Once you put in several hours flailing around learning how to function in Second Life, there isn’t much to do. That may explain why more than 85 percent of the avatars created have been abandoned. Linden’s in-world traffic tally, which factors in both the number of visitors and time spent, shows that the big draws for those who do return are free money and kinky sex. On a random day in June, the most popular location was Money Island (where Linden dollars, the official currency, are given away gratis), with a score of 136,000. Sexy Beach, one of several regions that offer virtual sex shops, dancing, and no-strings hookups, came in at 133,000. The Sears store on IBM’s Innovation Island had a traffic score of 281; Coke’s Virtual Thirst pavilion, a mere 27. —Frank Rose —How Madison Avenue Is Wasting Millions on a Deserted Second Life (Wired)
I recall scratching my head in puzzlement last year when the Second Life stories started appearing in the media. Didn’t the VR hype fizzle out with the 90s?
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I was pretty puzzled myself when all those stories started showing up in the news - I don't know anyone who plays Second Life, or even a friend of a friend who plays. And I work at a company with "Internet" in it's title!
All I can say is - this reminds me of that saying about how a good sales man can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo...