Ethnic Identities in Virtual Space

Over the past quarter century, the cyber world has become a powerful transformative force that is increasingly permeating every facet of human life.Humanity, be it willingly or not, is adopting a new and previously unknown mode of existence, radically reshaping both the universe and humanity itself.However, the implications of this young phenomenon remain largely obscure.Cyberspace offers distinct advantages over the physical world, fostering the promptness of implementation of research projects, including those related to the issues of identity and ethnicity.Research into the phenomenon of digital identity began in the 1980s with the proliferation of computers, the Internet, computer games, and various communication tools such as instant messaging and email services.Initially, researchers focused on exploring the potential benefits of the digital environment for humanity, both in terms of present-day and future scenarios.By the late 1990s, the analysis of network interactions had evolved into an independent area of academic inquiry.In 1998, Mark Poster introduced the concept of "virtual ethnicity" in the context of "the interplay of real and virtual elements in the construction of ethnic groups" (Poster, 1998).The articles in this thematic issue of Changing Societies & Personalities explore the diversity of ethnic identities within virtual environments, employing new (or updated) methods of field ethnography and analytical ethnology in light of contemporary challenges and re-evaluation of current events.Cyberspace is an integral part of modern life, existing alongside and sometimes even replacing reality.It is becoming an essential, if not the principal, element in sustaining and shaping new forms of cyberethnicity.The recent global pandemic has revealed the significance of virtuality, particularly for ethnic and religious communities, which have found their unique ways to manifest identity.On the one hand, virtual identity appears to be an innovation that is affecting and altering the identity of ethnic groups.On the other hand, the use of modern technology to

Ethnic group · Sociology · Virtual space · Anthropology · Computer Science · Gender Studies · Social Media and Politics · Artificial Intelligence

• Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of Russia

  Open Access•Belorussova•Etnografia•2022

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