Incorporating 3-D virtual world instruments into corporation marketing, education and entertainment is beginning to change the way that people communicate, said Joe Sanchez, School of Information assistant instructor, during a speech at the J.J. Pickle Research Center Wednesday evening. During his speech, which was sponsored by UT's Texas Advanced Computing Center, Sanchez showed more than 80 attendees the images of a virtual world, called Second Life, which has provided a 3-D social network service to more than 6 million users since 2003. Second Life is a virtual space created by users which includes performing centers, libraries, museums, teaching environments such as UT's island, which Sanchez created for his class, a corporation presenting room such as a Toyota plant, and community connection spaces like a Virginia Tech monument, Sanchez said. "Virtual spaces will be more prominent in the Internet world," Sanchez said. "That will be a new way we interact with information, and the Internet revolution will include something like that."

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