Abstract
M.A.
The anonymity associated with Computer Mediated Communication has formed the basis of an assumption that fantasy is a prominent feature of interactions taking place via the internet. Some of the literature argues that through fantasy identities all participants are able to become whoever they want to be, creating new virtual communities where equality between members is fundamental in their interactions. The findings of this dissertation suggest, however, that anonymity is limited by the reasons for chat room participation. Further, all the members are not equal, with a clear hierarchy evident as one logs onto the site. This study also argues that the concept of ‘virtual communities’ is not an accurate description of what occurs in chat rooms. The examination of chat rooms as ‘new meeting places’ for real identities is expected to generate more accurate theoretical postulations, in which the significance of the linkages between on- and offline realities is acknowledged.
The extended case method was used to examine a chat room, known as Conversations, to investigate the linkages between online participation patterns and offline realities. Issues concerning identity and identity formation informed the principal motives in the selection of a research design that allowed the researcher extensive exposure to the members of this chat room. Since the emphasis was on the discovery of the meaning the chatters themselves attached to their participation, it was important to use a comprehensive research design. To this effect, three complementary data gathering techniques were employed; namely: virtual participant observation, face-to-face participant observation and in-depth interviews. Through this innovative research design the linkages between social opportunities, individual motivation and chat room participation were illuminated.
Meera Ichharam Chris Bolsmann