There’s an interesting paper by Dr. Eiko Ikegami and Dr. Piet Hut, both of Princeton, in The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research . Dr. Hut is also with MICA , one of Genkii’s partners.

The article examines artistic circles in Second Life via comparison to those existing in Tokugawa Japan . I very much support the argument that virtual worlds create something of a neutral, shared space that allows people to experiment in ways they might not normally do in their everyday lives, across society and geographical boundaries. What a fantastic opportunity for society as a whole.

From the article: "Such alternative spheres of sociability have been often coupled with people’s search for the possibility of creating a new social order built on the horizontal association of free individuals rather than on structures of vertical integration."

A very interesting and accessible read on a topic that I believe will get much more attention in the future.

Here’s the abstract for "Avatars Are For Real: Virtual Communities and Public Spheres," with a link to the full PDF download.

-Ken