Semiotics and Second Life

I am adding an additional entry to help collect some of my thoughts based on recent readings. In particular, I have been completing a close reading of Jonathan Bignell's Media Semiotics. While I have had a class on visual communication which included semiotics, this book is much more accessible and it focuses specifically on the media. This is different from Chandler's Semiotics, which is a good book, but a lot more dense.

Currently, I am reading a chapter about Barthe's book Mythology and have been making some connections with our experiences in Second Life (SL). To me, Barthe's biggest contribution was his unmasking of how myth makes a sign seem natural. In SL, I recently changed my appearance. At first, my avatar was based on a male body and designed to look ambiguous. For a while the avatar was even green. During this time, I was never approached by anyone other than classmates. However, my new appearance is that of a female, probably considered "pretty" by current Western cultural standards. She is tall, with a slim figure and fairly large breasts. Almost immediately I had other avatars asking me to chat and/or be friends.

The signs encoded by the female form I chose for my avatar indicated to others (specifically male avatars) that I was sexy, approachable, and possibly interesting. Other sexual connotations may have been implied, but I never let the interactions go far enough to find out. What struck me was how my form gave off these signs as if they were natural. Her looks and shape were signifiers to other users based on what has been learned in our culture. The person behind the avatar was never questioned and neither were the intentions behind creation of my avatar. I am very interested to see what happens if the avatar is made to appear "unattractive."

More Second Life

Last night we spent the entire class exploring in SL. I found myself doing a little adventuring and ran across another sex-related establishment. There were all kinds of clothing available related to bondage or at the very least, it was very revealing. Another item was a collar, that when put on, allowed another to control that avatar, making them submissive, etc. The prevalence of the sex industry in this world is unbelievable. Amy ran across a conversation that mentioned roughly touching a penis. Cybersex evidently is still going strong on the Internet.

However, what I found myself continually returning to was the appearance function. I am fascinated by the choices (and lack of choices) that are available. I have changed my appearance to female and had previously looked a little androgynous. I also played with race a bit. After talking with Dr. G., I think I will use this as the focus for my papers in this class as well as the proposal.

One thing I did figure out is that I am not a Judith Butler fan, at least not based on the chapter I had to read and summarize for class. Thankfully, she is not required for my dissertation.

Journal Entry #4 - Butler, Embodiment, and Second Life

Tonight was both frustrating and fun. The first part of class, while discussing Butler, was the frustrating part. I just have a hard time grasping what she is trying to say. I am glad Dr. G let me wait until Thursday to discuss my chapter since I need to revisit it. I am not sure how much the class discussion will help because I had a hard tome following much of what was said. I'll see what happens - tomorrow is a new day. I did see Butler's writing reflected in Sloop's from last week. The idea that gender needs to move away from the binary was evident in both. These ideas were played out in SL. Amy's avatar, Eggbert, was a mixture of female and male signifiers. There was a hint of breasts and a full beard. I think I'll play with my avatar a little to see what I can do. In the meantime, it would be interesting to see how others react to Eggbert and what/who they think the person is in RL.

The discussion on embodiment in SL was interesting, but difficult to follow because I have not read much on embodiment. However, holding the discussion in SL made it interesting. I wish I knew more about Gore (?) since there were so many references. I did not enjoy the experience as much because of the rapid progression of text. It was hard to read it all let alone contribute. I did manage a few lines though. In addition, the existence of my avatar in SL didn't really make a difference to me. You are so focused on reading that the graphics seem irrelevant. Not vey immersive. I thought of the time we used the Blackboard system for chat last semester. This was less frustrating because you could see more text in the SL system. Perhaps having fewer participants would make it easier. I am eager to see the transcript so that I can review the discussion for more info. Till next time - toodles.

Journal Entry #3 - A Few Connections

I am not sure if an entry is needed for last Tuesday's class, but I am going to start one anyway, and then after tonight's class, I may add more to these thoughts.

I have been going over the readings/summaries from our first two books as well as thinking about the assignments we have had so far. One of the themes in Potter's book dealt with how morals affect science and another dealt with how knowledge is produced in communities, not in isolation. In looking back at Tuesday's trip to Perrysburg Heights (PH)/Levis Commons (LC), I can certainly see how both of these themes tied to the assignment.

For one, we have been encouraged to work in groups to summarize the books, complete assignments, and interact in Second Life. All of these interactions allow us to process and produce knowledge ala Potter's themes. This process will continue for the next four weeks as we complete this class, and for those of us who continue on in research, perhaps for a lifetime.

The values/morals theme was apparent in our trip to PH and LC. What an interesting contrast there was between the two with PH evidently a low income area and LC as an example of capitalism at its finest (and still in development). One has to wonder if the surrounding development will eventually squeeze PH out of existence, and what was the moral reasoning behind choosing this location as the spot for LC?

I have some interesting pictures that I have made into a slideshow. I have brought this into our discussion boards and am interested to see others' reactions to my little movie as well as their own trips. More on the readings and Second Life in the next post.

Journal Entry #2 - A Second Life

Apparently I missed a good class on Thursday, and it feels like I am already behind a bit. Going over the discussion boards is helping as well as the summaries from Potter that were available. I would still like to see chapter 2 however. In particular, I like Heather’s thread on transpeople and SL, and I am eager to see the other postings.

SL has been a little disconcerting. I had used it very briefly last spring, but only one time. Somehow I transported myself to a different location, and I still have no idea how to get back or how to go to other locations in the game. I need some more time and to speak with some of my classmates. This weekend I did spend some time “flying” around my current realm. I certainly discovered some interesting things. For instance, I found what is apparently a gentlemen’s club (see image) called Vixen’s. There were women running around scantily clad. Interesting how sexuality has spilled into this online environment. I wonder though, after reading our chapters, if any LBGT activity goes on. It might be interesting to try an experiment. :)

I still find the interface rather awkward, and as I remember, changing my appearance was no easy task. I would like to play a bit and even try being a female. As of yet, I have not interacted with any of the other players. Just not feeling gabby the first couple of times out. Tonight I’m heading to Perrysburg with a few other students. Will get into SL a little more later on.

Journal Entry #1 - The Token Male

Tonight’s class was interesting on many levels. I was the “token” male in the class which was a new experience for me. Since much of the discussion centered on marginalization, my situation gave me a different perspective. I am not trying to say that anyone was intentionally trying to make me uncomfortable. If anything, it was my change in status that made the difference – I made myself uncomfortable. I think that the experience was mitigated by the fact that I knew 2/3 of the people already. If I had not known so many of the students, I would have felt even stranger. In addition, I was also a little out of my comfort zone with the topic. However, I am sure that will change as I get into the readings.

In regard to the discussion, I was reminded of some discussions we had in Cyberculture and Philosophical Foundations. Specifically, I thought of Keller’s Reflections on Gender and Science. She also dealt with the beginnings of science and the positivists. The article we were given in class partially dealt with positivism and how feminists have reacted to it. There seems to be a mixed reaction, but I believe that is good since it leads to multiple ways of knowing (something else discussed in class).

On a side note, every time someone used the word oppressed/repressed, I had to keep myself from laughing. I recently watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so I kept hearing, “Help! Help! I’m being repressed! Come and see the violence inherent in the system.” So much for autonomist collectives!

I am glad to see more structure to this class. Having the readings planned out is a big help. Thanks Dr. G!

Back in the game!

I am back to occassional blogging for a femininst research class I have with Dr. Radhi G. Can't promise I will maintain the blog past the first week of August, but this is a convenient outlet for class.