3D Worlds and Socialising on the Internet

"Active worlds," similar to many other 3D chatting programs available on the internet, transports users to a 3D computer world where they can interact with other users from all over the world. The majority of these programs have similar 3D characters on screen to the computer game "The Sims," except users can actually create their own characters to represent themselves. This medium not only allows users to communicate with random users from random parts of the world but also allows them to be a different character for a day, so to speak, should they so wish. This notion of cyber freedom is further accentuated when many of these 3D chatting programs allow users to build objects in their own worlds as well as to make a living in the cyber dimension. This is vastly different to using Instant Messaging (IM) programs such as MSN Messenger because the latter only allows users to chat with people they know. On MSN Messenger for example, a user must add another user's email address in order to communicate with them. Other internet applications such as IRC and chat rooms allow users to talk to random users, but not in a virtual world setting like 3D programs, and certainly do not give room to have a "second life" on cyberspace. With faster internet connections and improved technology, 3D worlds are increasingly becoming a popular medium of internet communication as well as recreation, making the world fit onto the keyboard and allowing cyber creativity like never before.