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A stranger (all but one of Bluebird's Gaia friends are known to her in the "real world" wink asks her to "gift" him a cape.
Who askes anyone to "gift" them? It's always "donate this" or "donate that" or "STFU GIMME".
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She is trying to escape the stranger when a PM arrives (private message).
The ignore function is ahella handy for that!
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It is from a moderator who informs Bluebird that her account has been reported. Her password is needed in order "to clear the report."
Apparently, though she's so sure it's from a moderator, she's blind enough to not notice the text colour of the name nor the big a** warning labels that inform you: A MODERATOR NOR ADMIN WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR YOUR PASSWORD. DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR PASSWORD.
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Bluebird has the poise to share the PM with two adults (including her mom) and her older sister.
....
Assuming the rude stranger has reported her out of spite, they unanimously agree she should submit her password
....
Assuming the rude stranger has reported her out of spite, they unanimously agree she should submit her password
So, I take it none of them have had much prior access to the internet nor the telly? I mean, we just have tons of commericals, talk shows, ect. informing you of online safety...surely those couldn't apply to ALL online accounts, right?
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Instead, moments later, Bluebird is no more. Aghast that she's been deleted, Clementine asks her older sister Isabelle to search for Bluebird across Gaia, to no avail.
Who the hell uses the word "aghast" anymore?
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For several months and for at least an hour each day, Gaia had been the favorite playground for Clementine, the thirteen-year-old creator of Bluebird.
And she never once noticed the safety warnings plastered everywhere but on her avatar's a**?
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Now, she was banished for no apparent reason.
Stupidity isn't apparent? Well, it sure does seem to run in the family...
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Big Board rates it the most popular bulletin board on the Web and Gaia CEO Craig Sherman calls Gaia the "fastest growing online hang-out for teens."
I'm with everyone else. TEENS?! >_o;; Mr.Craig...we need to talk here.
I know almost no one on here that's below 19 years, and while that numeric value may still end with a '-teen', it is still on the border of adult hood. You could've said 'young adults' and no one would've bitched you out as much. We're still adults and most of us are young at heart. <3
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Described by her mother as a shy, intensely creative, sensitive and intuitive child, Clementine's creation of Bluebird and her constant retooling of this avatar allowed her to experiment freely with alternate senses of self.
Nothing wrong with this statement, per se. I'd just like to point out that Barbies and doll maker sites do the same thing. She CHOSE to go on Gaia and, by doing so, was required to read the TOS. Whether she did or didn't was her choice but it was their and, unless this has changed since I made my last mule, there is a point where she has to choose "Yes, I agree" or "No, I don't agree" or something to that effect. Same for every other account you sign up for ANYWHERE.
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"The transformation was fascinating,” her mother remarked. "To watch her slowly immerse herself in this virtual world and new personality and figure out how to negotiate these new interactions was a perfect opportunity for trial and error in a seemingly safe environment. She became increasingly emboldened and gained confidence from the feedback she received from other avatars as she immersed herself deeper in the culture."
Acting classes/theatre club and therapy would do the same. Just saying...
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A few days after Bluebird disappeared and with still no response from Gaia on the status of the investigation they believed was underway, her mother contacted Gaia customer service. In hindsight, by waiting patiently for some communication from Gaia they had played right into the hands of the hacker by giving him time to abscond, comparable to allowing a kidnapping to go unreported.
Not much to dispute there, at least the point anyways. If you don't report/follow up, then what the heck do you expect? It's like filling out an appliciation for a job you desperately need, but leave almost every entry blank.
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When Clementine realizes she has been hacked she bursts into tears. "I feel like I just witnessed my own murder," she remarks to her mother.
I reiterate; THERAPY. If your daughter is comparing a variety of aspects of her own life to her virtual life and is having feelings of death/suicide when her virtual self dies/ceases to exist...then get her some help. And keep her away from any and all video games.
Ever.
Especially Pokèmon.
Obviously there is a deeper psychological disorder going on if she cannot tell reality from non-reality.
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A week passes. During that time an increasingly and palpably depressed Clementine attempts logging on at least once a day. Alas, Bluebird is still banned, in oblivion, or both. After a few weeks pass, Mom re-contacts Gaia.
Instead of giving her the ol' "Fall off a horse, get back on" speech and suggest her making another, brand new avatar. Way to go Mom! Teach your daughter how to dwell on the bad things! Atta girl!
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They indicate that Clementine -- despite Terms of Service indicating never to give out one's password across Gaia –- has provided her password to a scammer. There is no recourse suggested.
No s**t.
It's like buying a teddy bear, dragging it around for a few years, proceeding to take a knife to it and rip it to shreads and then take it back to Wal Mart in effort to get a replacement on your 90 day return garuntee reciept.
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The month grinds on for mother and daughter and it becomes clear this will not be resolved through available channels.
Again, you go mom! None of this 'moving on' new age bullshit for your daughter! Oh no, you're teaching her to keep on sticking on. Wooo!
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Intervention by this journalist with Gaia public relations results in Clementine regaining access to Gaia with the user name left to her by the hacker, but her original avatar name is lost, she is unrecognizable in-world to her friends, she has none of her possessions that were accumulated through active in-world effort and all but a small amount of her Gaia gold is gone.
Ambulance chaser.
She couldn't simply told her friends, since she knew most of them IRL, she was hacked and then the one she didn't know in real life could quiz her or something. Simple.
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"My watermeat is here," Clementine tearfully finds. "That's good." (Watermeat is her virtual pet; visualize a fish on a leash.).
Sonuvabitch! My Watermeat never came with a leash! > mad I demand justice!!!
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Clementine, dejected, unenthusiastically searches all of the areas of the site she once frequented, feeling a shadow of her former self.
We actually had an item for that. Well, so did she... It's called a Shadow Spirit. She should buy another one. *nodnod*
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When she looks in her account at the marketplace (like an eBay exchange) she realizes that while she was banned someone had traded her possessions for $134,508 in Gaian gold.
Okay. I'm lost. What did she think happened to her items? A Grunny ate it?
Because, those things really only eat brains. And maybe blood.
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....for the first time she now knows what it feels like to be the victim of a serious crime.
Just how sheltered is this girl? Was hair pulling in kindergarten marked down as assault and battery?
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More time passes and this publication's editor mentions Clementine's experience and suffering to a senior marketing executive from a major national advertiser who coincidentally has contacts at Gaia and their venture firm. She advances Bluebird's cause with Gaia CEO Craig Sherman. Within a week, Bluebird’s identity is restored, her possessions and Gaia gold is tracked down, recovered and returned.
Yeah, because someone decided to pamper her little a** some more instead of teaching her tough love. -eye roll- Heaven forbid this girl actually have to learn how to live with something NOT going her way.
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Clementine's story has an unexpected happy ending, but hundreds and perhaps thousands of young virtual world residents without Clementine's fortunate connections may be suffering similar fates without ever regaining their in-world identity and possessions.
And Mr.Ambulance Chaser admits that this is just another story, blown out of preportion, on rich people with connections becoming 'victim' to life's little ups and downs.
Where's a 'common sense' stick when you need one? Hmm. Or maybe a mallet is needed in this case...
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Clementine's mother remains concerned about the psychological fallout. Although to the average person this is nothing more than a “virtual" experience, to Clementine the victimization is real and her Mom believes she needs support and an opportunity to heal emotionally from the experience.
She needs some tough freaking love, ya damn hippies! The only thing she requires 'healing' on is her inability to differentiate reality from fantasy.
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But what are the options and where can she turn for help?
Not the GCD. We thank you for giving us our hourly dose of stupidity, though. <3 Free amusement in large doses is always nice.
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Clementine's timeout from Gaia, her loss of a daily connection with friends, and her trauma over having caused the kidnapping of her treasured Bluebird were wrenching for mother and daughter alike. Mom terms the banning a "flattening blow."
First off, no one kidnapped her account. They stole from it and changed the locks.
Secondly, didn't she know all but one of her Gaian friends in real life? Couldn't she of had contact with them at school, over the phone, something?
Third, yes bans do suck. However bans, like detention and time-outs, are a part of life. Get. Used. To. It.
Fourth, mom didn't help her daughter worth jack through out this whole ordeal. If anything, she set the kid up for future psychological episodes in life.
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The reality of virtual world scams and identity theft raises serious issues that Gaia executives acknowledge and experts believe must be addressed if these emerging communities are to continue to thrive as safe havens for children and teens.
Children under 13 arn't supposed to be on Gaia without parental consent. Just putting that out there...
Also, anyone whom doesn't know that giving out your password is a no-no shouldn't be allowed on the internet. Or given a bank account. Or a house key. Or...well, let's just say that the only things they should be allowed to touch are soft and abiotic.
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Parents and developers of virtual worlds and social communities designed for kids should not confuse their audiences' technological savvy and intellectual sophistication with maturity.
...what? So, we shouldn't consider any one intellectual enough to understand that sentence above in with the same group of individuals, of various ages, able to understand the simplistic sentence of "Don't give out your password"?
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Kids can still be easily manipulated and in-world scammers are able to convince even wary parents of their authenticity.
Wary and stupid.
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Sherman insists the company "takes this responsibility very seriously. It's complex because it’s the Internet and difficult to protect everyone 100 percent securely."
If they don't understand that giving your password is bad, then no amount of bubble wrap will make much of a difference.
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He believes that Clementine/Bluebird would have had a claim against Gaia, but that while it is "reasonable, it is not practical."
It's reasonable to blame a coorperation/company/anyone on lack of parental supervision and intelligence? Hot damn! I have a case against McDonalds! It involves cheeseburgers and a scale!
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Clementine's loss – meaningful to her – is less than $60, although that relatively small sum had been converted into more than $130,000 in Gaia gold, attesting to Clementine's collecting skills, passion and commitment.
Do not use dollar signs for currency that is not equal to a dollar.
Also, since when do we have skills? How much damage must I do to a tree in towns to gain 5K? TELL MEH!!!
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Unless a class action lawsuit were to be drafted, the cost of recovery would exceed any 'real' damages.
Don't forget, the recovery is in reference to VIRTUAL ITEMS. Yes, I'd like to pay a fee that equals the same of the overall cost of my house in order to recover my BFF Watermeat. =D
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TOS's are meant to be written with their audience in mind but this is a near-impossible feat when you're writing to a 13-year-old, plus users are, in fact, minors. In this case, Duranske argues, Gaia did their best to warn users throughout the site not to share their password. But what they failed to deal with was a hallmark of youth: apart from the rare rebel, most kids will defer to a figure of authority.
Most kids listen to authority? Since when? Most kids nowadays REBEL.
And...
We have an item for that! Rebellion Face Mask: "Wear this mask as a sign of defiance!!!". <3 Wooden Baseball Bat completes the ensamble.
Again, if they don't understand the phrase "Do NOT give out your password", then they shouldn't even be on the internet. They should be doing their homework. More than liketly, it'll be an English assignment, too.
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While it's tempting to laugh off both the popularity and implications of virtual worlds, for kids these environments are now part of their leisure routine and they are very real societies where legitimate relationships are formed.
Yes, but a good percentage of individuals still understand that these enviroments are virtual and do not akin their avatar's banishment/death to IRL murder.
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Brooke Foucault is a Northwestern graduate student focusing on teens in online communities. She concurs with Rosen: "We know that kids use media to maintain social relationships when they are not physically co-located. Why shouldn't the new medium of virtual worlds be any different than any other medium that we may have used in the past to carry on this relationship maintenance?"
Aw, s**t. Does that mean if my Gaian self marries and then gets divorced that I loose out on half my items?
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In Clementine's case this experience has given mother and daughter the opportunity to discuss “presentation of self” in multiple contexts both virtual and real.
Yes, but what about the bettering of ones intellectual stand point in reference to -preservation- of self?
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Initially both had a sense that Bluebird's increasingly flamboyant appearance was an invitation to the hacker to target her.
Wait. They knew of hacking attempts and that she was possibly going to recieve one? So why the hell didn't she read up on what one is and what to do, since she obviously didn't?!
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“You can't have your most valuable bling hanging out for every virtual thief to covet," her mother argued.
I saw no jewelry upon that particular virtualized person of your daughter, madam. If a theif wanted to covet her, he and or she would've had to first have access to her particular area in which said bling resided. -deep puff on pipe-
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While the therapist was impressed how everyone from the head of the company to the most intimate family member rallied to support a child in trouble, she added, “Now that she is back in the Gaia world as her old self, make sure to encourage her to continue to express herself with the full force of her creativity and not to hold herself back out of fear. She is far wiser now and will never make that mistake again. The positive power of that self exploration far outweighs any negatives of the episode”
Lady, you just gave the mother your consent to put her daughter through another bout of psychologically damaging trauma. I give you, the Avatar Arena!
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Myers adds, "Scientists, sociologists and anthropologists suggest that active social participation and involvement in online virtual worlds is a more constructive and healthy human experience than passively watching television, reading a book, or being in an unhappy job or relationship."
Damnit, Ron Bruise! Who's side are you on anyways?!
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Gaia CEO Sherman agrees. "In a world where teens are constantly packaging and branding themselves in high school, MySpace and Facebook, experiences they are having on sites like Gaia are more rich and wholesome than adults who didn't grow up with them expect they are. Online hang-outs are not like videogames," he explains.
Not, however, an excuse for poor parental supervision!
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He offers the analogy of playing with dolls and a dollhouse.
o/` I'm a blonde single girl in the fantasy world
Dress me up, take your time, I'm your dollie
You're my doll, rock and roll, feel the glamour and pain
Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky-panky o/`
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, Gaia actively checks every name and password embedded in a message and double checks to assure a password is not being shared.
Yeah, but they have no control over AIM, MSN, e-mail.... Someone is still going to do something stupid and Gaia will still get the blame. Sad, no?
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Just as bank accounts require PIN numbers to access monies via an ATM, in the future Gaia users will have a PIN number, a solution Clementine herself envisioned when she discovered her holdings had been liquidated.
Oh, don't make it out like the girl is the ONLY one to want a bank with a PIN number on Gaia... She's creative, as her mother has stated on countless occasions through out this article, but she's not the only one.
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In effect, a scammer might manage to steal an identity but would be unable to access the Gaia collectibles.
Hey, give lazy people some credit! If there is a will, there is a way. Stupidity is an equal oppertunity advantage taking mentality in regards to people getting what they want. If someone is going to be dumb about it, then they're going to be fooled.
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Gaia's remedy is to introduce a frame, think of a border crossing at customs, so that you are told "You're Leaving Gaia" and can distinguish between what is the virtual world and what is a foreign website.
And yet, some still don't pay attention. *points to above statement*
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While the perp that scammed Bluebird has been banned, (by IP address) it took this episode to remind the virtual world that teen users need to be handled with kid gloves.
What about their parents? Do we use pre-k gloves?
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Gaia's first partnership with Scion resulted in more than 470,000 cars being "purchased" in world in the first two months, compared to 6,000 virtual Scions acquired in Second Life in six months.
Second Life doesn't have grunnies. 'nuff said.
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Loyal Clementine has returned to Gaia (she didn't even consider other teen worlds) and Bluebird has been welcomed back with open arms by her avatar friends.
Neopets would be more up this kids alley and we're called Gaians, thanks much.
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Clementine has also gained life lessons: identity is precious and needs to be vigilantly protected...
Did her mother, the other unnamed adult and sister learn that too?
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...authority, no matter how demanding, needs to be questioned...
I can't wait till we hear from this kid again, but in reference to the cops this time...
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...having the right connections help; self-exploration is positive and should be supported and encouraged...
Right; be rich and buy/bribe your way through life. Explore your self. Got it.
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...and most importantly, speaking out is not just good – it can actually improve the quality of life for an entire world.
Unless it's about encouraging driving while drunk and having unprotected sex. And sharing needles. And killing off the rainforest instead of recyling. And eating McDonalds 24/7. And just general smartassness in reference to your authourative figures.
But anways, at least she learned her lesson! ...until the next time.
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