In order to explore the identity representation of disability as well as gender identity in a virtual world environment, a survey was conducted ofuser groups in Second Life, the virtual world chosen for this study. Given the size (in terms of number of participants), malleability, and the presence of formal agencies and groups associated with specific groups/causes currently using the platform, it was the most representative research environment. Specifically, the survey was designed to answer the following research questions:
RQ1. Do people with disabilities identify as disabled in Second Life?
RQ2. Given the lack of visual cues, are there groups created in Second Life that are specific to people with disabilities? Are any of these groups additionally identified by gender?
RQ3 . Based on search term identifiers, do people appear to associate with others who identify with specific characteristics (i. e. disabilities) or genders when the cues that reinforce schemas are not apparent or observable?
The Second Life platform is particularly useful as it offers the freedom of representational choices that range from near correspondence to the real world to complete abstraction. This range of use cases provides a variety of unique perspectives spanning multiple types of disability: vision, motor skill, mobility and cognition. In essence, Second Life chose to mirror the real world in many important aspects in order to provide a place that feels familiar and comfortable, while granting freedoms not possible in the real world (Ondrejka, 2004). Interestingly, while Second Life was designed to mirror real life, users can choose a completely different experience. Creation of an avatar as representation of one’s self can take on dimensions not possible in the real world. For instance, people with visible disabilities may choose to create an avatar with no disabilities. The question then becomes, if the visual cues that reinforce schemas are removed, how do people identify themselves with respect to gender or disability? Do people choose to associate with others who are similarly abled or gendered when the cues that reinforce schemas are not visible? Given the lack of visual cues, are there groups created in Second Life that are intended to attract people that identify as disabled? Are the groups specifically gendered?
The data for this analysis was collected through using the survey approach noted above between March 30th and April 15th 2009, using an avatar account maintained by one of the study’s authors.
Methodologically, concerns have been raised in the literature about the validity and complexity of conducting behavioral research solely within virtual spaces. Yet, many virtual worlds like Second Life present evolving cultures with their own social institutions that are becoming more significant to society at large (Noveck, 2004). A growing number of researchers have demonstrated the feasibility and importance of developing research methodologies that keep up with the realities of technological change (Boellstorff, 2008). Therefore, ethnographic and other empirical research and analysis are critical to understanding how group identities are different in immersive virtual settings than they are in the traditional “real” world. This study surveyed groups that identified themselves as having a disability and focusing on gender identity, in addition to referencing minority and sexual orientation identity groups for comparison. One of the issues present in this study relates, iteratively, to the focus of the study — self-disclosure. For instance, in the subject platform one of the rationales for the “game” of second life is the ability or rather, the characteristics of malleability of representation of character. We are interested here in capturing evidence ofthe phenomena of representing oneself in a manner, which, in the real world, disability, is characterized as a functional limitation. The fact that individuals choose to represent themselves in a realist representation rather than in a fantasy manner can be somewhat counter intuitive relative to the typical practice. Having established that, indeed people choose to express themselves as they *are* rather than as what would be considered “typical” is a first and necessary step in understanding the phenomena. We would expect that subsequent research would involve in-world ethnographic interviews individuals to develop robust understanding from subjective perspective.
There are an estimated 185,000 groups in the Second Life platform, which has a population/ user base of approximately 16.5 million registered users (Linden Labs, 2009). It should be noted that this figure potentially inflates the number of unique users that log into the platform every 60 days (1,353,522 users within 60 days ofthe April 17th log-in) (Linden Labs, 2009). For context, the Encyclopedia of Associations has information on over 135,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide (Encyclopedia of Associations, 2009), although obviously an identity group and a recognized organization are not by any means equivalent.
The groups selected for this study were identified using the search feature designed into the Second Life architecture. The tool allows a user to search on specifically designated entities or keywords. The keyword/search engine approach has been used successfully in a number of different applications, especially in exploratory designs. (Beard, et. al., 2009; Fang & Lee, 2009; Norris, 2009). Through the search function one can conduct searches for services, groups, individuals, places, events, etc. Group database records in Second Life contain standard information: a group charter (can vary in length); identification of group owners and visible members; a log of all notices distributed by the group in the last 14 day time frame, and any land associated with the group. This latter condition reflects the fact that in order to purchase land from Linden Labs, a group must be formed to which the land is then deeded. Once the search results were returned, the mission statement of each group was read to verify that the group’s main focus pertained to the keywords that were searched. For a group to be included (indicating that there was a degree of relationship to one of the target variables, “disability” or “gender” or “sexuality”) several criteria had to be met:
1. Within the name and/or charter ofthe group, does the group use the terms “disabilities,” “disabled,” or suggest the presence of “handicap or impairment”?
2. Did the group have more than one member; and is the group English based (non-English terms were not used in the search).
3. Is gender specifically noted by group members?