Anthropology of Disembodiment
Definition
“Disembodiment occurs when a person’s identity is separated from their physical presence[1]” and “there are others who believe engaging in CMC does not cause disembodiment of identity[2][3] but instead acts as a catalyst for ‘re-embodiment’ and self-transformation"[4][5]
"One of the most pervasive themes in the fiction and theory of cyberculture of the past few decades has been that the human body is vanishing, irrelevant or, interfaced with the machine, an empty shell robbed of what is variously called spirit, consciousness or identity".[6] But the body doesn't really disembody. It simply floats into another space. The essence of it merges in with the other understandings of the body. One's consciousness extends to the edges of one's online identity. The second self becomes as much as the primary self, and one acts through it.
Therapeutic Disembodiment
Aaron Millerand believes that "online interactions do facilitate a therapeutic process that stems into the offline world. Drawing on examples from my paper, specifically Peter, his online interactions helped him to develop the confidence to actually go out into the “real” world and meet people[7].
Before his involvement in the MUD, Peter online had one friend, being his college roommate and spent the majority of his time studying[8]," and he brings up "another case that clearly illustrates this is Lynn. Lynn, who suffered paralysis after an accident, joined an online RPG and created an avatar to represent the person she once was, a very active person in the community[9]. Lynn used her avatar as an extension of herself to help people the way she used to prior to her accident, which she stated helped bring her out of her depression to start living her life[10]. In these cases, I think online interactions have definitely had an impact on their offline issues.[11]
References
- ↑ (Slater, 2002)
- ↑ Turkle, S. (1994). Constructions and reconstructions of self in virtual reality: playing in the MUDs. Mind, Culture and Society, 1(3), 158-167.
- ↑ Turkle, S. (1997). Multiple subjectivity and virtual community at the end of the Freudian century. Sociological Inquiry, 67(1), 72-84.
- ↑ (Pearce, 2009)
- ↑ http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/disembodiment-and-re-embodiment-of-identity-in-multi-player-dungeons-and-online-role-playing-games/ Disembodiment and Re-embodiment of Identity in Multi-Player Dungeons and Online Role Playing Games 25/04/2010 by Aaron Millerand. Online Conference on Networks and CommunitiesDepartment of Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology.
- ↑ Homogenous Eclecticism and Disembodiment in Neutral Semantic Space By Terryl Atkins.
- ↑ Turkle, S. (1994). Constructions and reconstructions of self in virtual reality: playing in the MUDs. Mind, Culture and Society, 1(3), 158-167.
- ↑ Turkle, S. (1994). Constructions and reconstructions of self in virtual reality: playing in the MUDs. Mind, Culture and Society, 1(3), 158-167.
- ↑ (Pearce, 2009)
- ↑ (Pearce, 2009)
- ↑ AaronMillerand in comment to Jordannaepp. http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/disembodiment-and-re-embodiment-of-identity-in-multi-player-dungeons-and-online-role-playing-games/ Disembodiment and Re-embodiment of Identity in Multi-Player Dungeons and Online Role Playing Games 25/04/2010 by Aaron Millerand. Online Conference on Networks and Communities - Department of Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology.
