For the final project I want to focus on race in Second Life. I wasn't aware that Second Life contained racism similar to that of the real world. I know this is a very broad topic that I'm going to have to narrow down, however, I'm not sure which direction I want to head in. The idea of this topic came to me after reading "The Skin You're In" in last years gender switch stories. I became interested in why people act the way they do towards avatars of a different race or gender. I want to know whether the attitude toward another avatar is correlated with the attitude the person has in real life toward someone of that gender/race. Also, whether those avatars of different races are treated inferior to the majority race.
I want to avoid reasoning from the claim that Second Life is full of racism. My opinion toward the people that are being racist is that its pathetic. It's a virtual world, therefore the avatars won't truly depict what someone looks like in real life. Hopefully, my own biases don't interfere with my analysis. I'm going to put my biases aside and try and understand why people are racist in second life.
Sources:
1. "Eastwick & Gardner 'Is it a game? Evidence for social influence in the virtual world" Social Influence 4.1 (Jan 2009): 18-32 Print.
This explains some techniques used to examine appearance stereotypes and also contains a current study of a virtual world. I'm going to try to use both techniques in Second Life, and also use the data gathered by the current study.
2. http://diaryofananxiousblackwoman.blogspot.com/2007/11/transcending-race-in-cyberspace-yeah.html
A blog by a professor whose black students were subject to racist acts in Second Life.
3. H+ Magazine. Info Swell Media, 3 July 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/virtual-reality/real-discrimination-against-digital-people>.
Talks about how furries face harassment, and small breasted avatars have been subject to insults.
4. Boellstorff, Tom. Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2008. Print.
He discusses race and furries who believe they are a new race - they also face discrimination.
Here's my Link back home
Comments (5)
Sarah L. said
at 3:50 pm on Oct 29, 2009
This sounds like a really interesting topic- here are some ways that you could possibly start-
- try researching what current races face the most racism- you can do this by searching "racism today" or something similar in the library database
- next, try to look for articles online similar to those of "The Skin You're in"
- once you have figured out which race faces the most difficulty in reality, try being this race in SL- and compare not only how differently you were treated by being this race, but how this compares to the types of racism this race faces in reality
Joe Essid said
at 9:51 am on Nov 6, 2009
Chelsea, you write that "I wasn't aware that Second Life contained racism similar to that of the real world" and that's a good place to start. My question would be, "similar to what in the real world?" It's possible that racism, if it exists in SL, cuts in different directions than it does in the flesh.
That was Amanda's experience in 2008. You should check her wiki project (linked form the front page of this wiki under 2008 projects). It was also the case for Chris F, who became a black-skinned man. Of course, if it's not skin color, but something else such as sexual preference or even newness to SL that becomes the means for discrimination, then you project is not a waste of time. You'd be arguing, if the sources lead you there, that discrimination exists but it's not primarily racial.
I've seen discrimination in SL, but it's more of the "make fun of the noobs" sort at the welcome areas where newcomers appear right off Orientation Island. I sometimes just sit Iggy on a wall there, amid all the craziness, and try to help noobs before a bunch of griefers humiliate them.
So you are wise to avoid the rush to judgment that SL is full of racism. I'm not sure it is. Have a look at the back issues of The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research as well as the piece on racism in there.com that I have requested from Inter-library Loan.
Joe Essid said
at 11:35 am on Nov 8, 2009
Just skimmed some of Tom Boellstorff's Coming of Age in Second Life. He discusses both race in the conventional sense as well as the subculture of Furries, who believe they are a new race (and face some strong discrimination).
I told Antoine to have a look at something else. This is a quotation from my remarks to him, yesterday:
You may discover that furries and nonhumans, races that don't exist on this side the the keyboard, face discrimination. I recall how the makers of the virtual Cologne cathedral banned nonhuman avatars, leading to charges of racism:
http://www.vintfalken.com/god-comes-to-sl-salvation-for-all-but-the-furries/
Meghan Hart said
at 9:48 pm on Nov 16, 2009
I think that you chose a very interesting topic here and you will have strong results in your research with the sources that you have chosen.
Changing your race in Second Life that we did for the "Gender/Race Switch" wiki will be a good help for you as well as you can see how other avatars actually treat you and you can incorporate that into your actual arguments.
I think that you will be fine in putting your biases aside to try and qualify your arguments.
Sarah L. said
at 2:35 am on Nov 20, 2009
"came to me" you have came to be and after that "in" not and last years
other than that, this looks great!
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