Society and the Virtual Self

Abstract

The Internet and the vast proliferation of virtual worlds it offers have become important ways in which people form, perform, and model virtual selves, or online identities. Some of the spaces offered by virtual environments are online communities. The interactions between self and virtual environments are crucial to how Internet users create and join online communities, while online communities may prove both detrimental or beneficial to its users, depending on the site's purpose and goals. The virtual self replicates dynamics from everyday life, but may prove to engage in vastly different behaviors online than in the real world.

Overview

To understand the concept of "virtual self," it is pertinent to understand what the terms mean separately. People across cultures have been trying to define the idea of the self for thousands of years, beginning with religion and philosophy. The self was long understood in Eastern tradition as a mental construction based on a variety of experiences. In Hindu scripture, for instance, the self is considered an illusory idea that isolates the individual from his or her surroundings, and making the person believe that all which the mind perceives is real. It is not that what is perceived does not exist in material form; rather, it is a mental activity that reconstructs reality in ways that best work for the person. These processes of recreating reality work to create the self as well.

For others, mainly in Western culture, the self was often viewed as an inflexible and inalterable entity, known variously as the soul and as reason. In the eighteenth century, during the Enlightenment, European philosophers such as David Hume began to analyze the self as a phenomenon based on human perceptions. Hume explained that his sense of self was based on what he perceived around him. The only exception to this awareness of the self was when he was deeply asleep, that is, in a state of unconsciousness. Thus, the self, in this view, is based not on illusions, but on perceptions—which are both subjective and contextual.

Not all agree with this view of the self. René Descartes, founder of Cartesian philosophy, proposed the self as a conscious and rational entity that exists in the mind, disconnected from the environment around it. For long, following Cartesian thought, many scientists believed the self was based on "the pure light of reason," able to exist separate from the social world. Most modern scientists and philosophers consider this view inaccurate. In fact, the sense of self is widely considered to be shaped by the experiences gained from lifelong social interactions, and as such, in a constant state of growth and fluctuation.

In short, views of the self as an entity somehow disconnected from reality have long existed. Social science tends to consider the self as based on beliefs and perceptions of reality which lack a coherent unity overall. This phenomenon is easier to understand by observing the testimony of several witnesses to a specific event. Hardly two recollections of the event that will be the same. In fact, the self is widely considered to be the aggregate product of memories, experiences, contacts, exchanges and, in general, all the contextual factors that a person experiences in everyday life. It is a given, then, that a sense of self is not only built through time, but also both intensely personal and socially based.

Furthermore, in many scientific or evidence-based theories, all experiences are believed to be processed through neural activity patterns of the brain, which, in turn, creates a mental life. These processes are constant and long term, yet unconscious; thus, people become so used to their interior life they take for granted the sense of self it creates.

Cognitive neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga argues that the mind "interprets" the information it experiences, and that the borders of the self are not static. The limits of the mind are elastic, dynamic, and adaptable to its environment. Not all people experience the self to the same degree of harmony. An individual who enjoys good mental health usually experiences a coherent sense of self, integrated with its social environment, whereas others may experience more isolated or highly-fractured constructions of the self, in disharmony with his or her surroundings.

In any case, the self is malleable and changes constantly, while maintaining a certain personal core. It is important to bear in mind, however, that even though it is a highly cerebral phenomenon, scientists believe that the self does not have a "fixed" spot in the brain. It is best viewed as a series of activities and events that takes place in the mind, but that is also impacted by social interactions and by stimuli from the physical senses.

By the late twentieth century, with the rapid spread of computer technology and ever faster high-speed communication via the Internet, the notion of a virtual self began to gain traction. Researchers began to examine the self as it interacted with virtual or Internet-based spaces. The virtual self was often understood as an online representation of the self that did not need to be tied to a real life or physical presence. For instance, individuals began to develop artificial online representations, using nicknames known as "handles" and figures such as an avatar, an icon that represents human characteristics. These were used to represent its user in different virtual venues, such as in video games, social media, and other Internet spaces known as virtual environments or the virtual world.

The virtual world is a computer-based environment that offers a wide variety of experiences to its users. One of these is the creation of online communities, some of which have become highly sophisticated spaces that include various social, communicative, and even economic functions. These virtual spaces are used to foster a sense of community among users and offer a channel of fantasy and escape, leisure, socialization, friendship, competition, information, learning, politics, emotional support, and many other social interactions that replicate, to some extent, those of the material world. The virtual world interacts and sometimes overlaps with the real world. For instance, virtual venues may also offer income-generating or monetizing opportunities to some of its users.

Some experts argue that not all Internet spaces are virtual worlds. Researchers have established some parameters for an online space to be considered a true virtual world; for instance, it must be active 24 hours a day, every single day. Nevertheless, the truth is that there are few strict definitions for what a virtual world is, given its vast spectrum of spaces and functions.

The earliest examples of virtual worlds were games such as WorldsAway, CitySpace, Second Life, which replicated material habitats and allowed users to create their own worlds and avatars. These avatars served to interact with others, and users could be said to have created a second self to represent them online. Contemporary virtual worlds offer highly sophisticated 3D experiences. They have expanded to include spaces such as forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, dating apps, and many others, each of which has its own cultural codes and rules.

Analyses show that most virtual world users are young adults and minors. These make them attractive prey for individuals who intend to manipulate their inexperience and vulnerability. On the other hand, some virtual worlds can be enormously helpful to their users; for instance, they can prove highly beneficial to people who are housebound or hospitalized long term, or those who are otherwise isolated and could benefit from a virtual community. However, the dark side of the Internet is that these may also become spaces for abuse, cyberbullying, oppression, and various types of damaging or illicit behavior. Experts, then, recommend that young people be given an education on Internet intelligence from an early age and use it at first under the supervision of an adult.

Applications

Due to the proliferation of the virtual world and its profound importance to vast numbers of users, many scholars and organizations are interested in the connections between personality (or self), behavior, and its relationships within the virtual environment.

In virtual worlds, which include social networks such as Facebook and Snapchat, people do not share a material space with territorial limits. Nevertheless, as is the case with streets signs and other territorial markers, people recognize the shared signs and codes present in a virtual environment. Belonging to a virtual group, then, implies learning and sharing these codes and other social representations. As in a real-life situation, these rules and codes are also defined by group behaviors, expectations, attitudes, and beliefs, which must be understood by those who actively use the virtual space.

Self-presentation is an integral part of the space-sharing experience. Self-presentation relates to how individuals attempt to shape or model how others view them and, as such, is crucial to understanding the virtual self. People in virtual environments may express themselves differently than their real-world personae. Another important element is language. A country has a common language shared by its inhabitants, and something similar occurs in virtual communities. This language shared online may be significantly different to the one used in the material world, but it enables its users to dominate codes and meanings that will buttress his or her self-presentation in that specific virtual space.

For most users, virtual worlds somehow parallel the world in which they work, study, and which embodies his or her real identity, that is, the one he or she presents to the material world. Unless it is a role-playing site, most users of virtual worlds often present idealized models of their real selves online, but not one that veers wildly from their common identity in everyday life. Nevertheless, researchers believe that, given the proliferation of Internet sites and their importance to the everyday life of growing numbers of users, it is crucial to conduct more studies, such as ethnographic research, on the virtual self. This topic includes the dynamics by which a virtual self develops and how it impacts the communicative behavior and the identity-creation of people.

People, then, enact a virtual self which is somewhat distinct, and to different extents, to that which is presented in his or her everyday material life. For instance, if a person is dissatisfied with his or her everyday self, the virtual world offers the opportunity to present a different image. Besides using a variety of strategies such as avatars and handles, people may use personal photographs enhanced with different filters and apps designed to make the person appear more attractive or as characters from popular culture, such as Anime cartoons.

Take, for instance, the case of China's Wang Hong culture. Wang Hong are young "netizens" who become Internet celebrities and monetize their online presence with merchandise and videos. Wang Hong are young and attractive, and the success of their highly artificial image depends on gathering numerous fans and followers. Although their self-presentation is highly illusory, Wang Hong are powerful cultural influencers who impact the way in which Asian youth present themselves online and offline; they also influence how young people spend their money. In fact, their impact has expanded so much that experts now talk about a Wang Hong economy. The Wang Hong phenomenon reportedly produced around $46 million in 2016.

On the other hand, critics argue that this has also led young people in China to put themselves through an extraordinary amount of cosmetic surgery procedures with the purpose of reaching an impossible ideal. This is due, according to scholars, to online media and peer pressure, and to the desire to achieve the idealized yet unrealistic social expectations. As in the real world, the virtual self of Wang Hong followers adapts to the social expectations of the virtual worlds in which they dwell. Moreover, as experts point out, an individual's sense of self, even if consisting of multiple facets, is not cleanly divided into neat segments, that is, cleanly separating virtual self from real-life self. Therefore, much of the virtual self leaks, or becomes integrated, into the daily life identity of an individual, driving his or her behaviors off-line as well.

Issues

In the field of social sciences, concepts of the self are fundamentally and inextricably linked to notions of community. Most virtual communities are communities of interest; that is, they form around shared interests. There is much debate around virtual communities, especially as to whether they "true" communities. Critics are concerned that the large amount of time spent online has led to a loss of real-life community and, it follows, a sense of self as tied to roots and citizenship for vast numbers of people. In other words, a disproportionate devotion to pursuit of a virtual self may result in loss of a sense of true self and true community.

True communities, according to scholars, are defined by shared interests, strong bonds, and a common territory. However, virtual communities do not share a physical or geographical terrain. Nevertheless, some digital scholars argue, they share other elements foundational to communities, such as self-identification with the group, strong ties, and shared interests.

As opposed to communities based on pop culture, such as the Wang Hong, some online communities share beneficial goals, such as offering a therapeutic experience. For instance, there are online communities known as health communities, meant to provide health care counseling and information. Participants in these communities represent a wider range of ages, backgrounds, and occupations, such as health care practitioners, counselors, patients, care-takers, and researchers. Some are long-term users and others participate for brief periods of time. These communities serve as online support groups and have become extremely helpful to people who need supplemental medical or therapeutic support or who may have no other consistent avenue for help and information. Such sites often forge deep friendships or relationships of support, allowing users to behave in coherent ways with their identities off- and online.

Moreover, online communities can perform an important educational or informational function for participants, because given the vast amount of disorganized information available on the Internet, an online community may serve as a filter and curator of pertinent information. Virtual worlds, then, may serve a wide variety of functions and run the gamut of dysfunctional to merely functional and profoundly useful, and from superficial to true—and any number of functions in between.

Terms & Concepts

Avatar: In computer-mediated environments such as Internet forums and video games, a character or icon representing a person.

Digital: Fully online or Internet-based processes.

Cyberbullying: Threatening or bullying another person by way of the Internet or other forms of electronic media.

Netizen: A frequent or zealous user of the Internet.

Online Community: A group of individuals who share an Internet space—websites, chat rooms, forums, social media—in order to communicate with each other, usually around a common topic of interest.

Personae: In psychology, the facet of an individual's personality that is presented to others.

Self: Also known as ego and identity, a person's most essential being. The self is both individual and social. Most experts believe that without a social context, there can be no self. A self is always dynamic, that is, always in movement, changing and evolving.

Virtual: Imaginary computer-generated Internet spaces that enable the user to "inhabit" the space and interact with other users. In relation to the self, virtual worlds or environments provide the context for a virtual self to emerge and interact.

Bibliography

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Suggested Reading

Fox, J., Ralston, R. A., Cooper, C. K., & Jones, K. A. (2015). Sexualized avatars lead to women's self-objectification and acceptance of rape myths. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39(3), 349–362. Retrieved January 1, 2018 from EBSCO Online Database Sociology Source Ultimate. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sxi&AN=108751991&site=ehost-live

Overstreet, N., Quinn, D., & Marsh, K. (2015). Objectification in virtual romantic contexts: Perceived discrepancies between self and partner ideals differentially affect body consciousness in women and men. Sex Roles, 73(9-10), 442–452. Retrieved January 1, 2018 from EBSCO Online Database Sociology Source Ultimate. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sxi&AN=110138794&site=ehost-live

Verzoni, A., & Lisboa, C. (2016). Forms of subjectivation: Generation y and the contemporaneity. Athenea Digital (Revista De Pensamiento E Investigación Social), 16(3), 105–130. Retrieved January 1, 2018 from EBSCO Online Database Sociology Source Ultimate. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sxi&AN=119919810&site=ehost-live

Wakeling, K., & Clark, J. (2015). Beyond health and well-being: Transformation, memory and the virtual in older people's music and dance. International Journal of Ageing & Later Life, 9(2), 7–34. Retrieved January 1, 2018 from EBSCO Online Database Sociology Source Ultimate. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sxi&AN=110930307&site=ehost-live