Relationality and the re-entry of the real : community in cyberspace?

This thesis investigates synchronous, disembodied online communication in chatrooms. We are particularly interested in the notion of reality and processes of ‘community’ formation as they apply in the electronic environment of chatrooms. Jean Baudrillard’s theory of ‘simulacra’ provides us with a starting point as it has been suggested that the theory provides a ‘perfect’ description of the online self. After a cursory literature review, we conduct our own empirical study in order to explore whether indeed ‘reality’ is absent in cyberspace. At first we restricted this empirical work to (passive) observation (August 2003) but soon found out that key features of online communication could not be observed but had to be experienced. As a result we moved from observation to active (covert) participation (September and October 2003). Chapters 2 and 4 present a selection and preliminary analysis of the data we collected. Van Gennep’s and Turner’s notion of Timinality’ provides us with a framework for the analysis of these experiences. Our theoretical analysis is given in the concluding chapter, which is divided into two parts. First, we theorise the relationship between language and reality in chatrooms, emphasising that the language used in online communication shares aspects of both written and spoken language. The second part of the final chapter presents our key finding, which is that cyberspace, as experienced in chatrooms, is not at all void of reality. More specifically we argue that the ‘re-entry of the real’ and the unfolding of online relationships are two aspects of one and the same process.