Second Life Sequesters Perverts

LOS ANGELES — "Sex sells" or so they say, and while an increasing number of companies seem to be pushing the envelope by adding a little (or a lot of) sex appeal to their marketing efforts, not everyone sees porn as the path to profit in a down market — at least not openly.

For example, virtual world Second Life parent Linden Labs seems to be pushing away from the sexy shenanigans that drove much of its growth by planning the banishment of its naughtier netizens to their own area.

In a recent post on the Second Life blog entitled Upcoming Changes for Adult Content, Cyn Linden announced the segregationist maneuvering, stating that "it has become clear that some Residents are interested in pursuing certain 'adult' activities in Second Life that others would rather not casually encounter."

There will be three steps taken to address the issue of adult material in Second Life:

"First, it will provide a way to geographically separate adult content and activities to a part of the 'mainland' designed to accommodate these activities (estate owners with adult content on their land will be required to flag their content; they will not be required to move)," Linden said. "Second, it will filter search results; so that those who do not wish to see 'adult' results will not."

"Third," Linden added, "it will require that those who access or see 'adult' content (whether on land or in search) have had their accounts verified — such as by a payment or age verification method."

Others report that the reasoning behind the ghettoization of the adult-minded community is that Linden Labs fears that mainstream advertisers are shying away from the platform due to the amount of sexually-explicit activity taking place within its virtual world; and by "cleaning up" the world, they hope to woo these sex-shy brands to bolster declining advertising sales.

Writing for Techdirt, Carlo Longino cited the initial rush of companies that set up shop in Second Life amongst much ballyhoo — a fad that proved to be relatively short-lived — as the motivator for the move.

"Perhaps it was good for an initial publicity stunt, but many of the companies that entered the virtual world found it to be fairly worthless, from a marketing standpoint," Longino wrote. "While perhaps you have to admire their optimism, it doesn't seem likely that restricting sex-related activities to a virtual red-light district will suddenly make Second Life worthwhile for businesses."

"Furthermore, with the sex stuff believed to make up the vast majority of the Second Life economy," Longino added, "moving to restrict it in hopes of chasing companies' marketing dollars may not be a great strategy."

But given the amount of profit potential in the virtual adult marketplace, having a separate "adult's only" area may bring the double benefits of making mainstream marketers more comfortable advertising in "uncensored" areas, while allowing more explicit advertising opportunities to be had within the appropriate spaces.

"The core goals of this initiative are to improve Second Life for everyone — by giving Residents more control over what they see, and by providing the best available method to make adult content accessible only to those who ought to (and who desire to) access it," Linden concluded.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More