Blog 3 - Jessica Lindner

Jessica Lindner

Blog 3

The topic that I found most interesting from the readings assigned in weeks 9 through 13 are the discussions on identity and experience online. The internet has increasingly become a place for people to interact and share common interests. From social networking sites such as Facebook and dating websites, to online gaming communities, people are interacting in a variety of forms. For many of these online communities, users are able to create themselves, that is, they have control over their identity and how they want to be perceived by other users. I find it extremely interesting to learn about why some people portray themselves differently online then they do in person. For example, Tavani discusses an incident where a male psychologist’s identity online was a disabled female, where the psychologist participated in an online forum for disabled persons, and even created romantic relationships with other members. In my opinion, I think that in some cases people create identities online that actually are a reflection of their true identity, or who they actually desire to be, an identity that they either cannot show, or are afraid to show in real life. However, I also think that some people completely change their gender, or identity for entertainment, or other purposes. For example, in the online article, “Identity and Virtual World Avatars”, the author discusses a study where 4,000 players of the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game Everquest were surveyed in an attempt to reveal gender stereotypes online. The survey showed that many of the players had an additional character of the opposite gender. When players were questioned on their reasons for this, the results were:

One-quarter of respondents indicated that visual appearance was a main reason for gender-bending, with one man responding that the female graphic "look[ed] better," and one female responding that the female graphics made her "somewhat uncomfortable." Another quarter of respondents indicated that a main reason was for role-play purpose, a chance to try something different. Around one-tenth of respondents indicated it was to gain advantage in the game, with one male responding that "you receive a LOT more stuff when you start out as a female … [t]here's no contest that female characters get a lot more help," and another male respondent noting that "[f]emale characters can get better prices when selling [objects in the game]."

The results of the survey actually made me realize that not all online identities are a reflection of, or a reaction to, some psychological issue. While that might be the case for online dating websites, the survey results above show that some people may change their identity for entertainment, or strategic purposes.

Source:

"Web Identity." Identity And Virtual World Avatars -. Wikidot.com, 16 Feb. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://webidentity.wikidot.com/identity-and-virtual-world-avatars