Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses my PhD research into the presentation of self in online worlds. I am interested in exploring the presentation of individuals who have ambiguous identities; those people whose identities can be taken in myriad ways because of particular features.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses the early stages of my PhD research into the presentation of self in online worlds. What I am particularly interested in is the presentation of self in online worlds in relation to those individuals with ambiguous identities; that is, those people whose identities can be taken in myriad ways because of particular features. At this initial stage of the research I am interested in exploring the areas of race, gender, disability, and possibly sexuality. I am interested in how biracial, multicultural, transgendered, and disabled people can choose to reveal or hide aspects of the self to find or assert agency in online worlds where they may not be able to offline.