Paper short abstract:

How do people represent themselves on the Internet in programs like Twitter and Second Life: how do they shape their identities and the worlds they are living in, what are their ideals and dislikes?

Paper long abstract:

As a folk narrative researcher I'm always on the look-out for new stories, not only in real life, but in virtual environments as well. There are a lot of MMORPGs that let you choose from a limited number of identities and that offer you a basic plotline you'll more or less have to follow in order to progress to a next level. What if there's no ready-made identity nor any kind of preconceived narrative there? Then you will have to make up one of your own. On one end of the spectrum there's Twitter, where people can share their real lives with others in 140 character messages. Still, how real is real here? Isn't there a lot of virtual image building going on, even on Twitter? On the other end of the spectrum there is Second Life. There is still debate going on whether it's just a 3D chatting program or a game. If it's a game, it has no goals, no levels and no narratives of its own. If it's just a chatting program, why don't people use MSN then? The main attraction seems to be that people can shape and dress up their (ideal) avatars, explore virtual worlds, live in virtual houses, go to virtual clubs and so on. What identities and stories do people create? The possibilities are seemingly endless and range from vamp to vampire, from child to hero, from dancer to treasure hunter, from slave to master, and from furry to gender bender.