Virtual Bodies: An Extension of the Real Self

"The virtual traveler sees and interacts with bodies, not minds, and she must be inclined to deny the traditional hierarchy in which we are minds and merely have bodies." 

(from Remediation: Understanding New Media by Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, p.249)

 

 

This statement goes against what most people probably believe about virtual reality. We tend to have an idea that human beings are spirits or souls with bodies, and these bodies are just vessels for our spirits. However, this quote suggests that virtual reality is a different form of reality and that people within the virtual space are just as real as we are in the real world. In the virtual world, we are not interacting with another person's mind or soul, but a different version of that person entirely.

 

Take social media sites, for instance.  Although we don't physically appear on Facebook or Instagram (in the flesh and blood sense) we do appear there in a different way. It may just be words on a page or a few pictures, but those forms of media contain the inner essence of a person. It may be different, but that doesn't necessarily make it fake. As an introverted person, I tend to be much more animated and can express my thoughts more freely through mediums like social media sites (or this blog) than I do in a public place. My shy, quiet, introverted side seen in public isn't a "fake" version of me, nor is the witty or thoughtful version of myself that appears on social media. Both versions are just as real, and at times they may switch places. I may not post anything online for a while (staying quiet or shy), while in the real world I'm being animated and funny and expressive. 

 

Again, people who are interacting with me (whether in real life or in a virtual space) aren't seeing a fake version of me, but a different version of the same person. In this way, the "virtual traveler" is an extension of the physical body traveling through a virtual world.