OBJECTIVES

The Virtual Worlds Project seeks to both extend the study and facilitate the practice of public diplomacy within virtual worlds by providing a venue where Second Life residents can actively participate in public diplomacy by engaging in intercultural dialogue and exchange.

Our islands within Second Life provide a venue to educate Second Life residents about public diplomacy and encourage participation in the field. Through this project, the Center shares with virtual worlds its expertise gained through its cross-disciplinary research and academic courses that examine international public diplomacy methods, activities and effectiveness. To that end we have posted numerous signs around the island with information regarding issues of public diplomacy and soon on our other islands, we will be broadcasting video recordings of various speeches, guest-lectures and events that take place in real-life at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy. In addition we often host similar events within Second Life in our island’s amphitheater on topics relevant to public diplomacy. For more information please visit the Project Events section.

While there is great enthusiasm for the use of virtual worlds in public diplomacy efforts, there are significant technological and political barriers to governments and other organizations engaging in venues such as Second Life in a meaningful way. Despite their desire to do so, many organizations are unable to move into this space due to the lack of resources or technological understanding needed to explore and participate in this technology. For the past three years, the Virtual Worlds Project at USC's Center on Public Diplomacy has been working to facilitate the integration into Second Life for foreign cultural ministries and other organizations that practice public diplomacy. Our islands provide a space for these organizations to host events and experience public diplomacy in virtual worlds while also sparing them the cost of owning an island.

In continuation of this effort, the Virtual Worlds Project hopes to establish the means to train students and professionals in the use of virtual worlds for public diplomacy. Researchers involved in the project are working to create a series of instructional courses designed to enhance understanding of how virtual worlds can facilitate intercultural understanding. Participants in these courses will interact with instructors within the virtual world and will gain first-hand knowledge of the possibilities for public diplomacy through various hands-on exercises.

“We live in a world that is becoming more networked every day, and the internet has grown into an essential medium for communication, socialization, and creative expression. Virtual worlds like Second Life represent the future of human interaction in a globally networked world,” -Second Life: The Official Guide