Politics + Murder + Avatars

In today’s “Sign of the Apocalypse” watch, the Wall Street Journal reports that followers of Democratic Presidential pugilists Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are digitally duking it out on Second Life.

Indeed, the pixel-based groupies of each candidate are engaging in Rovian dirty tricks, including interrupting Second Life campaign rallies, and even SHOOTING THE FOLLOWERS OF THE OTHER CANDIDATE.

Clearly, the whole Second Life phenomenon is both fascinating and disconcerting. Does it imitate real life, replace real life, or presage real life? But the fact that seemingly peaceable supporters of the possible Leader of the Free World are resorting to digital murder to get their point across makes a potential convention floor nomination showdown an unsavory proposition.

Certainly, the fact that Americans can engage in vociferous political debate in both real and imagined coffee shops without fear of being rounded up, jailed and/or silenced is indeed the hallmark of our most flexible of democracies. But is this Second Life campaigning a symptom of a flowering democracy, or a warning sign heralding its unraveling?

Is it a good thing for democracy that people are so motivated by their love for a candidate that they will create an elaborate scheme to disrupt other persons’ computerized rally, but will not actually leave the house to participate in an actual rally? Maybe we should just do the whole election in Second Life. Digital voting across-the-board, with humorous avatars queuing up at tiny cartoon polls. It would certainly eliminate any “hanging chad” issues.

I foresee a new political consulting speciality: digital mobilizer (in charge of getting people following the candidate on Twitter, Second Life and elsewhere to show up on election day). Good gig. I’ll be working on a proposal template later today.

Meanwhile, my avatar is carrying an Obama sign in one hand, and a Glock in the other. Just in case.

written at April 22nd, 2008 and is filed under News Stories, Social Networking, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.