The digital transformation of human identity: Towards a conceptual model of virtual identity in virtual worlds
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
Published online on May 07, 2014
Abstract
The current article explores patterns of identity development in virtual worlds, with the aim of introducing a conceptual model of virtual identity. Despite the rapid spread of virtual environments, no model has been developed to date that fully captures this complex entity. Rather than taking a purely social approach, as has been the dominant trend in most prior work, the structural elements used in this current framework incorporate several dimensions and approaches identity as a conglomerate of personal, social, relational and material aspects. Building on an extensive body of the available literature, with the current conceptual model, we intend to provide a comprehensive base on which to further expand theoretically as well as empirically in future work-related concerning identity in virtual worlds.