I found this comment on Annetta’s blog quite succinct:

things such as zwinky,twinity,there,imvu and others help u interact with other people play games and earn points while achieving goals in the comfort of their own home. u can even build an avatar that looks like ur person.the computers and the 21st century go hand in hand .together they create internet. a vast space of communication that has no limits.it has boundless possibilities and if we reach out & grab them we can help better our selves and our world