As the music and clothes became groovy and trendy, so did the way people interacted with each other. During the 1970s a game dubbed Dungeons and Dragons became widely popular. This fantasy game was composed of virtual, fictional characters made by their user in order to go on quests and adventures. As time progressed, so did technology and Dungeons and Dragons was only the beginning. More virtual spaces were created, thus permitting users like you and me to join and participate in however we would like. For those who lacked in experiences with Dungeons and Dragons, these virtual spaces were known to them as Multi-User Domains or Dimensions (MUDs). Users were granted the liberty to make virtual selves as much like them or unlike them as they wanted. One can put a virtual self on an adventure MUD (games) or on a social MUD (chat rooms, instant messenger, etc). Turkle, who puts it the best, describes it as, "The internet has become a significant social laboratory for experimenting with the constructions and reconstructions of self that characterize postmodern life. In its virtual reality, we self-fashion and self-create" (Life on the Screen, 180).
As a class, we were assigned the task of creating a fake identity and using it on our newly created AIM account. The person's name of whom I drew was Dale Billy Bob Burris. Due to social interactions with television, books, magazines, and the internet, I felt that my AIM chat buddy would be, for lack of a better word, a hick. Stereotypical, I know. But, as we started chatting my prophecy became reality. Mr. Burris was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He has been working on cars since his father died in 2006. He loves Jesus, and hates liberals. So, right from the get-go I was able to get a grasp on who my chat buddy was due to his username. This defends what was said by Judith S. Donath of MIT in her paper titled Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Judith said, "The most straightforward from of identification is the writer's account name" (3). However, as this assignment consisted of us making virtual selves, I am still eager to find out who it really is. Lawrence University is no place for an aspiring car mechanic. Another accomplishment by this unorthodox assignment is that it strengthens what was always said by parents or guardians - don't believe everything you see on the internet. Congratulations, Professor Bakioglu, on making my parents look even smarter.
