2nd Life; Connected or Isolated?

Its almost overwhelming to think of what technology has allowed us to do, however, its scary to think of its adverse effects. The virtual world Second Life has given the user a controlled "second chance" on their own existence. It gives people a chance to be viewed as they wish to both physically and mentally. People who are normally shy and sheltered can be completely change their persona and become adventurous chatter boxes.

Honestly, I wasn't that amused with the virtual world; I was rather disappointed if anything. I didn't find it to be anything more than an interactive version of The SIMS. You can argue that the Second Life is a way of communicating/socializing, but I would rather meet and talk to real people. Sure there are real people that are interacting with you on the other end of the computer screen, but you have no idea whether or not they're showing you the "real" them. Second Life allows you to mask all you're personal traits and qualities. People are given the ability to hide who they really are, and that bothers me.