Who am I really? Identity and Community Practices in VR Chat

Abstract

This diploma thesis explores the social dynamics and identity practices in online communities in VRChat, a social virtual reality (VR) platform that has the infrastructure for user-generated content. Users of VRChat predominantly use head mounted displays (HMDs) and are represented online as avatars. The use of these HMDs generates a high level of immersion in the virtual environment, this high level of immersion is the cause for a novel form of social interaction and identity representation through the possibility to choose the avatar. The social norms and patterns of interaction that develop in these spaces are both novel and interesting for the reasons just mentioned, which is why they serve as the subject of research in this study. The research method chosen was eight Participatory Qualitative Interviews (PQI) that were analyzed based on the qualitative research approach by Kuckartz and Rädicker. This method was deliberately chosen to conduct interviews on an equal footing, create an atmosphere of trust, and thereby ensure e!ective data collection. This study aims to demonstrate that, provided social constraints are reduced and individuals find themselves in an environment that feels safe to them, identity appears to be something less rigid and inflexible. To protect the participants, all personal data is anonymized.