To begin with a quote, of one of the most brilliant people in the universe:
“Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin."*.
Alts have been talked to death, haven't they? And as far as I can tell, there is never going to be an agreement on the "ethics" surrounding them. Which is why it surprises me, that some people still find the idea of having an alt so offensive. Let me note, no specific incident has sparked this thought process, it's just something that vexes me from time to time.
Because let's face it, whether you have an Alt, or you don't, most people on Second Life have at least one. Some people have Alts for business, it's cheaper than paying models when your business is just starting out, for instance, and the use of Alts in business and creation extend well beyond that one example...
Then there are the recreational uses of having an Alt. It seems to me a lot of people believe this is only used when one is being malicous. It has been my experience that the majority of people with an Alt aren't really about having an alternate "Trust me!" mask for when they want to behave like a douche. I don't think that most Alts are created to spy on anyone, or entrap them, and in the cases when they *are* made for those purposes, that person is toxic in their "main" identity too, and bullshit is going to come out of them sooner or later anyway. I am even sympathetic to people who have a moment of weakness to the temptation in order to do things they might not otherwise do.
There are merits to having an Alt for recreational purposes that do not involve manipulation of anyone. Someone might be trying to have a fresh start after their other Second Life left a bad taste in their mouths, or someone was harassing them. Someone might want to have the presence of an idealized partner, child, etc to match their avatar's personality, without getting involved with an online relationship. This really doesn't hurt anyone. Some people just see the opportunity to be more than one person or thing,
I am one of those people. I do have an alt who is quite a bit different to my Main Avatar Corinda. where Corinda allows me to frolic in my love for ancient mythology, Haru is my gaming nerd outlet for my love of Forgotten Realms, and -- to be bold-- a little bit of expression of my Bisexuality. Corinda is mostly straight. Haruko, is not. at all.
I know some people feel as if the identity of an alt must be disclosed in order for anyone to truly trust the motives. I can see the Merit in that, but doing that also has a way of blending what might be two distinct personalities, and taking the fun out of it. I have a few friends, for instance, that are so good at knowing their different alt, their whole way of speaking, even out of character changes, and it is truly like speaking to another.
Should I feel deceived? No. Even if I did not know who else they are? No. If this game was about being real all of the time, My character would not do flips, and would sometimes walk with a cane when I am having a bad flare. It's a different reality for me, often times when I am having a terrible day, when I am asked, I can genuinely respond through Corinda as having a good one. Just because her typist is not having the best day, doesn't mean she is!
I don't know if I achieve that with others, but I do know I feel like a different person from one Alt to another, and I enjoy that feeling. And if I walked around saying "Psst... it's me, Corinda! lolz" I would be taking away from my own experience. :) This defeats the purpose. My closest friends are also on both of my friend's lists, so I can always be reached if I need to be.
Like I said, nothing profound to say. Just waxing on my thoughts when it comes to folks in general getting into a kerfuffle over Alts. When bad things do go come of it, look at it as another example of bad behavior and not a damning indictment on alts as a whole. And think about creating one yourself to understand the merits of the experience!
* The rest of the quote which I also love: "..The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him" - Mel Brooks
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