Full+Proposal

=Research Objective=


 * Thesis:** Everyone is born into a world in which cultural norms are imposed upon them. Online, however, people and communities construct their own norms. Because of this, individuals can be more bold and have fewer inhibitions; //therefore an individual's physical appearance in a Role Playing Game (RPGs), like Second Life, can drastically vary from his or her real life appearance disregarding real life social norms.//


 * Overview:** We want to explore how various environments (whether it is online or physically real) can alter and affect our choice in appearance and how we choose to represent ourselves. Social and cultural customs often determines how one must "look" in their environment and can limit how one wants to visually represent themselves. If social normality were customizable would people be more inclined to dress how they wish to dress or look how they really want to look? Our objective is to look into the world of Second Life in comparison to the real world and examine how our appearance varies due to lack of inhibitions and more social tolerance in Second Life.

= = =**Research Methodology**=


 * Execution:** Anthropological social experiment; exploring the virtual world (Second Life) and reality through various representations and appearances while also evaluating social customs.
 * To execute our research we will create two different Second Life accounts. One avatar will be an “accurate” visual depiction of our real selves (as close to the real us as possible) and the second avatar will be an aspect of us that is rarely scene to others or is a wishful desire of our ideal representation.
 * We will then take our virtual persona from Second Life and implement them in real world situations (i.e. public transit, shopping, speed dating) and assess the outcomes (will social norms affect how we are perceived and how we act?).
 * Basically we will take our real life persona and bring them in the world of Second Life and vice versa to gauge people’s reactions while examining our own actions.
 * We will be utilizing theories from Baudrillard, Foucault and Benjamin in accordance to first hand accounts (i.e. recording people's reactions, compare and contrast of images, photo survey).


 * Things to Consider:**
 * 1) Do we act differently when we take on a different appearances (i.e. if one of us is imitating the outfit worn in Second Life such as fairy wings on the bus, would we act differently from our normal selves who would usually wear jeans and a t-shirt)?
 * 2) Do //others// react differently to our different appearances?
 * 3) Do simulacra and simulation affect how we act or how we are perceived?
 * 4) Do we feel more empowered or bolder
 * 5) Are our online selves a faucet of a person or do they represent are whole selves?
 * 6) Is the construction of social norms different online versus the real world?
 * 7) What affect does the environment have on social norms?
 * 8) Who regulates these social norms?
 * 9) Is Foucault's theory on pantopticism applicable to virtual reality and self-regulation?
 * 10) Overall, is the experience positive or negative (dressing as our avatar in real life)?

=**Research Tools**=
 * Presentation****:** We plan to create a short video to present our findings and to also dress like our Second Life avatar.

Media Used

 * **Final Cut Pro:** To edit our final project/video.
 * **Digital Camera:** To document our social experiment through pictures.
 * **Camcorder:** To record our social experiment and to capture people's reactions to our appearance.
 * **L****ap Top:** To explore Second Life and to create our avatars.

**Theorists/Theory**

 * Environment** - The environment we are set in can affect how one acts, carries or represent themselves. Social norms vary for every environment, in this case we are exploring specific real environments (i.e. bus, mall, campus) versus online environments on Second Life (i.e, online stores, online parks).

**Walter Benjamin**:
 * Aura** - Our thesis looks how norms differ online than in reality. We hope to examine this phenomenon in relation to the aura. In an online community the user are creating experiences that happen to your character, while the user is securely planted behind their computer screen. This means that there is a depletion of the aura of actually living because they are replacing online experiences for real life ones. We believe that this depletion of the aura factors into the the reason why norms are different online. We also intend to examine how authenticity factors into the enforcement of norms in the real world.

**Jean Baudrillard**:
 * Simulacra and Simulation** - Simulacra is a representation of the real, copying the likeness of an object. Although, Baudrillard would argue that simulacra is not necessarily a copy of the real, but the extraction of truth through simulation and replication. Second Life is a simulacra of the "First World" (reality) simulating many of the qualities of reality but making it virtual. There are malls, people, cars, houses, trees, etc., but it is a world that is not physical or tangible --nor is it a direct copy. People can alter how they look and act online, there are different social norms online that do not work in the real world. People can also show a different side of themselves online that thay cannot in reality, revealing their true selves or real persona. This is how truth can be shared through simulacra. If inhibitions are stripped online and social dynamics are different, then a person's true colours can be revealed and an honest form of expression can be conducted. Simulacra can ultimately affect how we control our visual representaion.
 * Hyperreality** - Artificial simulation that replaces real emotions with a heightened or altered feeling. Second Life effectively plays with our real life emotions through simulacra and simulation. When we engage in a hyperrreality there is a heightened sense of emotion that directly corrolates between our online selves and our real selves. For some, real people may actually feel a sense of fulfilment and happiness through their simulated life online rather then their own physical life. Hyperreality can by the reason why so many people are consantly reconstructing their appearance online, for it offers a sense of control, fullfillment or ositive emotional state.
 * Michel Foucault**:
 * Panopticism** - Panopticism is a way that institutions impose a code of behaviour upon individuals. This is relevant to our topic in the idea of self regulation, or that people internalize the idea that they are always being watched or monitored and change their behaviours to conform to these ideologies. This creates norms of behaviours which we are examining and what happens when people don't conform to these norms.
 * This is not a pipe** - The painting done by René Magritte and later discussed by Michel Foucault who addressed the issue of representation vs. reality. Yes, this picture is not a pipe, but a representation of a pipe. We plan on examining how representations can come to hold meaning of their own. In a virtual world the avatar stands in for a real person, but at the same time, it is not the person but a representation of them. We plan on examining the break between representations and the real world.

=Roles & Responsibilities=


 * || [[image:n28124907_46554347_8082.jpg width="312" height="247"]] || **Name:** Kimberly Hacuman


 * Role:**
 * I will create two accounts on Second Life, one will be a close depiction of myself while the other will be a fantasy representation that is slimmer, bolder and more eccentric
 * Document my interactions with others online using both avatars
 * Document my interactions with people in the real world --dressed like my avatar
 * Compile images and edit final video on Final Cut


 * Skills:**
 * CSS and HTML
 * Adobe Photoshop
 * Final Cut Pro
 * Navigating Second Life
 * Strong presentation skills ||


 * [[image:IMG_2380.JPG width="384" height="259"]] || Name: Orvis, Helen

Role:
 * create two accounts on second life and really get to know the game
 * document (via screenshots and videos) my interactions in both avatars of this environment
 * dress as my avatar on Second Life in the real world
 * Document Kim's interactions with the real world in her Second Life persona
 * Upload and organize all footage

Skills:
 * HTML and improving CSS
 * Dreamweaver
 * Adobe Illustrator, Flash and Photoshop
 * Premiere Pro
 * Great public speaker
 * Very outgoing personality, which means I'm able to take risks and make a fool of themselves ||

=Final Presentation=

The final presentation will be a short video documenting our our journey through Second Life using two visually different avatars. It will incorporate screen captions of our journey on Second Life, a video recording of our real selves trying to bring to life our avatars to life in the real world and various pictures documenting our experiment. We would like to capture the reactions of the people immediately around us.

Our main goal is to define social norms in the real world and the online world through compare and contrast. We are comparing people's responses towards our appearance and assess how are own appearance affect our own actions. Our video will visually showcase the difference between social norms in Second Life and the real life through our visual appearance. On the day of the presentation we will both look like our avatars and take on our online persona.

=Works Cited=

Baudrillard, Jean. "Simulacra and Simulations." __Stanford University__. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." __Visual Culture: A Reader__. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2007. 72-79. Rpt. of __Illuminations__. New York: Schocken Books, 1936. 217-42.

"Callie Cline." __12 Avatars__. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Foucault, Michel. "Panopticism." __Visual Culture: A Reader__. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2007. 61-71. Rpt. of __Discipline and Punish__. London: Penguin, 1977. 195-228.

Linden Research Inc. "Second Life: What is Second Life?" __Virtual worlds, avatars, 3D chat, online meetings - Second Life Official Site__. Linden Research Inc. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Magritte, Rene. __Ceci n'est pas une pipe.__ 1928-29. La Trahison des Images, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. __This is Not a Pipe__. 2008. Art in The Picture. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Murphy, Catherine. "My Virtual Life." __Irish Independent News in Ireland & Worldwide | Irish Newspaper | News Stories Online - Independent.ie__. 28 May 2007. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Newitz, Annalee. "Your Second Life is Ready." __Popular Science__. 01 Oct. 2006. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

"The Second Life Reports." Advertisement. __Second Life Marketing Tips__. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

"S.W.A.N. Home." __S.W.A.N.: Skagit Women's Alliance & Network__. 17 Mar. 2009 <[]>.