Online socialization has become so important in our communication that to different extents, a person's online life is a reforged extension of their personality. These semi-alter-egos, or 'avatars', are a formalized version of the way we want to be seen by others. Online avatars provide a whole new set of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to interpersonal communication--for some it's an attractive and addictive social tool--for others it can be a time-consuming distraction.
Online life in the game world is a glimpse at the future. Games like World of Warcraft and Second Life may seem like an excessive distraction for a subculture to some, but the same people who consider WWC a waste of time log in to Facebook every day to communicate with their friends using their own online 'avatar'. Facebook users share the experience of using Facebook, while WWC users share the experience of playing WWC. Our online depiction of ourselves is often a few shades off from the truth in these settings, if only from a lack of face to face reaction and physical, unintentional transfer of information. Online worlds make our 'friends' conveniently available but more ignorable than they could be in a face-to-face encounter, and this makes it an attractive means of socialization.
Facebook is a lot like a social 'game', with real life ramifications. When compared with World of Warcraft, a MMORPG, the only thing that's really missing is the fantasy world 'work' of the online hobby gaming aspects of WWC system. And considering the metaphorical and dramatic way in which people often distort their personal image on facebook, it might as well be a 'fantasy' environment itself.
How different is choosing one photographed depiction over another to represent 'the real you' from choosing a character to represent 'you'? Really it is the same, considering that both are an avatar--they are a somewhat strategic digital face for a person, but are not that person.
As socialization becomes electronic, it becomes apparent that it can easily become a game in itself. Facebook may be a prototype for social gambling within a system of rules. Just as economy is fused with an artificial system of rules in a casino, so facebook structures socialization into 'gains' and 'losses', with real-life changing results.
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