No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc&_r=1

I believe the concept behind these avatar-based social networking sites, the idea of having fun and getting to do whatever you want with no restrictions is a fun thing. But at the same time I find it a little ridiculous that a grown woman or man is actually spending money like $40 to have $10,000 virtual dollars to spend on anything they want. It is not like your ever going to see the clothes and jewelry you bought, it will be in the computer, but that is it. And to read that people are "buying" everything from a clothes collection that Beyonce would be jealous of to helicopters to fly them to their island every weekend, you still have to spend some money on the game, which means they are still spending money. In the article there was big talk about the recession and even though people are cutting back on everything they buy, they are still willing to spend the money a virtual person. I think the people spending money on a virtual person don't have their priorities straight if they are trying to cut back and save some money. I think that the idea of a virtual place, where you can be any person that you want is a way to have fun, but I think spending money on it is the wrong thing to be doing.