ESKISEHIR OSMANGAZI UNIVERSITESI IIBF DERGISI-ESKISEHIR OSMANGAZI UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, vol.7, no.2, pp.263-290, 2012 (ESCI)
Second Life (SL) is a popular virtual world that contains the core characteristics of other 3D virtual worlds and has been the subject of communication research. It is a social system with specific economy, cultural structure, values, communication modes and personalized avatars. The main things that can be done in Second Life is to meet others, talk to them, participate in social events. Researchers believe Second Life represents the future of online communication. The aim of this study was to determine the genaral profile of Second Life virtual worlds' participants, and to compare the interpersonal and face to face relationships. The method of the study was virtual ethnography. The study involved participant virtual observation, online and face to face interwiews with twelve residents. The transcriptions were analyzed by using induction analysis.