Audience+in+parallel+space

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Learning is situational rather than universal. Most young people make use of the internet for learning situation. Some others learn from physical and emotional experiences, sport, other media and more

a concept: ** Parallel space **

Commedia delle arte mask to modern day digital avatar

No. we are not talking about James Cameron's film AVATAR, but Avatars in general. Michael Heim(2001) says, "the avatar first arises in the most primitive form as a moving cursor on the grid screen when that screen becomes networked with other screens..The cursor mouse becomes the seed of the avatar, the potential of cyberspace to mix information with intersubjectivity and with real-time communication "When we slip into networked spaces in online multiuser communities, we must become an avatar or another species, to operate in parallel space. In Gregory Little' manifesto of avatars (1998), he said, "an avata r is among several species, which share aspects of social constructions and identity politics, that inhabit the online territories. These species include the cyborg and the zombie, but avatars should be carefully differentiated from them by their form and function" (1)

Definition: An **avatar** (अवतार, from the Sanskrit word for "a form of self", commonly used in many Indian languages) 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,[|[1]] a two-dimensional [|icon] (picture) used on [|Internet forums] and other communities,[|[2]][|[3]] or a text construct found on early systems such as [|MUDs]. It is an “object” representing the embodiment of the user. The term "avatar" can also refer to the personality connected with the [|screen name], or handle, of an Internet user.[|[4]]

__Reference__ wikipedia

(1) p 52 //re-skin//. Eds. Flanagan and Booth. The MIT Press. London. 2009 Ther are now new fields of study on sociology and psychology. See the term: disinhibition

This is an excerpt from two thinkers about the psychology of creating on-line identity.

** Online identity and the concept of the mask **
[|Dorian Wiszniewski] and [|Richard Coyne] in their contribution to the book //[|Building Virtual Communities]// explore online identity, with emphasis on the concept of "masking" identity. They point out that whenever an individual interacts in a social sphere they portray a mask of their identity. This is no different online and in fact becomes even more pronounced due to the decisions an online contributor must make concerning his or her online profile. He or she must answer specific questions about [|age], [|gender], [|address], [|username] and so forth. Furthermore, as a person publishes to the web he or she adds more and more to his or her mask in the style of writing, vocabulary and topics. Though the chapter is very philosophical in nature, it spurs the thinking that online identity is a complex business and still in the process of being understood. First of all, does the mask truly hide identity? The kind of mask one chooses reveals at least something of the subject behind the mask. One might call this the "metaphor" of the mask. The online mask does not reveal the actual identity of a person. It, however, does reveal an example of what lies behind the mask, for instance, if a person choose to act like a rock star on line, this metaphor reveals an interest in rock music. Even if a person chooses to hide behind a totally false identity, this says something about the fear and lack of self-esteem behind the false mask. Second, are masks necessary for online interaction? Because of many emotional and psychological dynamics, people can be reluctant to interact online. By evoking a mask of identity a person can create a safety net. One of the great fears of online identity is having one's identity stolen or abused. This fear keeps people from sharing who they are. Some are so fearful of identity theft or abuse that they will not even reveal information already known about them in public listings. By making the mask available, people can interact with some degree of confidence without fear. Third, do masks help with education? Wiszniewski and Coyne state "Education can be seen as the change process by which identity is realized, how one finds one's place. Education implicates the transformation of identity. Education, among other things, is a process of building up a sense of identity, generalized as a process of edification." By students interacting in an online community they must reveal something about themselves and have others respond to this contribution. In this manner, the mask is constantly being formulated in dialogue with others and thereby students will gain a richer and deeper sense of who they are. There will be a process of edification that will help students come to understand their strengths and weaknesses.[|[2]]

another essay on Avatar

The History of Avatars. 2006.

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