Contextual Identity
Just as we identify people by their occupations in face-to-face (F2F) communications, the Virtual Nation identifies its members through their positions in the online society - our contextual identification.
Abito (1998) points out that different cultures view the role of the individual differently, specifically contrasting the importance of roles in society in the Japanese culture with the importance of the individual in Western culture. Examples of some positions within the Virtual Nation include the following:
Each of these positions identifies the individual within the Virtual Nation. These positions hold various implications and expectations for behavior and responsibility. For example, a Hacker is expected to be bright, rebellious, and arrogant while a Newbie is expected to be overly enthusiastic and uneducated in the ways of the community.