Module 4 Disruptive Technology - Second Life

Disruptive 
A force to be reckoned with in a world that is technology driven is Disruptive Technology. It is a force that re-invents the wheel by literally changing our ideology and understanding of how technology works. Again, I like Christensen’s (2002) concept of Disruptive Technology in that even though current technology failed the unexpected technology that emerged changed the way we think about technology. Disruptive Technology is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and “out of the box” concept. Dr. Thornburg (2009) calls it a “wild card” (podcast) that expectantly changes the way technology is used in meeting social desire and needs.

Philip Rosedale (2011) explained how his invention of Second Life was affected by Disruptive Technology phenomenon in his video Philip Rosedale on Second Life. Interestingly, Second Life had the capability of talking face-to-face with other avatars that Rosedale (2011) thought would catch on with Second Life residents but actually “flopped”. On the contrary, Rosedale (2011) did not expect his Second Life residents to latch on to was the concept of purchasing land and creating one’s own utopia.

In as much as Second Life was disruptive by unexpected forces, Second Life itself is a disruptive technology. Rosedale’s (2011) creation gave Star Trek or science fiction fans a venue to explore, investigate, and discover a new world that “no man have set feet on “ – literally humans have not set feet onto the grounds of Second Life just 3-D animated human like characters call Avatars. In essences, Second Life may have set up its own demise within the next 5 years. Residents will want more capabilities and functionality in the virtual world like replacing traditional classroom labs or demonstrations with virtual crime labs or tutoring services. Besides expanding learning in the virtual world, Second Life allows us to hone in on our abilities and work on social interaction with others around. The technology in Second Life offers virtual field trips to places we would otherwise never go, can’t afford to go, or too sick to attend.

References

Christensen, C. (2002). The innovation economy: How technology is transforming existing industries and creating new ones [Video]. Retrieved from http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/108.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Science Fiction. [Video].Baltimore, MD: Author.

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.