Abstract
Online rituals occurring in 3D virtual environments have become increasingly commonplace. In Linden Lab’s Second Life, for example, users can utilize their avatars to represent themselves at sermons, weddings or guided meditation sessions. Despite the loss of physical immediacy in these events, there are aspects of online interaction in virtual spaces that provide affordances that bolster their legitimacy as authentic and meaningful. Through ethnographic participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the author looks at ritual practices in three Second Life communities, groups that integrate Buddhism, Hinduism and new age spirituality with role-play and fan fiction. By observing how these rituals strengthen group cohesion while providing an opening for participants initially averse or ambivalent to spirituality, the author explores the overlap of suspension of disbelief in online role-play and the willingness to believe necessary for religious practice.
Presenters
Jean-Paul Lafayette DuQuetteSenior Instructor, English Language Centre, University of Macau, Macao
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
ONLINE RELIGION, SECOND LIFE, ROLE-PLAY, BUDDHISM, MEDITATION, NEW-AGE, FAN FICTION
