The Social Construction of Virtual Reality and the Stigmatized Identity of the Newbie

Bibliographic Data

ID19544809
AuthorsRobert Boostrom (Carbondale Public Library, corresponding author), Jr Robert E Boostrom
Year2008
Volume1
Issue2
Publication date2008-11-10
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Virtual Worlds Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1941-8477 • E-ISSN: 1941-8477
PublisherVirtual Worlds Institute, Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4101/jvwr.v1i2.302
OpenAlexW2530000631
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited11

Persistent virtual spaces are becoming available to users, often for free, via internet connections. Due to the immersive character and malleability of these communities, new forms of technology-mediated social interaction are emerging. In this paper, ethnographic research done in Second Life is used to outline (1) how the reality within these virtual worlds is constructed, (2) what role elements of the secondary socialization play in these groups, and (3) the way the stigmatized identity of the neophyte user, the “newbie,” is conceptualized, confronted and addressed by virtual world residents. This research suggests ways of viewing consumer behavior within virtual worlds and further social research directions

Aesthetics · Art · Ethnography · Human–computer interaction · Internet privacy · Malleability · Metaverse · Socialization · Sociology · The Internet · Virtual reality · World Wide Web · Anthropology · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access