In my online excursion I discovered that thousands of people worldwide use virtual worlds as a means of meeting people. This class really encouraged me to experience something I would have never done on my own free time. In the beginning, I had the stereotype that only weird, creepy people use virtual worlds and I felt a little uncomfortable.
As I explored deeper into Habbo Hotel I learned that not everyone was creepy. There were a lot of people who just wanted to chat about everyday life but I got the impression that they did not know many people in real life who they could talk with. No matter what time I entered the hotel there were always over 5,000 people logged in from all over the world. It seemed that most people know each other, which was another reason why I felt uncomfortable.
From the four topics we discussed in class, identity, gender, race and sexuality I felt that many people in Habbo Hotel were interested in sexuality. The other three topics were still present in this virtual world. As I mention in earlier blogs it seems that everyone I met was interested in my age, race, gender and location. The question that I never got answered was, how do we know if people in virtual worlds are telling the truth about there identity? As for gender I only made friends with boys but notices a lot of women in the hotel. Maybe Habbo is a social networking site where you meet people to form relationship and only boys asked me to be friends because my avatar was a woman.
While in Habbo hotel I could not find any issues with race until I entered a user created room for Latinos. People in the room wanted to me change my race in order to stay. They would not accept me socially until I changed. I found this very weird and kind of disturbing that people in a virtual world still have issues with race and identity.
I also found it interesting that people used the computer screen as a place to hide behind. In my first experience with a virtual world, someone who friend requested me told me that there are no rules in a virtual world. They stated, “we can do whatever, say whatever and ask each other whatever without being embarrassed cuz we don’t know each other, that’s the beauty of Habbo.” I still wonder if people would say what they say in virtual worlds in real life.
Call me old fashion but I believe that virtual worlds such as Habbo Hotel are creating a false idea of communication between people. How well can you really know someone when you never meet him or her face to face? It is unnatural for people to invest so much time into a world that is not real. If people would spend that time working on their life in the real world maybe they would be better off. On the other hand some people say it is a safe place to express and experience life in a different way. For many people this might be true and I do not know their story so I do not judge them. From my own encounter in a virtual world life is about experiencing physical relationships. Getting to know someone’s inside and out means you pick up on their nonverbal and know more than just what their avatar looks like online. Overall I am very thankful I had the chance to participate in a virtual world and now have a better understanding of the pros and cons they provide for different people.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
SEX in Habbo Hotel
After a few visits in Habbo Hotel I have learned that in a virtual world people are not afraid to say anything. I am learning that everything we have talked about in class applies directly to virtual worlds. Gender, race, identity and sexuality are all issues that effect how people interact while in virtual worlds. I still believe that people are using virtual worlds as a place to hide behind a different identity and try things they would not normally do.
According to Dictonary.com sexuality can be defined as, “sexual character; possession of the structural and functional traits of sex. Recognition of or emphasis upon sexual matters. Involvement in sexual activity. An organism’s preparedness for engaging in sexual activity.” Habbo Hotel provides a place were people can express their sexuality in a different way.
Sexuality in Habbo Hotel is very different from sexuality in the real world. In the real world when meeting someone you normally know if you’re physically attracted to them or not. On a virtual world people can lie about their sexuality making it hard to determine if you would be attracted to them. Plus my avatar looks like a Lego character that never blinks.
I also believe that physical body contact plays a major role in sexuality. While exploring Habbo Hotel it seems that everyone is interested in cyber sex, asking question like do you have a camera or msn (an updated instant messenger). Call me crazy but the thing I love the most about being in a relationship in the real world is the physical contact. The real issue about sexuality in virtual worlds provides users the chance to express as sexual beings without the limitations of physical appearance. Like I mentions earlier, people can use virtual worlds to hide behind a computer screen and create a new identity where biological, physical and emotional aspects do not apply.
I am completely open to the idea of virtual worlds but I always seem to ask myself, “Why don’t these people spend more time becoming successful in the real world? It might be hard to meet people in the real world but how do you trust the people you met online? Nonverbal communication like gestures, pitch, tone, eye contact, body language and facial expressions will never exist in a virtual world.” Playing devils advocate, I guess you could say virtual worlds are a “safe” place to explore your sexuality but I still wonder the effects on people in social real life interactions.
Question:
Can having a sexual relationship in a virtual world effect how people act in real world relationships?
Or
Are people in virtual worlds who form sexual relationship deprived of sexual relationships in the real world?
According to Dictonary.com sexuality can be defined as, “sexual character; possession of the structural and functional traits of sex. Recognition of or emphasis upon sexual matters. Involvement in sexual activity. An organism’s preparedness for engaging in sexual activity.” Habbo Hotel provides a place were people can express their sexuality in a different way.
Sexuality in Habbo Hotel is very different from sexuality in the real world. In the real world when meeting someone you normally know if you’re physically attracted to them or not. On a virtual world people can lie about their sexuality making it hard to determine if you would be attracted to them. Plus my avatar looks like a Lego character that never blinks.
I also believe that physical body contact plays a major role in sexuality. While exploring Habbo Hotel it seems that everyone is interested in cyber sex, asking question like do you have a camera or msn (an updated instant messenger). Call me crazy but the thing I love the most about being in a relationship in the real world is the physical contact. The real issue about sexuality in virtual worlds provides users the chance to express as sexual beings without the limitations of physical appearance. Like I mentions earlier, people can use virtual worlds to hide behind a computer screen and create a new identity where biological, physical and emotional aspects do not apply.
I am completely open to the idea of virtual worlds but I always seem to ask myself, “Why don’t these people spend more time becoming successful in the real world? It might be hard to meet people in the real world but how do you trust the people you met online? Nonverbal communication like gestures, pitch, tone, eye contact, body language and facial expressions will never exist in a virtual world.” Playing devils advocate, I guess you could say virtual worlds are a “safe” place to explore your sexuality but I still wonder the effects on people in social real life interactions.
Question:
Can having a sexual relationship in a virtual world effect how people act in real world relationships?
Or
Are people in virtual worlds who form sexual relationship deprived of sexual relationships in the real world?
Gender in Habbo
While exploring around Habbo Hotel I have started to “break out of my shell” or comfort zone. I am trying to be open minded but over all I believe that the virtual world I am apart of is creepy. As I mention in previous blogs, I am still questioning the whole idea of meeting people online. I have also joined for free; I have to still pay rent so I have nothing VIP in my hotel room.
I entered Habbo Hotel with the theme of gender on my mind. We determined in class that sex is between your legs, while gender is defined as what is in between your ears. Gender is how someone along with others view them self. It mainly deals with the ideas of femininity and masculinity that have been engraved into our minds since we were born. The idea that baby girl’s rooms are painted pink and boys blue before they even are born. Girls should play with dolls and boys should play with action figures or trucks. Girls should play dress up and boys should play sports outside. These ideas have been around for year, but I wonder if virtual worlds are creating an outlet for people to experience the opposite gender?
I have found it interesting that in Habbo land when I made new friends everyone asked me the same three questions:
1. Gender?
2. Age?
3. Location?
Now the funny thing is I replied differently each time I was asked these questions. It just refers back to the whole idea that in a virtual world you can say and look however you want, even if it was not how your parents or guardian raised you.
One feature Habbo has allows you the opportunity to change your gender by simply clicking the mouse on the boy’s head (I really want to show you all a picture but I have no idea how to post it). Talk about instant gratification. I think this virtual world is sending mix messages. The more time I spend in the hotel I realize that people I talk to could be lying about their age, gender and just about everything.
In my opinion in Habbo Hotel there really is no gender yet that seems to be the only thing people talk about. As we discussed earlier, gender deals with how we were raised to be either feminine or masculine.
Question:
In your opinion, what kind of message are the creators of Habbo sending to their users if you can change genders thought-out your experience in Habbo Hotel?
I entered Habbo Hotel with the theme of gender on my mind. We determined in class that sex is between your legs, while gender is defined as what is in between your ears. Gender is how someone along with others view them self. It mainly deals with the ideas of femininity and masculinity that have been engraved into our minds since we were born. The idea that baby girl’s rooms are painted pink and boys blue before they even are born. Girls should play with dolls and boys should play with action figures or trucks. Girls should play dress up and boys should play sports outside. These ideas have been around for year, but I wonder if virtual worlds are creating an outlet for people to experience the opposite gender?
I have found it interesting that in Habbo land when I made new friends everyone asked me the same three questions:
1. Gender?
2. Age?
3. Location?
Now the funny thing is I replied differently each time I was asked these questions. It just refers back to the whole idea that in a virtual world you can say and look however you want, even if it was not how your parents or guardian raised you.
One feature Habbo has allows you the opportunity to change your gender by simply clicking the mouse on the boy’s head (I really want to show you all a picture but I have no idea how to post it). Talk about instant gratification. I think this virtual world is sending mix messages. The more time I spend in the hotel I realize that people I talk to could be lying about their age, gender and just about everything.
In my opinion in Habbo Hotel there really is no gender yet that seems to be the only thing people talk about. As we discussed earlier, gender deals with how we were raised to be either feminine or masculine.
Question:
In your opinion, what kind of message are the creators of Habbo sending to their users if you can change genders thought-out your experience in Habbo Hotel?
Friday, July 2, 2010
Streets of L.A. Latin Kings---Race
Throughout my past visit to Habbo Hotel, I realized I might need to discover more about the hotel considering I have no idea what I am doing. After exploring I realized that Habbo is a social networking site aimed at teenagers. There are many features allowing users to customize their own web page. You can earn credits (coins) that are used to buy furniture and Pixels (free currency) you get for just being logged into the virtual world. There are many activities and features available in Habbo. I found it interesting that the website features regularly updated news and events regarding the service. You can visit chat rooms, popular group pages and user pages while logged into the virtual world.
I am finding it very interesting that Habbo Hotel allows you to change your avatars clothing, hairstyle and accessories whenever you want. While exploring I found the feature where you can change your race. In Habbo you can be more than black or white. You can be any shade of tan, a light green, albino and even purple. The fact that you can change your skin color made me start to question the ideas of race, and in Habbo does race involve more than just skin color? This time I entered Habbo Hotel with the idea of race on my mind.
A little background information, groups are special clubs that users can join. User can join groups for free or create their own group for a credit fee. According to wekipedia.com, “In groups, owners can change the badge (a small image to symbolise the group), customize the page, give/take away admin rights (the ability to change the badge, change the page, kick members out, give/take away other members rights, etc.”
This really got me exploring Habbo clubs, from the creepy singles bedrooms to a room called “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings”. Here I met “goddammitboddy” and he said follow me, so like a creep I did just that. We went to a room with nothing it and he said change your identity, race, clothing and name to look like mine. So I change my whole look. I went from white girl in paints, shoes, starfish in my hair and pink t-shirt to dark skin, hat, no star in my hair, my swimsuit on, sandals and a skirt. We then went back to “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings” were we sat in the VIP room chatting with other people who I now looked like. I was apart of their chat now, people where asking me questions and making me feel involved.
About 2 minutes into the chat and another white girl comes into “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings”. Right away “goddammitboddy” says change your look to match mine. Unlike me she stands her ground, but others in the room start typing WHITE GIRL and a lot of bobbas (Habbo curse words) showed up on the screen. After this she changed to a dark skinned avatar and people started talking to her.
My question for the class:
What image about race is Habbo teaching teenages? Is it normal to change your identity to fit in, whatever happen to being yourself? Why online are people so willing to change their race to fit in? Does this spill over to peoples real life? There were 5, 822 members online why not go talk to someone else?
I am finding it very interesting that Habbo Hotel allows you to change your avatars clothing, hairstyle and accessories whenever you want. While exploring I found the feature where you can change your race. In Habbo you can be more than black or white. You can be any shade of tan, a light green, albino and even purple. The fact that you can change your skin color made me start to question the ideas of race, and in Habbo does race involve more than just skin color? This time I entered Habbo Hotel with the idea of race on my mind.
A little background information, groups are special clubs that users can join. User can join groups for free or create their own group for a credit fee. According to wekipedia.com, “In groups, owners can change the badge (a small image to symbolise the group), customize the page, give/take away admin rights (the ability to change the badge, change the page, kick members out, give/take away other members rights, etc.”
This really got me exploring Habbo clubs, from the creepy singles bedrooms to a room called “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings”. Here I met “goddammitboddy” and he said follow me, so like a creep I did just that. We went to a room with nothing it and he said change your identity, race, clothing and name to look like mine. So I change my whole look. I went from white girl in paints, shoes, starfish in my hair and pink t-shirt to dark skin, hat, no star in my hair, my swimsuit on, sandals and a skirt. We then went back to “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings” were we sat in the VIP room chatting with other people who I now looked like. I was apart of their chat now, people where asking me questions and making me feel involved.
About 2 minutes into the chat and another white girl comes into “Streets of L.A. Latin Kings”. Right away “goddammitboddy” says change your look to match mine. Unlike me she stands her ground, but others in the room start typing WHITE GIRL and a lot of bobbas (Habbo curse words) showed up on the screen. After this she changed to a dark skinned avatar and people started talking to her.
My question for the class:
What image about race is Habbo teaching teenages? Is it normal to change your identity to fit in, whatever happen to being yourself? Why online are people so willing to change their race to fit in? Does this spill over to peoples real life? There were 5, 822 members online why not go talk to someone else?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Identity
When I first entered Habbo Hotel I realized how out of my element I was. This is my first time being apart of a virtual world and I have no idea what I am doing. Lucky for me Habbo was really easy to setup. Unlike Barbie.com or World of War craft, all you do is go to different rooms in the hotel and chat with people.
First I was asked to create my Habbo identity. You could pick your race, character design and Habbo name. I am a female and tried to make my avatar resemble myself in real life. I quickly found that I could easily change my identity through simply wearing clothing I would normally not wear. I also found it interesting that you could choose to put a brown paper bag over your avatars head, talk about identity. I also had the option to put facial hair on my girl avatar, which kind of confused me. My first encounters in a virtual world and I already feel like I was losing my identity.
During my second visit I went to a nightclub in the hotel and observed the conversations. I felt left out because I was not apart of the conversations and was even told to go away after trying to dance next to someone. This did not stop me from exploring Habbo Hotel.
During my third visit, I was starting to question my identity in Habbo. I had been to the beach, a nightclub; played soccer and a singles only room and still no one would chat with me. I considered changing my identity by cutting my hair, changing my name to something provocative and even walking around in a swimsuit to get people to chat with me. Luckily before I did any of this “billmanlly” asked to be my friend. I am pumped!!! I go on to accepted and we start to chat. “illmanlly” ask some interesting questions, when I reply “no I don’t know you”, he says “we can do whatever, say whatever and ask each other whatever without being embarrassed cuz we don’t know each other, that’s the beauty of Habbo.” This chat triggered me to question billmanlly’s identity, would he have said these things to me face to face?
For me Habbo Hotel and similar virtual worlds are places for people to from an alter ego with high self-confidence. People can become whomever they want in a virtual world regardless of their true identity.
In your opinion, how is this notion that you can do or say whatever you on a virtual world-affecting people’s true identity? If “billmanlly” saw me in person would he ask me the same provocative questions or are people hiding behind a computer screen and not being honest about their identity?
First I was asked to create my Habbo identity. You could pick your race, character design and Habbo name. I am a female and tried to make my avatar resemble myself in real life. I quickly found that I could easily change my identity through simply wearing clothing I would normally not wear. I also found it interesting that you could choose to put a brown paper bag over your avatars head, talk about identity. I also had the option to put facial hair on my girl avatar, which kind of confused me. My first encounters in a virtual world and I already feel like I was losing my identity.
During my second visit I went to a nightclub in the hotel and observed the conversations. I felt left out because I was not apart of the conversations and was even told to go away after trying to dance next to someone. This did not stop me from exploring Habbo Hotel.
During my third visit, I was starting to question my identity in Habbo. I had been to the beach, a nightclub; played soccer and a singles only room and still no one would chat with me. I considered changing my identity by cutting my hair, changing my name to something provocative and even walking around in a swimsuit to get people to chat with me. Luckily before I did any of this “billmanlly” asked to be my friend. I am pumped!!! I go on to accepted and we start to chat. “illmanlly” ask some interesting questions, when I reply “no I don’t know you”, he says “we can do whatever, say whatever and ask each other whatever without being embarrassed cuz we don’t know each other, that’s the beauty of Habbo.” This chat triggered me to question billmanlly’s identity, would he have said these things to me face to face?
For me Habbo Hotel and similar virtual worlds are places for people to from an alter ego with high self-confidence. People can become whomever they want in a virtual world regardless of their true identity.
In your opinion, how is this notion that you can do or say whatever you on a virtual world-affecting people’s true identity? If “billmanlly” saw me in person would he ask me the same provocative questions or are people hiding behind a computer screen and not being honest about their identity?
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