Virtual Giving |
Friday Jul 18 2008
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Usually
we think of the inevitable convergence of technologies as being
beneficial for the majority of people using them. Take the introduction
of video to the internet, or the internet to the cell phone, for
example. As soon as we discover something that works that people want,
then the advertisers and marketers are on the bandwagon, looking for
opportunities to sell within the new medium. What has me shaking my
head today is the obvious marketing spin on ‘virtual gifts’, iconic
symbols of items one might give to someone in appreciation or sympathy.
In the world of traditional video games and shared virtual experiences like Second Life and World of Warcraft,
we find it possible to choose and/or create characters (avatars) and
props to ‘play’ with. All these exist as images (icons) on the
computer screen. We can purchase or improve our status with real-world
cash or by mastering our game. Though the on-screen images may resemble
real-world items, their value is solely within the context of the game
we are playing.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Eons
have now made icons for what might be considered ‘gift items’ readily
available to be shared among their members. Yet, even when gifts are
offered for free on Facebook, the site makes money through advertising
dollars. For example, the “Sex and the City” logos and “Wall-E”
character images recently available to members were underwritten by the
companies that produced these films. Instead of charging a nominal fee
(some sites charge $1/icon), Eons combines the setup of a loyalty
program with the philosophy of ‘giving’: they gives members credits for
participating in their online community that can be used to send gifts
to other Eons friends. Hang out here, invite your real-world friends to
join, and you too can give to them online. Quick, easy, effortless.
Although
it is admirable to express ourselves through gift-giving, we have to
remember: the sentiments we express in giving these iconic gifts are
‘real’, but the gifts themselves are not.
Whatever happened to ‘real-world’ giving?
Call
me old-fashioned. I value a real phone call, email or gift much more
highly than a virtual gift. And I don’t want to spend my nights
wondering whether some advertiser somewhere is making money off of the
‘free’ message of gratitude, affection or condolence that a friend just
sent me online ….
© 2008 Shae Hadden. All rights reserved.
Written by admin at Fearless Aging
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