CLASS 13: Identity in the Context of Virtual Worlds

Identity in virtual worlds is a very different concept from traditional identity as we know it. Traditionally, identity has been something that is fairly immutable. We are born and eventually shaped into the way we are, and there isn't a whole lot we can easily do to change the things that form our identity - personality, gender, race, upbringing, social class, and so on. However, as technology in the medical field makes continual advances, it has become easier for people to change their identity, or at least how they appear to others. People can have gender reassignment surgery, or can even have plastic surgery to alter their appearance to that of a different race. People can also change their social class by working hard and doing well in life, or in some cases, doing the opposite.

All of the things I mentioned above are easier said than done. Changing your identity in the real world is not an easy task. This seems to be why virtual worlds are so appealing to many of the people that frequent them. Identity in a virtual world is totally different from traditional identity. There may be parts of one's traditional identity that contribute to virtual identity, but for the most part, the virtual identity that users create in a virtual environment is shaped and controlled completely by the user. Everything is customizable, and even changeable over time. Using Second Life as an example, there are countless aspects of avatar appearance that are changeable. Race, gender, clothing, height, weight, facial appearance, hair color, muscle density, and so on are completely customizable. One could create an avatar based on themselves, or (as the CNN article mentions), an optimized or perfected version of themselves.

The importance of the avatar and virtual identity probably varies between types of users. As a first time (and most likely last time) user of Second Life, I really didn't care what my avatar looked like. It was just a component that allowed me to explore Second Life and interact with other users as necessary. I feel that many casual users of Second Life probably feel the same way - their avatar is simply a vehicle that allows them to interact with second life. It doesn't necessarily represent some idealized version of themselves, or something that they wish to be in reality. To give some kind of comparison, it's like the desktop background on my computer. I picked it out of the available choices because it looked cool, or better than the other options that were presented to me - the same way I picked my original avatar in Second Life.

More frequent or intense users of Second Life or other virtual worlds probably view their avatars a bit differently. The name "Second Life" has the connotation of another life outside of your own real life, and heavy users must look at it that way. As such, they probably place great importance in their virtual identity, as their avatar is what represents them and forms their identity in this second life. If they are dissatisfied with their identity in their real life, this is their opportunity to create an identity they are satisfied with. They can make themselves appear however they'd like without constraint. The same really applies to how they "live" in the virtual world. As one of the Second Life users I chatted with said, "you can do whatever you want and there are no boundaries." They can look the way they want, be who they want, and act how they want outside of the conforms of reality.

I'm sure that many of my classmates have similar views after our short exposure to virtual worlds. As we interacted with each other in Meshmoon and Second Life, our avatars were simply tools we used to interact on a visual level. They did not represent our "identity" in these virtual environments in any kind of meaningful way.  We chose avatars that seemed interesting or in some cases entertaining to our classmates. This isn't to say that virtual identity is meaningless - to many of the people on Second Life, virtual identity must mean a lot. It could represent an escape from an unhappy life, or a feeling of success in an unsuccessful life. It really depends on the person behind the avatar.

Here, Shane's avatar is a priest. I could be wrong, but I don't think there was anything behind his choice other than that it's kind of funny to have a priest as your avatar

This is me choosing one of my first Meshmoon avatars. Nothing too exciting going on here, just choosing from the available options

Putting my avatar in leopard print as part of the GIMP editing assignment - I would hope that this doesn't represent what I wanted my virtual identity to be

Creating another avatar in MakeHuman