MSN vs 3D - Yourself vs your Other Self

I have used MSN for the majority of my internet life. I think it started when I was about 16, so my parents were very protective of who I was talking to, and so was I to be honest. The most of the MSNers on my friends list, were actual friends - people from school, dance class, relatives etc. Although I know some people let random users onto their friends list, and can chat away for hours with them, I've never really been that into it. Chat rooms can interest me for a bit, but that's because you can read other people's comments while you'r deciding your next one. Uncomfortable silence can extend across many a country. There's only so much I want to talk to a stranger about, and I usually get bored with the:
'Hi, how are you?'
'How old are you?'
'Oh, 56 and looking for a relationship... well, good talking to ya, bye now!'
So, from here I will introduce my experience of the 3D chat...
I knew it would be different - the 3D part tipped me off. But I absolutely did not expect to get into it so much! I used IMVU. I chose from a variety of different 'avatars' to turn into my alta-ego. From hair colour, clothes and choice of sunglasses, I had created the virtual incarnation of myself (well what I'd look like in 3D hot world anyway) Click on 'find a friend' and away you go. I was in 'Barbucks' chatting to Milly from Malaysia. I did this while focusing on the differences between this form of chat compared to MSN Messenger. Clearly, there are small things like the process of registering - in MSN you are only applying your email address, name and age. IMVU is a far more lengthy process. What I found most prominent though was the way you connect from one chat space compared to the other. In MSN, although you can alter certain aspects of yourself through what you type, you are essentially chatting as yourself. In 3D chat, you are creating a whole new world, complete with a loft, friends and perfect body. You are no longer saying you are/have all of these things; you actually do (in the virtual world). Although I only dabbled in the possibilities of IMVU, I was unusually drawn in. This idea does bring forward some scary prospects. There is already a situation in our society of people 'getting lost' in the realms of the internet and the virtual anonymity it creates (become who you want outside the reality of who you are). With 3D chat, the prospect of believing you are all these things is magnified because the notions are no longer in your head; they are right in front of you, playing out on your computer. 3D chat was loads of fun to create and be part of, and I think it could be a great creative outlet. But be prepared when the line between reality and virtual existence take on the inevitable shades of grey.