traditional notions of cultural identity and nationalism // manifestations of self online and in the virtual world // notions of self in second life: a global perspective
In relation to digital communications theory, we must begin a discussion of identity construction not at its current zenith, the avatar of virtual worlds, but from the more general vantage of how identity construction in online spaces differs from that of identity construction in offline spaces. Angela Thomas, Professor of English Education at the University of Sydney, argues that within the physical world, our identity is constructed through numerous factors, most potently "gender, ethnicity and age; our individual personalities as evidenced through our fashion sense [...] and our psychological make-up such as our mannerisms of walk and talk." In the virtual world, "the performance of identity is divorced from a direct interaction with [the] cues from the physical, and instead relies upon the texts we create in the virtual worlds we inhabit." In Virtual Worlds, Sherry Turkle presents a compelling argument that identity construction in a virtual space begins with multiplicity, a manifestation derivative of the post-modern fragmented self. Turkle claims that the Internet allows people to "build a self by cycling through many selves", indulging in Freud's (Turkle argues overlooked) notion of a "radically decentered view of the self." This is a drastic shift from what earlier had been a "forged" identity that rarely deviated outside of "lifelong involvement with families and communities." Multiple identities (not to be confused with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)) were restricted to a variety of social outcasts: "the con artist, the bigamist, the cross-gender impersonator, the "split personality", the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The identity construction of multiple personas was looked at as socially unacceptable. As society became more fragmented due to the affects of globalization and a philosophical awareness of postmodernism, so too did conceptions of self. To many who struggled with this shift, online communities represented a way to explore competing internal conceptions of identity in a way that was psychologically sound.
Turkle provides a necessary framework for understanding Second Life's historical lineage as a means for identity construction by presenting a comprehensive history of Multi-User Dungeons/Domains (MUDs), the earliest of online social metaverses, and how identity was and is constructed therein. Stemming from the face-to-face role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, MUDs manifested as both "adventure-type" (derivative of D&D), where a player's main goal is to gain experience points for their character, and "social" MUDs, where the objective is to "interact with other players and, on some MUDs, to help build the virtual world by creating one's own objects and architecture." In both incarnations, Turkle found that interacting with other characters was the main allure of MUDs, despite the immediate appeal of "hack and slash" adventures.
By providing their users with anonymity (a chosen username is all that denotes one's character), MUDs allow "individuals to express unexplored parts of themselves" that they might otherwise stifle. Character creation in MUDs inherently implies "difference, multiplicity, heterogeneity, and fragmentation", a subversion of traditional singular notions of identity. Players in MUDs therefore use the virtual spaces to explore competing notions of self in an environment that enables multiple identities, choosing to be aggressive, passive, sexually adventurous, reserved, racial different, or gender shifted; sometimes as multiple characters, sometimes as one central pastiche.
In reference to a WELL discussion group thread, Turkle found that many participants sought refuge in the ability to explore their competing selves online, with one participant in particular applauding the "pastiche of personality" where "the test of competence is not so much the integrity of the whole but the apparent correct representation appearing at the right time, in the right context, not to the detriment of the rest of the internal "collective."" Again, Turkle found that online spaces accepted competing and complementary manifestations of persona much better than offline spaces in which individuals are far more limited to traditional notions of singularity. Concluding her remarks, Turkle waxes:
In cyberspace, hundreds of thousands, perhaps already millions, of users create online personae who live in a diverse group of virtual communities where the routine formation of multiple identities undermines any notion of a real and unitary self. Yet the notion of the real fights back. People who live parallel lives on the screen are nevertheless bound by the desires, pain, and mortality of their physical selves. Virtual communities offer a dramatic new context in which to think about human identity in the age of the Internet. They are spaces for learning about the lived meaning of a culture of simulation. Will it be a separate world where people get lost in the surfaces or will we learn to see how the real and the virtual can be made permeable, each having the potential for enriching and expanding the other? The citizens of MUDs are our pioneers."
This is not to imply that all peoples will be predisposed to multiplicity. Indeed, while representation of self in an online space leave some feeling "sense of relief", others feel "an uncomfortable sense of fragmentation." While this is unsurprising, it is important to note as one of the central divisions between those formulating identity in an online space and those who choose not to. Particularly in relation to Second Life, those who feel fragmentation unnatural often prescribe this view outwardly, viewing those who explore multiplicity of the self as socially bizarre. This of course goes both ways (and in both cases is a generalization) but nonetheless is a central source of tension between citizens of Second Life and those on the outside.
F. Randall Farmer, a system administrator (or Oracle) in Habitat, observed in particular a unique approach to identity construction within Habitat's environment - "Cyberspaces, because they are anonymous, present people with a unique opportunity to present themselves in any matter they desire. Shy people can experiment with being bold or they can present themselves as a member of the opposite sex." Further investigating this claim, Farmer queried residents in regards to two important questions: firstly, did they "think of [their] Avatar as a separate being, or [as] it a representation of [themselves]"; secondly, did they "act like [their] usual self when [they were] in Habitat, or in ways different from real life." The percentage breakdown was curious in its symmetry, with a near 50/50 split for both questions. Under furthered examination, Farmer found that "several that had selected 'self' for the first question had not selected 'self' for the second question", and that in reality, only 26%, a statistical minority, were representing themselves in the same way online as they did offline. To Farmer, this was confirmation that "cyberspace citizens feel empowered by the technology to experiment with social interactions [...] they feel safe enough to try on a different skin" .
Identity construction within Second Life functions in the same manner as in the virtual communities that predate it. Users are given the ability to experiment with images of self, and, depending on the user, extend this experimentation into realms of gender, race, and beyond. Second Life in particular allows for interesting methods of identity construction in that avatars are highly customizable. Users can create whatever bodily attachment they so desire, juxtaposing an arm of tentacles under business attire or a schoolgirl's uniform with a medusa head. Enchanting light surrounds an avatar who while choosing a male body with black suit, has an oversized eyeball where their head would typically be. Even more so, rather than simply human avatars, Second Life allows users to experiment with the body shapes of animals, extending this identity experimentation even further. Many still choose to represent themselves 'faithfully', though these avatars are usually reserved for participants who utilize Second Life for a means beyond cultural expression (online conferences, academia, and or business in particular). For those who actively use the community, most all avatars have been customized to an extent.