Life 2.0

Looking for a daily dose of politics? Well you will be happy to hear I may have found such a thing. Politics Daily is a completely online newspaper produced throughout the day for the average reader. There pieces are generally longer than those most often found on the web, but are written well enough that they are able to keep you attentive throughout the piece.

I was brought to this site based on an article posted January 31st, 2010, titled “Second Life Addicts, Dropout Factories and Sundance 2010's Last Gasp.” The fact that I am following and attempting Second Life compiled with the fact that I am interested in Sundance from both a journalistic and personal point of view contributed to the piece peaking my interest.

“Another winner of a film is "Life 2.0" which reveals the phenomenon of "Second Life, a fascinating train wreck of a social experiment that is uncomfortably revealing about where we are as a society,” said the article on Politics Daily by contributors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady.

It continues “People invent their avatar, and then actually build a second life online, where they can be anything they dream: rich, attractive, popular. A sexy, thin avatar named Asri Falcone is a mini-mogul in Second Life, building homes and living a life of luxury. Her creator is an obese Detroiter, chain-smoking in her mother's basement, but reality and fiction become hazy and confusing after 15-hour days in this alternative reality. I was alarmed at the millions of people that were spending the majority of their "earthly" time in this fantasy world. Extremely weird.”

Produced by PalmStar Entertainment (the indie movie company of Stephan Paternot- co-founder of theglobe.com) and Andrew Lauren Productions (The Squid And The Whale).
A press release on PalmStar’s website describes the film:

“This feature-length documentary follows a group of people whose lives are dramatically transformed by the virtual world Second Life, which as of this year boasts over one billion US dollars in cumulative transactions amongst its residents, and over one billion hours of total usage time. More than an examination of a hot new technology, the film is foremost an intimate, character-based drama about people who look to a virtual world in search of something they are missing in their real lives. The results are unexpected and often disturbing: reshaping relationships, identities, and ultimately the very notion of reality.”

Directed by documentary film-maker Jason Spingarn-Koff the film is said to delve into the core concepts of basic human interaction.

I will definitely be checking this film out when it is released to the public.