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Meaning and Identity in “Cyberspace”: The Performance of Gender, Class, and Race Online
Author(s) -
Kendall Lori
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1525/si.1998.21.2.129
Subject(s) - cyberspace , identity (music) , ambiguity , race (biology) , social psychology , online identity , sociology , online and offline , ethnic group , meaning (existential) , face (sociological concept) , psychology , gender studies , the internet , computer science , aesthetics , world wide web , social science , philosophy , operating system , anthropology , psychotherapist , programming language
This article explores issues of gendered, classed and raced identities using examples drawn from my research on a type of online forum known as a mud. I critique previous accounts of research regarding identity online which have suggested that online interactions encourage greater identity fluidity and multiplicity. Drawing on examples from face‐to‐face interviews and online interaction, I discuss several aspects of identity. I first examine participants' efforts to meet face‐to‐face and discuss their privileging of offline information regarding identity. Using two examples of “gender‐switchers,” I then show how some participants distance themselves from experiences of gendered identities which might otherwise disrupt previously held beliefs about gender. Next I discuss classed and raced identities, which participants express in conversations about income and ethnicity. These discussions point to the interconnections between online and offline interpretations of class and race. Thus, in discussing these examples, I emphasize the need to examine not just online performances, but also the participants' interpretations of such performances. Despite the potentially disruptive effects of online ambiguity, many participants continue to believe in essence and continuity of identity.