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Information Systems Frontiers
Published in: Information Systems Frontiers 4/2013

01-09-2013

Communication in virtual world: Second life and business opportunities

Authors: Gajendra Sharma, Ye Qiang, Sun Wenjun, Lu Qi

Published in: Information Systems Frontiers | Issue 4/2013

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Abstract

Second Life is an online 3D virtual world imagined and created by its residents. The residents can communicate, explore, participate in social activities, create and trade virtual properties and services. The most common communication media used in Second Life are text, voice, instant messaging and video conferencing. The purpose of the current study is to investigate why people communicate in Second Life and opportunities of making real business value. An online survey from Second Life residents was performed to study communication behavior and business opportunities in Second Life. The theoretical backgrounds used in this study were the communication theory and social systems and word of mouth communications for consumer learning. The result was focused on the effectiveness and superiority of communication in Second Life among other social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. The communication is significant to policy makers, managers and leaders for information sharing and decision making.
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Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Communication in virtual world: Second life and business opportunities
Authors
Gajendra Sharma
Ye Qiang
Sun Wenjun
Lu Qi
Publication date
01-09-2013
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Information Systems Frontiers / Issue 4/2013
Print ISSN: 1387-3326
Electronic ISSN: 1572-9419
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-012-9347-z

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