Open AccessPenguin Life: A Case Study of One Tween’s Experiences inside Club Penguin
Author(s) -
Diana Burley
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
journal of virtual worlds research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1941-8477
DOI - 10.4101/jvwr.v3i2.1894
Subject(s) - affordance , club , identity (music) , persona , metaverse , psychology , social psychology , personality , social worlds , sociology , internet privacy , virtual reality , computer science , aesthetics , human–computer interaction , cognitive psychology , medicine , art , social science , anatomy
Although we are increasingly aware of what young people do online and perhaps even why they do it, we are less clear about how particular affordances of an online environment enables identity formation. Accordingly, this case study sought to explore how one tween’s experience in Club Penguin influenced the development of her social identity and community relationships. Reflecting on her experiences, we draw 3 tentative conclusions. First, because Club Penguin enables tweens to change typically static elements of their persona, the scope of generally accepted identifiers is broadened while the perceived boundaries between them is reduced. Second, the integration of virtual and physical spaces further complicates the social interactions that inform tween identity. Third, whereas many adult participants in virtual worlds use their participation as an opportunity to deconstruct the various aspects of their personality (Suler, 2002), tweens may use the virtual environment as an integration space.