Becoming otter

Avatars and the crafting of the self in social virtual reality

Bibliographic Data

ID3481021
AuthorsDavid Berliner (0000-0002-3148-9422, Université Libre de Bruxelles, corresponding author), Maria Erofeeva (0000-0002-0874-5272, Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Year2025
Volume30
Issue4
Pages414-438
Publication date2025-09-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Material Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1359-1835 • E-ISSN: 1460-3586
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13591835251377583
OpenAlexW4414226562
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited59

Through an ethnography in VRChat, a platform of social virtual reality (SVR), this article seeks to offer a nuanced understanding of the crafting of the self in a unique digital environment. We look at the complex relationships that are woven between users and their avatars, namely how they grow into their personae and embody them to the extent they become a "second skin." Far from being customized and incorporated representations only, these electronic masks constitute vectors of power and intimacy, augmenting physical, individual, and social capacities of those who wear them. Moreover, while much of the existing literature emphasizes the exploratory potential of avatars and their role in fostering self-multiplication, this study illustrates how avatarial incarnation, as facilitated by virtual reality (VR) technology, can also serve as a means of engaging with an intimate self, experienced as unified and authentic

Ethnography · Exploratory research · Power (physics · Self · Social reality · Social relation · Virtual reality · Digital Games and Media · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts