Masking

There has been some question about the theory of Masking my group (Avatar's as Masks) is using.

While we are very much aware that people use masks in thier everday lives, in the sense that our behavior and presentation changes with the situation. We do not curse at our bosses (well, most of us), we do not dress provocatively at church (well, some of us), and so on. This is a different form of masking than the one we are trying to get at. In the form of masking I'm talking about, the individual takes on another persona entirely. This is a case where behavior is not altered, it is unrecognizable as belonging to the person who is masked. The individual who takes on such a mask indicates the change with some outward symbol. It does not have to be a mask in the sense of a facial covering, but can be a band around the arm, or a specific color worn may indicate it. Part of this type of masking is that the mask itself (either tangible objects, or the behavior) uses symbols to indicate the persona being taken on. For instance, the use of paint to form stripes on the face may indicate the wrinkles of old age, or the use of a stick, decorated with strips of cloth may indicate authority of a ruler, or perhaps the manner of speech may indicate that the persona is of another country or class. These types of symbols are accepted by the community and it allows the persona to be immediately identified so that the audience does not have to wonder. The persona is likely to have another name entirely and is NOT is any form, that of the individual who is being masked. The masked persona has special authority and power within the community. There power comes directly from thier ability to portray what they intend to with thier mask. In this instance, think of masking more like an actor portraying a character than of a person who tailors thier behavior or appearence for a situation (even if it is merely for thier everyday life).

Masking ahs many functions within societies. It can be used for entertainment (very rarely), it can be used for "policing" the community, particularly a tight knit community in which accusations may backfire. It can also be used for calling the help of other spirits/dieties to heal or protect. Masking can be used to hide the identity of an individual who must preform a painful ritual upon another - so that the pain is not associated with the person under the mask, but rather with the mask itself. Many other reasons also exist, depending on the culture one is examining.

Masking is common (less so now in recent times) in non-western areas. Anthropologists have debately extensively about the purpose of masking, the use of masking, the method of masking, etc. There has been debate about its decline and about its popularity prior to said decline. The one aspect not questioned is that within a community to allows for masking either through masking societies that are dedicated to it, or through passing masking from generation to generation through bloodline, it plays a significant role in the smooth operation of the community.

There are 3 methods of masking accepted at the moment academically - the first is the use of bright, flashy masks/costumes/actions to focus attention on the personality of the mask, not the person beneath. The second method involves, plain, simple, and often minimul mask/costumes which focus attention on what is being concealed. The third is a combination of the two, where the mask is the focus, but BECAUSE of the manner in which is conceals the persona of the individual.

So what does this have to do with SL and avatars? Our theory (which has not been suggested before now) is that an avatar is a mask, in a very real, ritualistic type sense. Avatars are not representations of the individual creator specifically (if that was the case, then we'd not see any difference between the avatar and the creator's personality) but rather that the creator is making a mask - a new persona to inhabit this virtual world. With this project, we are using personality profiles to show that a distinction between the Avatar and Human creator not only exists, but is very, very, real. Once we are able to show that the avatar is not merely a digital representation of the person who created it, then we will be able to look further into reasons the human creator made the choices they did.

In a personal example. I am not an organized individual, I do not have the ability to keep my house straight constantly. I envy those people who do. I am outgoing, and often start conversations with strangers to learn more about them. I am observant, but an active participant in the world around me.

Terapyn (my created avatar) is very organized. She does NOT start conversations with strangers and while being very observant, she tends not to participate fully in the world around her, content to see what others are doing.

My personality is nothing like that of my avatar. While occassionally my personality does come through in SL (for instance, with those that have met me in RL), I can see a difference between my behavior when in the RL and my behavior (through the avatar) in SL. This type of personality breakthrough is also common in masking in which an individual in mask, may "break character" to shout at an annoying animal or shoo a child away.

This is not to say that I am not a part of this - I actively choose to make my avatar the way she is. I choose this, as a masked individual chooses to portray the persona of the mask (through use of said mask). I choose for my avatar to be a bit shy and a bit more laid back because it is how I want to fit into this virtual world. I do not want to be the center of conversations in SL, I would rather hear what others are saying from a distance. I find also, that when approached, the attitude of others towards me is very different - they are gentler, kinder, and more considerate. People tend not to swear as much around me (even though I can stand within earshot and hear every word in the book) - once I'm part of the conversation, the swearing is reduced. I also have noticed that my avatar's shy personality is like a magnet to others to offer suggestions and help, as well as to take an interest in the life of the avatar. It's as if I've chosen to mask not by flashy, bright colors - but rather by concealing the underlying personality - well, despite the wings, I just think those are neat.

I hope this has helped explain what type of masking we're talking about. We are not saying that Avatars are the same type of mask as used by Kachina's of the Hopi, but we are saying thier thier purposes and use may be similar in that it allows the individual a completely different persona - unrelated to thier own. The reasons for this may be varied. I am exploring SL as an anthropologists and I have learned more information about those using it by sitting back quietly and letting them talk.

If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. You are also encouraged to examine Claude Levi-Strauss, A. L. Kroeber, JohnPicton, and Leslie White. They are some of the people I've drawn information from. A search for Kachina, Masking Societies, or African Ritual will also give you much information about masking traditions if you have further interest. The best psychological information relating to masking occurs in the late 80s and early 90s - prior to that time you will mostly find ethnographic descrition of masks, how they are used, who's using them, etc. After the 90s, there is little new information about masking - mainly because the number of groups using masking has dwindled so significantly.