Week # 5 Wiki Assignment:

     During this assignment, I changed from a preppy "girl next door" woman character to not only a male but Batman.  I came across this costume for free one day when I was searching for free male skins and clothing.  I got a good laugh out of finding this costume and knew that this was going to be an interesting experience.

     At first I did not feel comfortable taking on a new identity.  I was used to the other identity I had even though it was comparable with my actual real life.  However, I realized when I did take on the identity of Batman I felt undercover and in control.  As a woman in Second Life, I was always receiving invitations to random places and having other avatars start conversations with me.  Once I became Batman it was as if I scared other avatars from have a conversation with me.  I also found myself acting differently.  I was not cautious about starting a conversation with other avatars.  I mean, I am Batman, who would want to mess with me.  When I was a woman avatar, I think it was the standard woman instinct when you are in a different place you know to stay away from strangers (even though I am behind a computer screen).  As Batman, I felt I had to be more forward in order to show other avatars that I was not trying to cause any problems.  This was a complete 180 degree turn from being timid to talk to other avatars to showing other avatars I am not trying to start anything negative with them.

     One thing that I did not feel comfortable doing was going to random places that was composed of very similar avatars.  In places like those I felt uncomfortable being Batman.  I was not a preppy girl who could try to fit in anymore.  Instead I was completely different and supposed to be a super hero.  I felt immediatly judged and that I had a point to prove just because I am Batman.  

     I tried to vist a variety of places for this assingment.  Some examples of places I visited include a pirate pub, Caledon Oxbridge University, a home on private property, Amber Raceway, and the Empire State Building.  The pirate pub was an example of a place where I felt uncomfortable going to because I knew every avatar would be similar.  However, the avatars in this place were the most welcoming.  They were the only ones that were not intimidated by my appearance.

Pirate girl # 1: pow...zoom...ooommpphhh

Pirate girl # 2: im a demon so Batman doesn't scare me a bit

 As you can see in the conversation above, they were not scared of my appearance but instead made a joke out of it and showed me that I had more to worry about than they did.  

     My favorite experience was at the home that was private property.  I honestly do not know how I even ended up there.  As soon as I did I could hear two girls have a normal conversation.  All of a sudden one said, "oh my gosh there is some guy on the property".  The other girl said "I can see him, what is he going to do? save the day?"  Then everytime I moved around or tried to type to them they would say that they could see me move and hear me type but did not know what I  was typing because they were not outside the house.  Then I tried to go up to the door and they immediately said " what are you doing? leave my house please, its private property".  From then on I just stood in the yard listening to them talking about how I was still on their property.  All of a sudden they sent out a wolf figure and he said:

Wolf figure: Who are you?

Me: Batman

Wolf figure: I know that but you can't be on this property so leave

Me: Why?

Wolf figure: Its private so leave before I force you too

     After that I  decided it was best to leave.  I could not figure out if they were so stern with me leaving because of my costume or because it was private property.  I could not believe that people actually sit on Second Life in one house and do not explore what it has to offer.  If they do that every time they sign on I think they are missing out on other aspects of Second Life.

Pictured to the right: the private property house

Pictured below: Sab in front of the Empire State Building

Connections to readings:

     My experience as Batman in Second Life reminded me of when Jean Baudrillard discussed dissimulation.  Dissimulation is "to disguise under a appearance that is false".  I am not, nor have I ever been, a super hero.  But in Second Life I am giving off the impression that I am able to "save the day".  Being a 5 foot 2 inch female, there are few times where I can feel powerful over men in real life.  However, while I was in Second Life as Batman, I felt powerful and that I was intimidating other avatars.  I was disguising myself as something I am not in order to feel in control of the space I was in.  I felt like this allowed me to experience an alternative side of myself in being judged first for my appearance instead of having to prove a point before I am judged as being in control.

     Shannon McRae in "Coming Apart at the Seams: Sex, Text and the Virtual Body", made interesting points.  One part that stuck out to me when I  first read the article was that when people change their avatars "they look at each other, their environment and the objects around them with another command".  I definitely feel like this change in my appearance made me look at the Second Life world in a different view.  I felt in control while looking at other avatars and I second guessed myself about where I would teleport to.  An example of this was when I found myself in the pirate pub.  I did not feel comfortable nor did I feel as though it was right to dance when I am in a Batman costume.  When I was dressed as a preppy girl, I was more than comfortable to dance around a club.

     I can also compare my experience with a different identity to Kevin Robins article on "Cyberspace and the World We Live In".  In this article he talks about how cyberspace "provides the opportunity to go back and to explore what might have been, if we had been able to sustain the infantile experience of power and infinite possibility" (81).  Even though I have never envisioned being Batman, I still enjoyed having the ability to choose what I would like my identity to be.  I think the positive point that Robins is trying to make here is that in Second Life there are no limitations.  Instead there are new beginnings, new opportunities, and new experiences.  The way you handle these new things are in your hands and you are free to make the decisions you want and make a change if you feel it is necessary.  By having full control of my identity in Second Life, I am able to think bigger and explore different options.  I am able to explore different options that may not be reasonable in the real world and honestly that is interesting in itself.

     These past few weeks have been more interesting for me in Second Life.  Before I had trouble finding exciting places, confronting other avatars, and not limiting myself.  With the identity change, I think a self of confidence came over me in Second Life.  Instead of acting like the "new kid" in Second Life, I tried to take charge and learn from other avatars and not be timid towards them.  From the readings we have had so far, I thought it was kind of awkward that many people feel the need to be someone different in Second Life.  Now that I have actually experienced it for myself, I realized that it is not a bad thing but more of a learning experience and also fun.