Comments by "John Crawford" (@JohnCrawford1979) on "Lunduke reads YouTube Comments" video.
-
So it's a conflict of physical v. virtual. But let's not hide the fact that many of these sites with ads also offer a premium membership that can be purchased. The thing is, the internet is not just a server admin utility any more. It is becoming something similar to what Lunduke speaks of. In fact, this concept of a virtual shop can go back to around 2006, when Second Life was growing a virtual economy around user generated content. Most content creators on SL are going to have a more Lunduke oriented concept because they have built virtual shops that you could visit as your virtual avatar. You can buy virtual clothing and other ×ahem× 'components' to make your avatar more representative of the gender, and species you want your avatar to be. So yes, you could be a trans furry Charizard if you want to be, and buy all the parts you need to make it.
The point is this 3D virtual world blends the lines of virtual world with the physical world. They've also had to deal with age verification, especially to crack down on age players and people misrepresenting their age, both as under aged wanting to go on the main grid and old people pretending to be younger to be creepers on the now defunct teen grid. Eventually both were merged, an adult only island created, and under age users were restricted to private G-rated sims (this is cotroversial among SL users to this day). So, really, there's no point to joining SL until 18.
At any rate, there are virtual shops. The virtual goods they sell have a certain value to the shop owners, and a certain value to those that visit the shop and choose to purchase said purchased product. While there may be an agreement of value, there may not be an agreement on what one has a right to do with the product. SL manages this with metadata within the object called object rights. In this, the creator of the object can give the next owner permission to copy, modify, or transfer to another avatar.
Linden Labs is a company based in San Fransisco, and they base their ToS around California law. Thus they do see it as their responsibility to regulate adult material, and especially no age play, even though they allow child avatars, but in very limited capacity. Even places that are not intended to be adult shops, be they clubs or some other themed hang out, beach, whatever, ban child avatars because they don't want to deal with the legal side of things, not to mention losing their virtual land, or having their account banned from Second Life. This is a company from CA that's pretty much to the left, and much of SL is pretty well left of center. Pride month is in full swing, and most stores have some type of pride product year round. They have lesbian women only islands, gay bear men only islands, LGBTQ+ allied and friendly islands. But still, dealing with adult stuff and protecting one's business and islands, many places have their own rules, and sexual age play is both not allowed, it's illegal, meaning ban from second life altogether, and possibly of law enforcement involvement. Places on SL will ban you from their land if caught with an avatar that looks underage. So, regardless what you want to believe the internet should be, the fact is it is being treated more like a public utility, and thus a public space. It's had a marketplace feel since Amazon and the (dot)com boom. Virtual worlds will keep pushing the boundaries and bring with it more of an attitude towards virtual goods and services as Lunduke has, which has less to do with being left or right as it does the changing customs on how to do business in a virtual world. Like it or not, these changes have been made, and more of similar nature are coming.
1
-
1
-
@codahighland - True, and similar to letting a teen young adult house sit, or use the car to do to a high school dance or whatnot. Yes, there is a certain level of trust, but once the parents are off on vacation, or the teen's driving to wherever, a nything could happen. In the states, even in liberal states that where politicians oppose voter IDs as racist, they have no qualm with demanding people be IDed for tobacco, alcohol, lighters, cooking wine, medicine with alcohol or other restricted substances. Some places have made it to where the ID has to be scanned, regardless if the person is of age. So if you forgot your ID at home, tough luck, you won't be able to buy your beer or whatever until you come back with your valid and up to date ID.
1
-
1
-
1
-
1