Second Life, same as the first

I heard a thing on NPR recently about a web world called Second Life, and there are linden dollars that you can exchange for US dollars, and Suzanne Vega did a concert in this virtual world, somehow, and a reporter has an avatar in this world where he is also a reporter, but whereas in real life he is Adam Whatever, in Second Life he is Adam Reuters, and the whole fucking thing was surreal to listen to because they were talking about it like it was a normal thing when in fact it was insane.

Perhaps the world has advanced and I have not? I only have the first life so far myself.