The Presentation of Avatars in Second Life: Self and Interaction in Social Virtual Spaces.
Second Life is a Virtual World promoted on their website with the following message; “Welcome to Second Life. A place to be, be different, be yourself. Free yourself, free your mind, change your mind, change your look. Be anyone.” Therefore exploring the constant changing environment motivates many users and thus encourages the need for socialising, to interact with others and to build or be involved in online community groups. This idea does bring into light the notion of whether virtual social space is different from real world. Garcia (2009) claims, “…we argue that there is one social world which contains both traditional and technologically advanced modes of communication and sites of social activity…[In other words]. Social life in contemporary society.”
There are three research questions that Gottschalk is mainly interested in.
1. What are the unique characteristics of interaction in social virtual spaces?
2. What do interactions in social virtual spaces suggest about the self and everyday life in the digital age?
3. How do interactions in social virtual spaces shape the self and everyday life in the digital age?
This study was carried out by participant observations and in-depth interviews between October 2008 and July 2009. It is important to
mention that these observations and interviews by Gottschalk were not analysed
in depth however generalisations of particular instances were mentioned such
as, the case of an avatar named Nina (real life is Karen) and had been in an
abusive relationship. Karen’s motivation to join Second Life thus sought to
find freedom in the Virtual World and eventually Nina (her avatar) ‘took over’.
Nina’s experience and relations in Second Life encouraged this and as a result Karen
in real life decided to model Nina in the hopes of also enjoying life’s
pleasures in real life and left the abusive relationship.
These observations are then followed by scholar quotes such as, “After virtual reality, reality is not the same, but has been altered by the bleeding of both worlds into each other, by their mutual inseparability.” (Cunningham, 2006) and then followed by further discussion.
To conclude Gottschalk presents there is already the notion of disembodied self via emails, blogs, Facebook and it is through Virtual World that it is then reembodied through the use of an avatar. Ones avatar is then influenced by social interaction and constant self-reflection that can heighten ego-observation and provide the user with the ‘real’ self that can be lessened in real life.
It is obvious this study could have had more in-depth analysis however given the circumstances within Second Life and the research questions involved; a qualitative research approach is understandable. However, with Second Life an issue of power in qualitative research needs to be taken into consideration. Such as interviews held within Second Life can be misconstrued, insofar as who is being interviewed could not actually be who they claim to be in real life and so forth.
Reference Gottschalk, S.
(2009). The presentation of avatars in second life: self and interaction in
social virtual spaces. Wiley on behalf of the society for the study of symbolic
interaction. (33) 4. (501-525.
Second Life is a Virtual World promoted on their website with the following message; “Welcome to Second Life. A place to be, be different, be yourself. Free yourself, free your mind, change your mind, change your look. Be anyone.” Therefore exploring the constant changing environment motivates many users and thus encourages the need for socialising, to interact with others and to build or be involved in online community groups. This idea does bring into light the notion of whether virtual social space is different from real world. Garcia (2009) claims, “…we argue that there is one social world which contains both traditional and technologically advanced modes of communication and sites of social activity…[In other words]. Social life in contemporary society.”
There are three research questions that Gottschalk is mainly interested in.
1. What are the unique characteristics of interaction in social virtual spaces?
2. What do interactions in social virtual spaces suggest about the self and everyday life in the digital age?
3. How do interactions in social virtual spaces shape the self and everyday life in the digital age?
This study was carried out by participant observations and in-depth interviews between October 2008 and July 2009.
These observations are then followed by scholar quotes such as, “After virtual reality, reality is not the same, but has been altered by the bleeding of both worlds into each other, by their mutual inseparability.” (Cunningham, 2006) and then followed by further discussion.
To conclude Gottschalk presents there is already the notion of disembodied self via emails, blogs, Facebook and it is through Virtual World that it is then reembodied through the use of an avatar. Ones avatar is then influenced by social interaction and constant self-reflection that can heighten ego-observation and provide the user with the ‘real’ self that can be lessened in real life.
It is obvious this study could have had more in-depth analysis however given the circumstances within Second Life and the research questions involved; a qualitative research approach is understandable. However, with Second Life an issue of power in qualitative research needs to be taken into consideration. Such as interviews held within Second Life can be misconstrued, insofar as who is being interviewed could not actually be who they claim to be in real life and so forth.
Reference
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