Virtual environments

Have you participated in a "Multiuser Virtual Environment"? This could be site like Club Penguin or Second Life. Did you know Second Life has over Seven Million users! The virtual world grows by the minute and I worry about what it is doing to our interpersonal skills, our face-to-face communication, and our brains in general. I realize social networking probably isn't going away, but when people spend millions of real dollars in a virtual environment I get concerned. Online user's avatars (their virtual online personalities) allow people to live in their fantasy world as another person, often very much unlike themselves. Is this healthy? My gut feeling tells me it is not good. Why are we so drawn to the virtual world? As someone who has her feet pretty close to the ground, I realize I probably don't understand the appeal. I would like to know however, I guess a trip through the Matrix is in order. See you on the other side. . .