts.

They latch onto content theft as an excuse for this mentality. And sell it to those who fear content theft but otherwise would not care about identities.

Fear of content theft is itself also irrationally hyped up. For every 100 cases of content theft panic, there's 1 or two actual cases, most of which do -NOT- end up being the ones panicked about as they escape detection...

It all just boils down to the same kind of 'fear mongering' that used to land people getting burned at stakes...

And is equally rational...

[Nanu]

isn't this article 130% against the blog owners opinion? who believes anonymity is the source for all evil in SL? or doesn't that apply to content creators ...

[Hamlet Au]

Citation, please?

[Iris Ophelia]

@Nanu Even if it was, do I have to share the same ideas and opinions as Hamlet? He's been incredibly supportive when my opinions conflict with his in posts and otherwise.

[foneco zuzu]

I second Hamlet on this 1.
Despite many of his posts, i think i never saw Him say that Sl anonymity was bad!

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Either you are Specific Famous Designer, or you're an utter newbie just like all the other newbies.

You don't get to say, "I'm Anonymous Famous Designer and you must attend to me because I'm famous, even though I won't tell you who my famous alt is."

If you're not claiming it but others are assuming it because of your skill and polish, more power to you.

But announcing that you're "experienced designers" releasing as alts? No, my dears. No having your cake and eating it too. Either release under your main, or stand in line with the other newbies.

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