Avatars and Identity

To begin my blog, let’s first discuss what an avatar is. An avatar, by definition, is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) or a one-dimensional username used on Internet forums and other communities, or a text construct found on early systems such as MUDs (multi-user dimensions). It is an object representing the user. The term "avatar" can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user. This sense of the word was coined by Neal Stephenson in 1992 novel Snow Crash, who co-opted it from the Sanskrit word avatāra, which is a concept similar to that of incarnation. (and yes, this definition is from our dear friend Wikipedia, but I think it’s a good description)

Going off of this definition, an avatar is an extension of oneself that is manipulated in a virtual world by the user. With that being said, how does this affect one’s personal identity? A personal identity is how a person defines themselves, through many forums (age, gender, sexuality, interests, talents, personality traits), but does a user’s personal identity get lost within these virtual worlds?

You tend to conform to what is “cool”, even if you’re a thousand miles away from the players; you want a sense of belonging. I’ll even admit, when creating my avatar, it took some time. Of course it was easy to pick out hair color, eye color, and skin tone, but when it came to clothes, accessories etc, it was more difficult. I honestly thought to myself, what color I should make my shirt, what shirt I should wear, because I wanted it to say something about who I am. These choices convey a certain message about the person, sometimes based on stereotypes. Considering it’s all the players have to go on, and since it is “you”, one would guess that what you’re conveying through your avatar helps to explain your identity, but is that true? For example, some of these Habbo girls are running around in skimpy outfits—most people would say that Habbo girl is a hoe (fa sho). And some avatar boys could be called certain names, based on their appearances. See links (http://iwanttofitin.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/you-say-you-pop-your-collar/

And http://www.googlyfoogly.com/pictures/Anatomy-Of-A-Douchebag.html

My point is, however you make your avatar, there’s usually some sort of conforming happening when it comes to identity, partly because of the limited selections, and partly because you want to fit into some category. On Habbo Hotel and other virtual worlds, how much of one’s true identity can be portrayed through an avatar, and what are some positives and negatives about creating this avatar identity?