[This is an example of an entry for J350: Principles of Public Relations mid-term "exhibit group" projects. For more info on the project or to view student work, contact Kelli]
Uses & gratifications theory says that people are active users of media and selective in the media they use.
As PR people, it’s our job to figure out how our target audiences are using media in order to best reach them. One stakeholder group might read the newspapers religiously (baby boomers or seniors) while another gets all its news from the internet or the Daily Show (youth). A PR person must target groups accordingly so that they receive your message.
In the virtual world of Second Life, all of the above apply. One example of the application of this theory is the “use” of fashion in Second Life by its residents’ personas (or avatars). Fashion has become so important that eal world retailers like American Apparel and Adidas have Second Life retail storefronts.
Second Life residents can spend hundreds, if not thousands, of “Linden dollars” (Second Life’s currency) on clothes a month. Those Linden dollars can be exchanged for real money and lots of in-world residents are making an off-world living in Second Life. (confused, yet?)
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the top 20 designers in Second Life made more than $140,000 in August of this year. That’s serious cash.
Imagine you worked for American Apparel, Adidas (or Toyota or Reuters or even Governor Mark Warner). A presence in Second Life is an opportunity to reach a core demographic of early adopters who use are using the media in unique ways, which is precisely in line with uses & gratifications theory.
Links to recent media coverage on fashion in second life:
WSJ: Now, Virtual Fashion
Popular Science: Your Second Life is Ready
BusinessWeek: American Apparel’s Virtual Clothes
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