CLASS 13: Identity in the Context of Virtual Worlds

I've always had this understanding that people use avatars or virtual worlds to express their inner selves. I had heard of Second Life prior to taking this class but I never actually used it myself. I was quite impressed with it when I used it for the first time. I thought the scenes and graphics were pretty solid for a virtual world. I found it very intriguing how diverse the avatars that I came across were.

I myself tried to form my avatar in my own image. I do admit however to “fine tuning” a few things. I learned later on in my experiences in Second Life that exaggerating my avatar wasn’t too uncommon. Second Life allows you to look like anyone you desire. I noticed that there were no “bad” looking avatars. All the avatars seemed to be in good physical condition and all were wearing nice clothes.

During our assignment where we had to chat with other Second Life users I learned quite a lot. I got into a pretty deep conversation with one women who surprisingly told me she uses Second Life to recapture her youth. She was a 46 year old woman but her avatar was a young blonde girl in a bikini.

From here on I started to realize that Second Life is also an escape for a lot of people. I can understand why people use Second Life to express themselves. Society tends to tell us what to wear and how we should look. People who are afraid to expresses themselves in the physical world can be their true selves in a virtual world. A lot of people have this ideal image of themselves in their head and you see it displayed in Second Life.

I find that Second Life can be therapeutic as much as it is enjoyable. People are able to escape their problems or fears while in a virtual world. You could be talking to someone of a different gender or race and not even know it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it helps rid us of prejudgement. We are able to display ourselves in a way in which we would prefer people to see.

team house we made during the team building assignment

when we were customizing our avatars and I was surprised that a priest was available for selection.

the cathedral was amazing in detail.

first time checking out the leaderboard

Examining Gender, Race and Body Image in a Virtual World

this is what my avatar originally looks like.

got talking to someone in no time. We did some birdwatching together. 

actually became friends.

changed my appearance to a woman.

this fella did not want to talk to me.

neither did this hula hooping lady.

this dancing girl, however,  wasn't afraid to converse.

became friends with her too.

changed my avatar to an african american man with tattoos.

this girl didn't talk to me.

only got a hello out of this one.

I had the most success with my original avatar. It was a white male. The first person I talked to I was able to strike up a conversation. We talked for a few minutes before I moved on. I had a bit of a hard time at first getting someone to talk to me while I was a female. Two people rejected me before someone responded. The third avatar I picked I barely got any responses from. Perhaps it was because the avatar was technically a vampire lol. I didn't realize it was a vampire until after. At first glance though the avatar did look normal. This was my first time conversing with people other than my classmates on second life. It was nice branching out. I made two new friends in the process.

12/4 Leaderboard