Coming of age in Second Life

An anthropologist explores the virtually human

Bibliographic Data

ID19944757
AuthorsCM Kelty (University of California, Irvine, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume46
Issue10
Pages46-5685-46-5685
Publication date2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeREVIEW
Review ofComing of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human, Tom Boellstorff, 2008
VenueChoice Reviews Online (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0009-4978 • E-ISSN: 1523-8253
PublisherAmerican Library Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.5860/choice.46-5685
OpenAlexW1527516269
LanguageEN
Citations received1

Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen.Coming of Age in Second Lifeis the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar "Tom Bukowski," and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group. Coming of Age in Second Lifeshows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself. © 2008 by Princeton University Press. All Rights Reserved

Aesthetics · Art · Avatar · Friendship · Frontier · Humanity · Identity (music) · Media studies · Metaverse · Parallel universe · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Thriving · Virtual reality · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Gothic Literature and Media Analysis · Law

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access