Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:55:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 26 / Nenhuma / Este trabalho investiga a apropriação tecnológica realizada por organizações em espaços virtuais tridimensionais interativos, visando à atualização de seus processos comunicacionais, necessária para uma inserção competitiva na sociedade. Parte-se da formulação de que essa demanda de apropriação das organizações as insere no movimento entre virtual/real existente nesses espaços viabilizados pelas tecnologias e técnicas computacionais e que trazem uma contribuição à construção de reconhecimento organizacional, marcada por processos de adaptação. Busca-se compreender os espaços organizacionais presentes no Second Life através de cenários digitais, modelizados por imagens de síntese, que expressam a imbricação virtual e real, viabilizada por mecanismos tecnológicos computacionais e seus dispositivos. A opção metodológica tem como referência a netnografia, originária do campo da antropologia, vinculada ao entendimento das dinâmicas dos ambientes virtuais e às práticas comunicacionais mediadas por computadores. / This study investigates the technological appropriation carried out by organizations in interactive 3D virtual spaces aiming at the upgrading of its communications processes, which is a real need when it comes to competitive insertion within society. In doing so, it states, as a starting point, that such appropriation inserts organizations in the movement between virtual/ real, currently existent in spaces made possible by computer- mediated technologies and techniques, contributing to the construction of organizational acknowledgement in a media space characterized by adapting processes. It aims to understand the organizational spaces present in Second Life through digital sceneries, modeled by image synthesis which convey a virtual and real interweaving, feasible by computational technological mechanisms and devices. The methodological support used is the netnography, a field borne out of anthropology whose focus is the understanding of the dynamics of virtual spaces and the computer-mediated communications

A construção de identidades e de novos paradigmas comunicacionais e espaciais em mundos virtuais online tem vindo a assumir-se como um dos elementos mais marcantes na estética contemporânea da simulação (Turkle, 1995). As noções de presença e de reconhecimento (Heeter, 1992) de novos “eus” plurais e multiformes num território virtual não geo-referenciado, conduz à reconstrução mental de novas formas de comunicar e de ocupar e representar o espaço, com consequências de retroalimentação entre a ficção e a realidade. Por outro lado, estes novos paradigmas podem indiciar a instituição de novas formas de poder e de dominação que poderão constituir a base de um movimento ‘colonizador’ do espaço virtual, em particular entre a comunidade portuguesa em Second Life, onde se verifica uma refundação conceptual do ‘lugar’ capaz de catalizar movimentos grupais muito próprios. Nesta dissertação, a revisão bibliográfica efectuada foi complementada com trabalho de campo que seguiu a metodologia considerada mais apropriada à obtenção de resultados sobre a tese formulada. A orientação metodológica seguida resultou da tentativa de entender o conceito de ‘cultura’ em mundos virtuais, considerando que se atravessa um período formativo para a emergente comunidade de investigação online, e que é imperativo que sejam desenvolvidos diversos paradigmas metodológicos. (Boellstorff, 2009). Combinando cerca de três anos de observação online com o estudo exploratório efectuado através de grupos focais e os inquéritos realizados online, pretenderam encontrar-se respostas a algumas questões, que sintetizam a problemática do presente estudo: Como se apropria o sujeito, em permanente comutação entre os seus múltiplos “eus”, dos novos mundos virtuais online, e como reconstrói a noção de ‘lugar’ nesses ambientes? Através das práticas comunicacionais e de apropriação

Several researchers have successfully developed realistic models of real world objects/ phenomena and then have simulated them in the virtual world. In this thesis, we propose the opposite: instantiating virtual world events in the real world. The interactive 3D virtual environment provides a useful, realistic 3D world that resembles objects/phenomena of a real world, but it has limited capability to communicate with the physical environment. We argue that new and intuitive 3D user interfaces, such as 3D virtual environment interfaces, may provide an alternative form of media for communicating with the real environment. We propose a 3D virtual world-based add-on architecture that achieves a synchronized virtual-real communication. In this framework, we explored the possibilities of integrating haptic and real world object interactions with Linden Lab's multiuser online 3D virtual world, Second Life. We enhanced the open source Second Life viewer client in order to facilitate communications between the real and virtual world. Moreover, we analyzed the suitability of such an approach in terms of user perception, intuition and other common parameters. Our experiments suggest that the proposed approach not only demonstrates a more intuitive mode of communication system, but also is appealing and useful to the user. Some of the potential applications of the proposed approach include remote child-care, communication between distant lovers, stress recovery, and home automation.

Several researchers have successfully developed realistic models of real world objects/ phenomena and then have simulated them in the virtual world. In this thesis, we propose the opposite: instantiating virtual world events in the real world. The interactive 3D virtual environment provides a useful, realistic 3D world that resembles objects/phenomena of a real world, but it has limited capability to communicate with the physical environment. We argue that new and intuitive 3D user interfaces, such as 3D virtual environment interfaces, may provide an alternative form of media for communicating with the real environment. We propose a 3D virtual world-based add-on architecture that achieves a synchronized virtual-real communication. In this framework, we explored the possibilities of integrating haptic and real world object interactions with Linden Lab's multiuser online 3D virtual world, Second Life. We enhanced the open source Second Life viewer client in order to facilitate communications between the real and virtual world. Moreover, we analyzed the suitability of such an approach in terms of user perception, intuition and other common parameters. Our experiments suggest that the proposed approach not only demonstrates a more intuitive mode of communication system, but also is appealing and useful to the user. Some of the potential applications of the proposed approach include remote child-care, communication between distant lovers, stress recovery, and home automation.

Ce mémoire porte sur l'identité virtuelle qu'est l'avatar. Nous nous intéressons en particulier à l'avatar au sein du métavers Second Life, un univers virtuel tridimensionnel et interactif en temps réel. Second Life est présenté comme un monde où chacun peut vivre une seconde vie. L'usager y crée un avatar, le personnalise, lui attribue une personnalité et une histoire, notamment à travers son apparence. C'est précisément ce processus de construction d'un avatar qui fait l'objet de ce mémoire : comment l'individu construit-il son avatar dans Second Life? Pour répondre à cette question, nous avons mobilisé un cadre théorique constitué de travaux sur les identités virtuelles dans Internet provenant de la sociologie et de la communication, ainsi que de quelques études psychanalytiques. Nous avons effectué une ethnographie en ligne au sein de Second Life pendant une période de six mois, ainsi que des entretiens semi-dirigés avec douze utilisateurs de Second Life. Nos résultats montrent que le processus de construction de l'avatar, notamment sa personnalisation, constitue une occupation centrale dans le métavers. L'avatar est à la fois une projection fantasmée de l'individu et un prolongement de sa personnalité en visant l'expression de son authenticité. La recherche s'accompagne d'un projet créatif, Projections, qui, à des fins d'illustration, témoigne de notre expérience personnelle dans Second Life et de notre relation à l'avatar. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Internet, avatar, identité virtuelle, Second Life, métavers.

Titel Second Life som marknadsföringsforum – en kartläggning av marknadsföringen i den virtuella världen Författare                        Malin Bandh Lina Bäcke Handledare                                           Susanne Åberg Nyckelord                        Varumärkeskapital, relationsmarknadsföring, viral marknadsföring, virtuella världar, Second Life Bakgrund och problem                      De virtuella världarna växer alltmer och antalet användare ökar. Företag är osäkra på hur marknadsföringen inom den virtuella världen fungerar och hur de kan etablera sig där. Syfte                                  Syftet med denna uppsats är att kartlägga marknadsföringen inom den virtuella världen Second Life idag, samt hur företag kan gå tillväga med sin marknadsföring i den virtuella världen. Problemformulering     Grundproblemet är att företag inte vet hur de ska marknadsföra sig i den virtuella världen Second Life i relation till den fysiska världen. Detta leder till frågeställningarna: Vilka faktorer bör företag ta i beaktning vid en etablering i Second Life? Använder företag Second Life för att skapa varumärkeskännedom eller för försäljning? Hur kan företag kommunicera ut sitt varumärke i den virtuella världen? Metod                               Uppsatsen är en kartläggning av den virtuella världen Second Life. Empiriskt material har samlats in genom kvalitativ data i form av videointervju, mailintervju, observation samt sekundärdata. Resultat och slutsatser   Företag bör undersöka varför konsumenter befinner sig i den virtuella världen och vad de egentligen efterfrågar. Att enbart etablera en virtuell butik har inte givit den effekt som företagen förväntat sig. En kombination av en virtuell butik och aktiviteter för avataren är därför att rekommendera. Fokus på marknadsföringen bör ligga på upplevelser som uppfyller konsumentens behov och där avatarerna aktivt kan delta.

Second Life (SL) is gaining popularity in an educational context. Based on the need for educators to understand emerging technologies and their potential for use in the classroom, this study explored student users’ perceptions of the use of SL in an educational setting. Student’s enrolled in a traditional classroom, that had a SL component merged into the curriculum, were surveyed to determine their perceptions on the use of SL in education. A modified version of Li and Bernoff’s (2008) Social Technographic® Ladder was used to classify students based on their use of technology. Findings indicated that while students did not perceive the value of the use of SL as it was used in the traditional classroom, they agreed on its potential for use in education, predominantly in a virtual classroom setting. Students agreed on the potential of SL for collaboration, simulations, team building, and interaction with peers, among other things. A key implication of this study is that educators need to utilize SL to move outside the walls of the classroom and offer opportunities not afforded in the traditional classroom setting, rather than simply replicating the traditional classroom in a virtual format.

3D virtual worlds are emerging distance education technologies that offer collaborative learning environments and provide effective ways to apply task-based activities. The aim of this case study was to examine the contribution of task-based language learning in 3D virtual worlds to speak English as a foreign language among university preparatory class students in terms of anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence. Therefore, different English speaking practice tasks/activities were designed in Second Life. Participants had different roles based on the determined tasks and had speaking experiences with native speakers, friends, and instructors of METU preparatory school. Fifteen upper-intermediate level preparatory class students in the Department of Basic English at Middle East Technical University participated in the study which comprised a four week time span in May 2011. Data of the study included the qualitative data, gathered from the interviews. Those interviews were administered after the study to understand the effectiveness of task-based language learning in Second Life for students&#039 / anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence towards speaking English. According to the results, this study revealed important findings for language education field. The results of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of task-based language learning in Second Life environment which had positive impact on students. In this respect, it is suggested that the Second Life experience provided students to gain motivation and self-confidence and overcome their anxiety related problems towards speaking English. Therefore, this study may offer an insight for further studies to investigate the effectiveness of 3D virtual environments in language education, especially in Turkey.

<p>Information technology is rapidly changing and companies are amending to the inevitable changes. Recently, the traditional Internet has started to evolve into a 3D Internet, thereby challenging companies into becoming more active in virtual worlds in order to keep up with the latest technology. In this thesis, the virtual world environment is highlighted from a v-business perspective to emphasize on potential opportunities and problems businesses face when entering virtual worlds. Moreover, the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds is discussed, based on interviews with companies that are active in virtual worlds jointly with observed phenomenon identified in the literature study. Since Second Life is one of the largest and most recognized virtual worlds up to present, having a resemblance with the real world, this virtual world has been selected to pose as an example in this thesis. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this research is to answer the following research questions:</p><p>* What kind of value has v-business added to companies operating in virtual worlds and what kind of impact has it had?</p><p>* What kind of complexities and restrictions have companies experienced with v-business in virtual worlds, and why have these occurred?</p><p>* What does the future look like for v-business in virtual worlds considering opportunities and problems related to such a business approach?</p><p>Consequently, the purpose of this thesis is to examine the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds, by investigating what opportunities and problems companies face in such a virtual setting, along with their predictions about its future development. Based on these findings an outline of the prospects of v-business will be developed.</p><p>Given that the area of this particular study is not yet broad in terms of research, the research has been conducted through an inductive approach using a qualitative method. Seven companies have been interviewed for this research and a majority of the company respondents have been interviewed through real-time communication using Skype.</p><p>The outcome of this research implies that there is great potential for v-business in virtual worlds, hence adding additional value to companies’ positioning on a yet unique environment. A number of possibilities have been identified where communication was identified as a major opportunity. In contrast, there are also current problems where technical restraints and comprehension problems were especially emphasized. However, in spite of some problems, companies report that they are in general very positive about the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds, which is one of the reasons as to why we conclude that there is definitely a future awaiting for doing business in virtual worlds.</p>

<p>Bachelor thesis within Business Administration</p><p>Title: Second Life – New opportunity for higher educational institutions</p><p>Authors: Axel Andersen, Emil Hristov & Hamid Karimi</p><p>Tutor: Olga Sasinovskaya</p><p>Date: May, 2008</p><p>Subject terms: Second Life, virtual worlds, distance learning, marketing, universities, stu-dents, interactions</p><p>Executive summary</p><p>Background: Virtual worlds such as Second Life have been used in the corporate world for a few years now. However, it is only recently that higher educational institutions have seen the marketing and educational potential inside this world. Several hundred universities around the world are currently involved in Second Life and a majority of them give fully accredited academic courses inside SL. As traditional distance learning can sometimes be interpreted as low on interactions, SL represents a new means for interactive distance learn-ing.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore if, why and to what extent Second Life can be used as a marketing and pedagogical tool within higher educational institutions.</p><p>Method: A mixed qualitative and quantitative method was utilized in this study. For the qualitative side: in-depth interviews with SL teachers from five universities around the world were held and these were complemented by observations at educational institutions inside SL. For the quantitative side: a questionnaire was designed and sent out to 50 SL-students. This primary data have been combined with appropriate secondary data concern-ing distance learning and education within SL.</p><p>Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework can be divided into two main sec-tions: a marketing section with primarily service management theories and a pedagogical section where cognitive apprenticeship theory is applied.</p><p>Conclusion: Higher educational institutions can use SL to promote their schools to pro-spective students and to other stakeholders such as new teacher recruits. All of the univer-sities that were under our scrutiny felt SL had strengthened their university’s brand. Fur-thermore, SL represents an opportunity for universities that are looking to increase col-laborations with other international universities and who are interested in enhancing the public image of themselves as pioneering and global universities. Therefore, it is highly ad-visable that a university such as JIBS enters SL, if not on pedagogical reasons then on stra-tegic and marketing reasons. In general, a majority of the students interviewed were satis-fied or very satisfied with the quality of the SL-courses they had taken and an overwhelm-ing majority would recommend SL-courses to other students. The empirical findings showed that the most frequent courses taken within SL are design courses, although no limits were perceived to exist of which courses that can be held within SL. A majority of the students also felt SL aided their learning experience. However, due to some of the cur-rent flaws of SL – such as the slow graphics and the high demands of computer hardware – SL should be viewed mainly as a learning tool that complements, rather than substitutes other current educational forms.</p>