In a nutshell - What is this about?

I created this blog for those who are interested on Internet Addiction and my request to Linden Lab to display a cautionary note mentioning Internet Addiction to the people signing in.

After all this time, this has become just a way to place this on the conversation. This is in a nutshell all I strive for.


Your liberty to read or leave its not denied on this space.


Virtual communities have enormous potential and will be part of many people's life's and work. So we need to take a thoughtful approach towards this. SL has an extraordinary pull and this phenomenon can result in dramatic damage to people who develop an addictive attachment to them.

  1. People joins in with no knowledge of this phenomenon
  2. Awareness of a danger helps reduce its potential harm
  3. Any tool to display this reality, might prevent those who read it

All ideas an opinions are welcome, posts with foul or offensive language might be deleted. Some information and videos might be disturbing for some people please be advised.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Videos not funny - not serious

Now there is people claiming that the only way to get out of SL is to cause LL to ban them permanently by performing acts against others!

Video fun break Why are you giving your life to this?

This videos from youtube, display people's view on Second Life, I find them particularly telling.

Pure Genius!


Will a warning label be effective?

I know people would like to find a definitive solution! But in order to understand this petition we need to know what it is aiming at.
This initiative aims at informing people about this phenomenon. Not to cure it, not to stop them.
I think this is the least we can do, towards awareness, and not such a big deal as we might be making of, for instance in 1982 the FDA (United States Federal Drugs Administration) requested food manufacturers to voluntarily label the sodium content of their products.

Some research points out to positive results
Graphic cigarette warning labels serve as an effective smoking cessation intervention. The findings add to the growing literature on health warnings and provide strong support for the effectiveness of Canada’s tobacco labeling policy.

Some research mentions labels don't not show results
This one analyzed labels on alcoholic beverages, and compared Warning Labels to other media like television and education and concluded it does not show results in comparison to them. This leaves us with yet a larger problem because for us there is no single mechanism of awareness at all!

What has been LL's reaction to this?

To this day, no communication or interest has been acknowledged by LL. I believe they know about it, since I been told even on their inspirational book Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, there are addicts and "toxic immersion" is resembled.

Even as LL might be perfectly aware of this situation, I believe they don't know what to do. And it is likely many of them perceive this as damaging to their business interests. Others might think this needs to be addressed or even that it has potential to turn into a good thing. It would not be strange that an internal struggle on this is happening. But no official action has been displayed in any form.

Why you named the blog "Mony Markova on Internet Addiction"?

For a simple reason. In all other spaces I participate I try to separate me from the issue in order not to create noise around the main topic. Yet few people have taken their comments directly towards me in a passionate, sometimes aggressive nature. Yes I am running this initiative and here I can explain more about my motives and reasons on this.

You talk a lot about the problem, are there any solutions?

I think we can identify and develop the solutions in 3 levels:
  1. Preventive
  2. Controlling
  3. Healing
My proposals are completely towards prevention it and also towards helping those inside who are suffering to become aware of it at the earliest stage of their connection possible.
  • Of course awareness. Helps greatly to stay healthy
  • I think the Maturation Life Cycle, of players holds great promise.
  • The last stage of Maturation Cycle its conveniently called the boredom plateau. It comes when the player becomes bored of the same thing over and over, and find this as the only exit door for them
After they become bored, many leave for good, others find balance, yet others stay in for years.
We need to find out ways to help people find maturation and a balanced connection use earlier and to reduce the pains and cost while finding it (if they must stay in), also to avoid the same trouble others have faced before.
Other solutions fall into control oriented measures, which like I said are not in my interest and healing is matter of professionals on that field. This is why its important to open spaces where communication happens and solutions might arise.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Creating awareness through the media


After the Awareness Addiction Group and In-world office failings. I decided I was to use an opportunistic approach and try to send the message through SL Media.

  1. The Pandora's box of SL: The 5 worst worms of the metaverse. Pointed out 5 worse things of SL, having SL Addiction as the worst one.
  2. Postals from Strangeland. Aimed at more thoughtful readers.
  3. The Pregnant Man. Points out to deep down emptiness and stupidity on the platform.
  4. Press release of the JIRA Request. Maybe my last I don't know if The Herald will take my notes anymore.
All trying to bring attention and readers into it. Provocative tone works better in SL than serious and analytic approaches.

About the Awareness Addiction SL group

Yet another approach.

This one is to be closed shortly since the results are not evident. All members -some 36- appear to have left SL or reduced drastically their connection time, something I attribute more to the maturation and normal life cycle of SL than to the group. This is why you will see the maturation cycle holds more promise to understand, people's correct use of the platform.


History of the in-world office

Bad idea. Most likely.

Also fuels the notion of me being an addict needing a crusade to get my Fix! So lame. Working with 2 of my best friends, one of them a terrible addict like myself at the time and the other a very well balanced person.

Even as I disliked the idea of having an in-world office, I conceded to develop a self-service stop, a place where information is placed, and people can come in and see the ideas and links to sites (like the elliptic blog) and to other resources, that way we don't need to be in-world at all to have the message sent.

In retrospective the greatest virtue of this approach, was that it was aimed at actual players, and seeking to promote balance! A balanced use of the platform can be quite positive too, for those that can elude the addictive pull.

Art was made by Kralli, kind citizens Timberlake and Lilianna gave us land to use for many months! My friend K, left SL and is now doing great away from it.

We had a couple of good meetings there, two professionals saw the office, maybe one or two people truly interested visited it.

That was it, a major impact failure. Still lesson learned.

Thanks for the elliptic blog

And its writers - If you came here from there, welcome and be assured you don't need to agree with me to post here at all.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Counter ideas - Most common reason why I am so wrong!

This are the top 7 repetitive ideas I get from people explaining to me "why I am so wrong".

#1 No one reads TOS.
(Terms of Service)
Some people do. The cautionary note might be placed in other place. Somewhere it works out for the purpose. TOS might be a good place to do it.

#2 Its annoying!
I give you that, I am very tired already

#3 There are so many other addictions! You can get addicted to anything on life!
Yes you are right. But other addictions existing will not make this one disappear.

#4 This is not LL's problem, not created by them
Totally agree, for the 11th time, I am not pointing them as guilty of this. Please consider they own and manage the platform and they are the only ones with resources and authority to display such a cautionary mention about this phenomenon somewhere.

#5 This is not my problem - I am not addicted!
Good, then don't pay attention to this, don't let it bother you. Labels will not come flying to your screen attacking your experience.

#6 A cautionary label will not prevent it from happening
It might help someone ease its problem. Its a long shot

#7 Other places like WoW (believed to be far more addictive) dont display such a cautionary note
We are breakthrough, why look back to see examples of what followers are doing?

What are the worse addictive factors in your opinion?

Several, one of them its the anonymity of platform. This provides great possibilities but also enhances people behaving differently than they do in real life.

After that, having the possibility of being a ideal being and the immersible nature of the place, come in.

In particular I have noticed that the attachment to people, specially the "Human Emotion Furnace Effect" its the single most potent addictive component. For some reason this place allows great openness and adventures into the mind that open the door for the verisimilitude (the appearance of truth) of the relations. In simpler words cybersex and cyberlove are one of the main addictive triggers of SL Addiction. This all in my personal opinion.

I have to mention that I need no more rivals and antagonists on this topic, so until now I had kept to myself this observation, call it an hypothesis.

Mony, do you have too much time on your hands?

Well I am not connected at all most of the day. I dont even log in for weeks! But if I have extra time this season, actually yes, at this particular point in my life I find myself with extra time and perhaps too much energy to use on this. This will end up soon don't worry and since I am about to get real busy in RL. I need to finish this chapter the soonest.

Note. Actually I was "plugged" to SL for way too much time.

Addiction by hours

Whats a normal user versus a heavy user and where is addiction? I don't have the answers for that one. But I suggest the analysis of this by arranging the Adoption Curve or Life Cycle of users through a maturation period.

Some people achieves-balance- immediately. Some folks, well, become addicted and some other never become interested. Where is addiction? As with other cases like alcohol, it must come when it affects the ability of the person to function in society.

Has all this Crusade been fruitful?

Yes, I am a believer of the possibilities of Second Life (TM) specifically, so when I saw this GREAT issue needing to be addressed, I became determined to act on it.

This has given me the opportunity, to know the fabric, of the platform, who are its people? How do they react to initiatives? What are their true interests? Whats behind some of its "opinion leaders"? Whats the level of reaction of LL to hard to talk issues. I have learned a lot. I tried to act, started a group, opened an office, wrote people like PathFinder Linden! Have direct email exchanges with some of SL most polemic characters.

But most of all I have taken this topic of discussion, to many places. My goal of creating awareness, even that it has not been pretty, has been somewhat achieved, the message is out!

Will you continue this forever?

No. I think I am close to having gone well beyond my call of duty!

This might encourage, my counterparts, but this one its on its last legs. I have a few other aces under my hand, but that will mean taking this up one whole level. I don't think I have the energy or interest to do that, since that might hurt the platform.

I just need to complete some of the following areas:
  • Explain the initiative
  • Present the case
  • Gather information about sources
  • Share part of the story and
I will be done!

Who do you think you are? What gives you the right?

I am just a regular citizen. I think a regular citizen has full right to ask for this. I don't think I am special at all. I know I have the courage to stand in front of adversity and ideas and to stand up for myself.

Are you crazy - Whats your problem?

I hope I am not crazy. I don't rule it out completely, however I never been diagnosed with anything such like that, medicated or even suggested to seek help, except by a couple of bloggers on some sites.
My problem is to see so many people moaning, complaining and no one daring to step up and raise a call to action on this issue.
I think of all attempts I have tried, (short of handling this to a special commission) this one its the easier to achieve, less intrusive, and less painful.

Is this for everyone?

No, many people focuses successfully on the great positives of the platform, and has not problem with their personal use of it.

What is this - why is this important?

It is when a person becomes too obsessed with a virtual community, to the point of affecting her regular life by her recurring abuse of time and energy on those communities. The reach of the danger and the size of the harm to people's life's is greatly displayed on the Elliptic Blog

In a nutshell what I am trying to do?

I believe addiction virtual communities such as Second Life (TM) its a reality, and its amazingly powerful -its a phenomenon, a by-effect of something that is mostly good.
  1. People joins in with no knowledge whatsoever of this phenomenon
  2. Awareness of a danger helps reduce its potential harm
  3. Any tool to display this reality it might help thos who read it
This is in a nutshell all I strive for.

The Motives of the Wolf

So many ways to characterize this BLOG, however it has emerged by the need to explain my reasons, to provide detailed information, all in a place that is "mine" so I don't bother others or use their time and space. I been asked not to "waste so much Google space" for crying out loud!

Here you will get to know the author and the reasons behind my actions against the Phenomenon of Internet Addiction Syndrome.