CNN iReport

Real Life shopaholics getting a fix in SecondLife

Yes, may sound a little far fetched to some if you have never been to the virtual world but it is indeed happening. Why and How? Haven't we all been told that we are overspending, irresponsible, that we need to cut back? Well, secondlife is quickly becoming a place where shopaholics are satisfying some of those real life urges while having fun and spending pennies on the dollar.

LINDENS (Virtual dollars named after the original creator of the world) are the monetary form of exchange for purchasing in the virtual society.

SPENDING in the virtual world

Upon arriving in the virtual world, one of the first things a new resident, whom we affectionately call newbies, must learn to walk and talk virtually.

After that ...all H@ll breaks loose! The newbie is quickly bombarded with endless options for fun, frolic, shopping, entertainment, learning, business ventures, friends, careers and

lifestyles to choose from.

a Trial newbie (free account just trying out SL) with no real source of income will rely on freebie items, welfare (kindness of strangers), working for others, or the free Linden trees they can pick for their first two months, and of course there are the creative entrepreneurs. Other newbies with a premium account (yrly membership and credit card on file) comes with a weekly stipen of 300L. They use their weekly stipen to survive on and sometimes dibble into their credit card to make purchases. Some newbies with premium accounts come with a purpose and quickly move on to bigger things like starting a business, acquiring land, a home (you are homeless until you rent/buy one).

APPEARANCE

Improving One's appearance in the virtual world quickly becomes an important task. It is one of the burning issues for a newbie (a newbie body is a welfare body and gives the new resident

a less than desirable appearance and stigma). Having said that, the urge to improve one's appearance then takes over for most. How does one improve his/her appearance in a virtual world? Again Depends on the type of account one establishes.

But here is where the shopaholic quickly recognizes their real life spending habits. If one has no income, virtual job or virtual business they will tap into their credit card and buy Lindens which can be much less than you would spend in real life but still seems reckless. However...... the tempation to buy new shoes, new hair, new clothes, a new car, boat, mansion, beachfront propety, wide screen TV, furniture, ball gowns, jewelry, toys, motorcycle .......just plain old stuff that we don't really need but want is just as real in the virtual world as it is in Real Life and extremely accessible in the Virtual World. The difference is that anything that only requires a perceived need in real life can be purchased in the virtual world for PENNIES on the dollar.

With thousands of people in world on any

given day (including whole families).... hold on let me check right now........65,129, there is an incentive to earning the Lindens one spends and even profiting from living in a virtual world. It's rare but in some cases Linden income has replaced Real Life (RL) income as virtual dollars do hold real life value but it takes a ton of them to replace an income.

Kathleen Blachere - a former Real Life Shopaholic : )