Workshop Response to Menu-Driven Identities

Question 1.
The very first step when signing up for Second Life is to choose your avatar. The website is structured so that the online representation comes before the mundane and necessary real life details (such as date of birth and gender). Gender, skin colour and age varies amongst the Avatars, however there appears to be no Asian or elderly representations. The “More…” section located underneath the Avatars reassures the prospective users that “You will always be able to change the look of your avatar” whether it be gender, skin colour or shape. The structure of the sign up page assumes that users are desperate to change their appearance and escape from the reality of the everyday.

Question 2.
The sign up page on the lavalife website features an attractive, young, heterosexual, Caucasian couple. However the site itself caters for people of varying ages, races and sexual orientations. Information such as age, height, ethnicity and religion are used to construct the user’s identity. It is assumed that these details will assist people in determining whether they are compatible with someone.