Response to Virtual Life vs. Reality

When I came across the blog Dreamlover, I felt connected to Allie's points because I have personal experience with her Webkinz example. My sisters and I all had a Webkinz pet when we were younger. The website was very addicting and was very time consuming. We felt that it was a way to connect with our friends at school. We were usually one of the few in our classes who did not have dogs or pets in our classes, so whenever our classmates and friends would talk about their pets we would feel excluded. We saw Webkinz as a way to feel included. Taking care of Webkinz pets were pretty similar to taking care of a real life pet without having to clean up its feces or take it on walks. In order to receive money, one must play games to do so, and then use the money to buy food. I feel like this can teach children the responsibility associated with taking care of not only pets but also humans and the value of money. This view is slightly skewed because of the means of getting Webkinz which is by paying money to buy a new pet each year. The value of social interaction can also be taught through virtual communities. Fantasy football is a way to build relationships with other people. However, these relationships are mainly in the context of the virtual community. Sole dependence on the virtual community can introduce the threat of replacing real-life communities with the virtual ones. This would cause people to become very secluded and not experience life. I do believe that this is beneficial for people to have these virtual communities to have a quick getaway from the world. It is advisable to be cautious on how far these interactions go.